 I'd been diagnosed with had left me exhausted. Every aspect of life was affected. Decision making was paralysing; sleep disrupted by toe-to-jaw-clenching. With trust levels at an all-time low, sometimes I'd be eggshell-fragile emotionally; other times my brain would slam on the brakes, leaving me with the mental clarity of a crumpled Post-it note. As a travel journalist who'd spent the past decade exploring far-flung destinations, unfazed by the unknown, I didn't recognise the person I'd become. On a bad day, the idea of a park walk five minutes from home could leave me overwhelmed. While many months of therapy had been hugely beneficial, I felt it had run its course. When the opportunity arose to attend a new three-day retreat, The Dreaming, conceived and run by singer Charlotte Church, I felt I had nothing to lose. The retreat, in Mid Wales, focuses on nature-based healing and connection to the land. Before PTSD, I'd found solace in the wild – birdwatching, on countryside walks, or during sea swims. I was willing to give it a try. I was so consumed by apprehension for the train journey that it was only after the taxi disappeared, leaving me and my baggage – literal, and emotional – outside Rhydoldog House and its 47-acre wooded grounds, that my surroundings sunk in. The elegant Victorian mansion and former home of Laura Ashley, which Church spent years transforming into a seven-bedroom wellness escape, is a vision, with a glossy cream façade, sage-green window trims and a magical wooden porch. In front, grassy slopes cascade down to distant hills. In the other direction is spruce forest, where woodpeckers drum and waterfalls burble. Enveloped by greenery, I felt as though Mother Nature was giving me a bearhug. Inside, Church (barefoot, in a long, flowing green dress) and her team w){kind=link}
From sound healing and sharing circles to silent discos, the singer’s latest venture in Wales encourages guests to fully immerse themselves
The last few years had felt like walking an emotional trip-wire. After a series of events left me feeling deeply unsafe in my own body, the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) I’d been diagnosed with had left me exhausted. Every aspect of life was affected. Decision making was paralysing; sleep disrupted by toe-to-jaw-clenching. With trust levels at an all-time low, sometimes I’d be eggshell-fragile emotionally; other times my brain would slam on the brakes, leaving me with the mental clarity of a crumpled Post-it note.
As a travel journalist who’d spent the past decade exploring far-flung destinations, unfazed by the unknown, I didn’t recognise the person I’d become. On a bad day, the idea of a park walk five minutes from home could leave me overwhelmed.
While many months of therapy had been hugely beneficial, I felt it had run its course. When the opportunity arose to attend a new three-day retreat, The Dreaming, conceived and run by singer Charlotte Church, I felt I had nothing to lose. The retreat, in Mid Wales, focuses on nature-based healing and connection to the land. Before PTSD, I’d found solace in the wild – birdwatching, on countryside walks, or during sea swims. I was willing to give it a try.
I was so consumed by apprehension for the train journey that it was only after the taxi disappeared, leaving me and my baggage – literal, and emotional – outside Rhydoldog House and its 47-acre wooded grounds, that my surroundings sunk in. The elegant Victorian mansion and former home of Laura Ashley, which Church spent years transforming into a seven-bedroom wellness escape, is a vision, with a glossy cream façade, sage-green window trims and a magical wooden porch.