We will co-create a space where everyone feels safe to express themself honestly, without fear of judgement or breach of confidentiality.

We will nourish ourselves with good food, rest, friendship, music and laughter.

We will slow down and pause. 

We will listen carefully to ourselves, each other, and to the environment around us. 

The group sessions will be co-facilitated by Dr Zoe Wang, Dr Edwina Lawson and Dr Iona Morrison, all GPs with interests in a range of well-being practices.

All of the team supporting this event are experienced with some form of therapeutic modality.

Healing in Healthcare has been running with great success annually for the past 10yrs. If you are interested, please get in touch for more information: zoewang6A@gmail.com

Please feel free to share this with others you think would be interested.

(to link with trains - we can arrange lifts to station)

Location: Cemaes 

Nearest train stations Machynlleth or Caersws

Price: £200-£250 (Sliding scale, any money left over from the direct costs of the weekend will be used for developing the site for events and increasing biodiversity. If the price is the limiting factor for your attendance, please get in touch, some bursary places available)

Camping: Bring your own tents, wet and warm weather gear – we will be fully outdoors or in tents/yurts for sessions. 

Compost toilet.  Stream shower. 

Catered for with cooking on a fire. 

Please let me know of any mobility issues, specific requirements or practical concerns so that we can best support you in coming.

Contact details: 

Zoe Wang - zoewang6A@gmail.com

07813 845 495

Over the years, I've learnt various different movement, meditation and nature connection practices (including completing a Yoga Teacher Training Course and Thai Yoga Massage course). I'm also in regular sharing circles, I facilitate group singing sessions (Singing Mamas) and regularly staff children on Forest School Camps.

My underlying drive for offering this weekend comes from a longstanding desire to bring myself, and the world around me, closer towards a sense of ‘good health’, ‘balance’, or ‘wholeness’.

When I manage to experience this for myself, I also feel more closely connected to others and the natural world. I feel what may be described as joy, peace, acceptance, compassion, healing, gratitude, or love.  However you describe it - it feels right in my body, and my decisions and behaviours from that place are clearer, more honest, healthy and sustainable as a result.

I believe that the closer we live to this state of being, as individuals and communities, our behaviours would be such to support good health for both us as humans, but also the planet at large.  This was essentially one of the reasons that I (and I’m sure countless others) chose to study medicine.

However, I’m aware of an increasing shared sense of frustration about how our current healthcare system, culture within the workplace and society at large, doesn’t seem to have space for many aspects required for a deeper healing.  It can feel as though we are just firefighting, patching over wounds in order to keep going as we are, rather than also addressing some of our underlying beliefs and behaviour patterns. Addressing these might ultimately bring us all closer towards a healthier state of being.  The way in which we work, and our relationships to our work, impact on us personally as healthcare professionals, as well as our colleagues, and the patients we are trying to treat.

For the past several years, a small group of healthcare professionals have met in a field in the Dyfi Valley for a long weekend.  Through the medium of meditation, movement, music, nature-based practices, sharing and listening deeply to each other, in a well held, safe container, we have been able to explore our own personal relationships to ourselves as ‘healers’ – in our relationships with patients, colleagues, and ourselves; our sense of identity; our underlying beliefs; ‘am I practicing what I preach??’  We’ve been able to access and use our collective inner wisdom to find solace, acceptance, inspiration, motivation and clarity in relation to areas that have needed attention.

Many of us have had various experiences like this before, but what we found particularly unique about these weekends was doing it in relation to our work, with other health care professionals.  This initially felt quite edgy.  Showing our vulnerabilities, and sharing of ourselves in this way, was not something that we have experienced to be very welcomed in the current health care culture.  This in itself is very interesting given that so many aspects of this way of being and interacting seem to be at the heart of therapeutic relationships.  I currently believe that the more we are in touch with ourselves and others on this deeper level of listening and understanding, the more we can bring ourselves, our patients, and ultimately the planet, closer towards a healthy and balanced state of being.

I hope to hear about your views and experiences too – does any of this resonate with you??!

"It was a wonderful experience, even better than I hoped it would be.  Everything was just spot-on and set the right tone, from the location, the welcome, the facilities, the inclusivity, the activities, the food, and also the freedom to be myself.  Any trepidation I felt disappeared as soon as I arrived.  It was so well facilitated, and the group just seemed to gel so well – that’s down to the organisation, preparation and the tone set for the weekend, not just the personalities of the individuals."

"To be honest , I have been waiting for this since I finished medicine 20 years ago."

"It was totally, and completely wonderful. So much more than I could have hoped for. It was exactly what my soul needed, but I would never have been able to find it, or vocalise what I was needing another way/anywhere else."

"It was wonderful- nourishing for mind, body and spirit. A much needed chance to unwind- reflect- spend time in nature- think deeply about things that are important to me at home and at work- and connect with other healthcare providers to genuinley and deeply explore challenges at work and home."

"A reminder that I am not alone. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to meet a group of genuine, kind-hearted and inspiring souls who work hard within the NHS and also face difficulties working in a system that may not align well with their values or hopes for the way they would like to deliver care. The power of nature in supporting and nurturing us to keep us well. I will take steps to do what I can in my personal and professional role to try to do what I can to protect our beautiful environment. That Zoe and Iona are amazing for being the inspiration behind such a wonderful event! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you have done to coordinate everything before, during and after the weekend."

"I was struck by how the facilitation held the space but had no agenda. It was really masterful - acknowledging the wisdom in each participant to stay with their own process, finding their own solutions and conclusions rather than prescribing any particular outcome. You created a profoundly safe space and clear structure that felt very familiar for me, but I’m sure would have supported anyone to participate safely, regardless of their experience in similar circles."

"The facilitation set the tone perfectly, allowing deep levels of openness from the start. Aims and timings were made clear, and I always felt seen and heard."

See previous section

Dr Iona Morrison

While doing my GP training in North Wales I experienced my first Healing In Healthcare retreat which proved to be a life-raft while navigating some choppy internal waters. Meeting kindred spirits in Nature, during a time of soul-searching, gave me the clarity I was looking for. This ensured I returned every year; first as a participant and for the last three years as co-facilitator. It has been an honour to welcome new people into the field and into the fold. A unique place where we can stop and listen and reset, (and re-route if necessary!).

I am a GP and worked for two years in London before returning to Glasgow where I work as a salaried GP in a Deep End Practice and as an integrative doctor in the Centre for Integrative care. I have completed a 300 hour yoga teacher training and a movement-based expressive art training called the Tamalpa Life/Art Process.

I believe a holistic approach to health is necessary. It is a joy to incorporate this learning into the healing in healthcare weekends as we create ways to drop into the body (and the present moment) using creative, embodied and nature-based practices. 

Dr Edwina Lawson

It’s coming up to 10 years since I started participating in this yearly retreat, and each time it has been like drinking from the most refreshing well, one which quenches my thirst for all sorts of connections and for my sense of aliveness. Over time, I see that these pools of experience have permeated choices I’ve made, guiding me to find more balance and alignment inside and outside my NHS work.

Since my kids have got a little older, I’ve been part of the support team in the second camp, first as campfire sous-chef, of which one highlight was making pancakes on the fire in the rain! Last year I was a co-facilitator, and I loved being part of the container for other people, a safe space where all sorts of beautiful discoveries and creativity has emerged. It’s new every time.

Having grown up in France, I came to London  to study medicine. I worked for a decade as a GP partner and I am now a salaried GP in London and a trainer in Coaching for Health. I’ve really enjoyed being a supervisor for FY2 doctors. Some of the most memorable moments of my NHS work have been around creating opportunities where teams can feel connected, be innovative and can flourish.