STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
They’ve dubbed it “The Joy Tribe.”
It’s a retreat harnessing the beauty of Sun Valley to offer girls 18 through 24 a chance to wake up to the possibilities awaiting them, learn how to forge healthy relationships with boys and others and learn how to set goals to make their dreams come true.
The girls will walk away with a powerful toolbox to support them living an empowered life, promise Pirie Grossman and Diane Chandler, the two life empowerment coaches who will tailor the six-day retreat to the girls’ needs.
“How great would it be to be able to let go of that annoying voice in your head that is full of self-criticism, low self-esteem and self-judgments,” said Grossman. “Or the anxiety you feel because you feel you or your life is not as great as someone else’s.”
Grossman and Chandler met at the University of Santa Monica where both were pursuing a Master’s degree in spiritual psychology. They became interested in offering a retreat for young women as they realized the toll social media and other trappings of the 21st century have taken on young people’s psyches.
“Many girls don’t have tools or techniques. We teach them tools to live life so when something triggers something in their past they know what to do. They’ll learn to self-soothe without alcohol or drugs. They’ll learn how important it is to be who they are, not who they’re trying to be,” said Grossman.
Grossman has been on a crusade to mitigate the damaging baggage young people carry with them ever since a friend of hers died by suicide a few years ago. She brought in Kevin Hines, who survived a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, to talk to students a few years ago. And she helped organize a community-wide organization--5B SPA, or Suicide Prevention Alliance--to seek ways to prevent suicide in the Wood River Valley.
Of course, suicide is not just a problem here, Chandler says. A university clinic in Palo Alto is now seeing 20 suicide attempts a month, whereas they used to see one.
“Young people are our future. If we don’t fix what’s going on, we’re in trouble,” she added.
The two will use a variety of tools, including brain spotting, a new technique that is becoming more widely used by athletes. The brain remembers if an ice skater falls, Grossman said. But brain spotting can be used to take away that memory so the body doesn’t remember that fall.
The two will also use techniques to clear out emotional blocks so the young women don’t have to carry hurts with them for years. They will use acupuncture, free form writing, yoga, swimming, fishing, sound bowl meditations, vision boards, massage, brain optimization, light therapy and other body therapies
They will also teach the young women about themselves, relationships, how to communicate and how to listen to understand on hikes, fly-fishing, horseback rides and while whitewater rafting.
“It’s going to be fun!” said Chandler. “It’s not like in-depth therapy session. We’ll be creating sacred safe space, helping them find their girl tribe.”
Girls will be coming from Washington, D.C., New York City and even Aspen to join The Joy Tribe. It’ll cost $3,499 to stay at the expansive log home in view of Dollar Mountain house during the six-day retreat while eating farm-to-table organic meals.
Local girls will be offered the opportunity for half the rate. They also may participate for a day or more, staying in their own homes.
“We want to help girls remember who they are and who they truly are. It’s not that, ‘You’re broken. Let me fix you,’ but ‘You’re perfect. Let’s remember that,’ ” said Grossman.
Grossman says the majestic mountains and clear streams of Sun Valley boast a healing quality to them not found in many places.
“I’ve lived here for 23 years and this is where I started healing 23 years ago. The mountains, the water, the community—so much healing. We wanted to take the girls outside of the noise into a tranquil place. And this is it.”
Chandler agreed: “I live in San Diego by the beach, which is not a bad place to be. But there is a very different feeling here. You feel closer to God in the mountains.”
Want to know more?
Visit: https://piriejonesgrossman.com/joy-tribe/ Or, call 208-721-0686.