Supporting veterans, first responders, and their families in finding hope, purpose, and growth through ancient healing and sacred communion.
Trauma is not the events you experienced. It is how your body stored those events, creating subconscious responses that follow you home.
It can feel isolating, like no one else could understand. When conventional care hasn't worked, it is easy to lose hope.
That's why we're here.
Veterans lost to suicide each day on average in 2022.
U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, 2024 Annual ReportPolice officers and firefighters died by suicide in 2017, more than the 222 who died in the line of duty.
Ruderman Family Foundation, 2018Of military and veteran caregivers supporting someone 60 or younger meet criteria for probable depression.
RAND Corporation, 2024Many of our facilitators are veterans, first responders, or military-affiliated.
Meet the team →"The thing that stuck with me from that first experience was that I did not want to die anymore."
The retreat is the center of a longer journey. You prepare with our team before you arrive and keep working with us long after you leave.
Medical screening, prescription tapering protocols, one-on-one and group preparation sessions so you arrive grounded and ready.
The retreat at our private sanctuary in the Texas Hill Country: ceremony, breathwork, bodywork, and a community that understands.
One-on-one and group integration sessions, peer accountability, and daily practices to carry the healing into everyday life.
A guided multi-day retreat at a private sanctuary in the Texas Hill Country.
Pre-program intake, medical screening, and customized prescription drug tapering protocols.
Post-retreat group and individual sessions to help you process and carry the healing forward.
A community of veterans and first responders who have walked this path.
Facilitated by experienced guides
Nurturing body, mind and spirit
Licensed massage therapists
Hydration and micronutrients
Therapeutic sound healing
Whole-food menu, all inclusive
If you have served, or currently serve, your nation or your community, you deserve the chance to heal here in America.
Not a veteran or first responder? Explore Illuminating Souls →
Healing doesn't only change you. It changes the people who love you. Family Matters supports the partners, spouses and friends of every participant, with resources and guidance to help you navigate this period of change together.
A space for loved ones to ask questions, share what they're carrying, and feel supported alongside you.
Clear guidance on what your journey involves, so the people closest to you know what to expect.
Insights and tools that benefit their own wellbeing and open new ways of connecting with you.
A former Army Officer who served during Operation Enduring Freedom, Mya founded and led a nonprofit for military spouses and has spent 20 years serving families. She believes healing, healthy families of all kinds are the foundation of a thriving world.
See current dates, details and availability for every Heroes retreat in one place.
"I'd been in therapy three days a week for two years, but I still wanted to kill myself. This program helped me reframe my life. I was living a victim's story and realized I could live a hero's story."
A private conversation with our team about where you are and what you're hoping for.
Complete your intake and medical screening so our clinical team can confirm the right fit.
Choose your retreat dates and begin your eight weeks of preparation.
We believe each of the medicines we work with can be facilitated safely when the process includes thoughtful screening, appropriate dosing, adequate preparation, and meaningful integration. These are essential parts of our approach, not extras.
Before a retreat, we take time to understand each person’s health, medications, history, intentions, and support needs.
We explain the safeguards and risks specific to the program so participants can make an informed decision. Our commitment is to hold this work with discernment, care, and respect for the person and the medicine.
The Illuminating Collective is a spiritual community, and our ceremonies are sincere expressions of our faith. The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion. The federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act provide further protections against government actions that substantially burden religious practice, subject to the standards set out in those laws.
We believe these constitutional and statutory protections apply to our religious/spiritual practice, including our sacramental work. We hold this responsibility with reverence, integrity, and care, and welcome honest conversations about our beliefs and practices
We believe this work touches the whole circle around a person. Loved ones may be able to take part through offerings such as Family Matters, which gives family members and caregivers space for learning, connection, and support.
Whether loved ones can attend a particular retreat depends on the program. You don’t have to navigate the process alone. We’ll help you understand what support is available for the people who matter to you.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before reaching out. We’ll listen to what’s bringing you here, what you hope to explore, and what kind of support you need. Each program has its own purpose, rhythm, and screening process, and we’ll help you discern whether one feels like a good fit.
Sometimes the right next step is a conversation. Sometimes it’s more preparation, or deciding the timing isn’t right yet. We’ll meet that honestly and respectfully.
The retreat is one part of a longer journey. The 12 weeks afterward form a guided integration and transformation course, with weekly learning modules, written exercises, group meetings, and individual coaching sessions.
Together, these create space to reflect, stay connected, and put what you’re learning into practice in everyday life.
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