
A Retreat for Grief & Renewal
Heartful Healing Haven is no longer accepting enrollment for the sacred journey of healing on the island of St. Croix, November 20-22, 2026. This weekend retreat will transform the weight of grief into spiritual grace and lasting inner peace.
Alchemizing Grief
Journeying through grief is an alchemizing, transformational experience that is meant to be shared in community. As overly individualistic, ethnocentric Western societies have prioritized the head over the heart for centuries, many communities have lost their connection to the sacredness of women gathering and healing together. Karla and Bri have been divinely inspired to help guide us back to the sacred art and practice of community grief rituals.
We are offering this sacred retreat to support the mourning of our losses within a safe and nurturing container, allowing us to heal at the deepest levels possible. As women, our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls unite in reverence, helping us transform the grief we carry deep within through sustainable and powerful healing practices.
We offer a variety of heart-centered experiences, including trauma-informed yin yoga each morning to support the body's fascia, encouraging openness and helping to release stored tension and trauma. Participants will also have the opportunity to connect with loved ones across the realms through mediumship and channeling. We will facilitate sacred ceremonies for grief and healing that thoughtfully interweave multiple cultural traditions with honor and reverence.
In addition, there will be dedicated time for personal reflection, journaling, and integration, as well as opportunities to enjoy the beautiful beaches of St. Croix, local events, and meaningful excursions. Through these experiences, you will witness and connect with the sacred life force of the island, honoring both its history and its vibrant present.

Stay Nearby
While we gather daily for healing at the Haven, guests should arrange their own local lodging to enjoy a peaceful rest each evening. These are some options, but we do not guarantee these lodgings.
My name is Karla, and I have dedicated much of my professional life to exploring the human terrain of grief, loss, and the alchemy of healing. Throughout my career in psychology, I have encountered the diverse expressions of bereavement and the deep resonance it leaves within individuals and their wider communities. Frequently, I have observed how our current social structure fails to provide the necessary sanctuary, time, or compassionate support required to truly honor a soul’s transition.
My perspective on mourning is not merely academic; it is profoundly personal. Like many who are drawn to the healing arts, I have walked through the fires of loss myself. My individual journeys through sorrow have refined me, challenged my spirit, and ultimately illuminated a path toward deeper spiritual awareness.
In my quest for meaning that transcends traditional psychological frameworks, I turned toward spiritual curiosity, the ancient wisdom of the Goddess, and the blossoming of my mediumistic gifts. These sacred explorations have widened my view of recovery and solidified my conviction that grief is not a burden to be discarded, but a presence we learn to carry with gentle grace, deep empathy, and shared solidarity.
While I have worn many titles, both in my personal life and professional practice, the identity that resonates most truthfully is that of healer. I strive to offer a vessel where you feel deeply witnessed and held during your own navigation of loss. By coming together, we can sanctify our grief, listen to its whispers, and affirm that healing is not an act of repairing what is shattered, but an invitation to live fully and vibrantly alongside our history.
It is my sacred privilege to walk this path with you.
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Karla
Meet Your Guides
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Hey there beautiful soul, I am Bri. I am a wild woman, witchy to be sure—a keeper of the ancient wisdom traditions of my Celtic and Norse ancestry and a lover of life and culture. I spent my youth in the United States, but always knew my free-spirited nature would take me around the world, and it did.
I have been to nearly 50 countries now and immersed myself fully into many of them, sometimes living there for years. I adore learning about new cultures and have been truly honored to be invited into many traditional ceremonies and rituals on my sacred pilgrimages. My entire life has been one big sacred pilgrimage. I most recently re-entered "the matrix" to gain more credentials in psychology: a master's with a focus on the healing creative arts—in which I have multiple certifications from intensive trainings to be a provider in modalities such as advanced trauma-informed sand tray and other trauma-informed creative techniques, TRE® (trauma release exercises), and most recently I've been learning how to incorporate narrative therapy into sessions.
When I studied in India to become a yoga and meditation instructor a decade ago, I had stepped away from my career as a writer, English, and Art teacher and began to create my own path, led by the divine, which is how I found my way to facilitating retreats now in the present moment. I come from a long line of women healers from my mother's ancestral line. Healing is truly in my blood and bones (decades of experience in this lifetime alone as both a continuous practitioner and as a provider of the ancient healing arts), and I am here to share my bones' wisdom and to hold sacred space for you to remember yours, honoring the communal way of our women ancestors who came before us.
Bri
What to expect:

To maintain a deep sense of intimacy, this retreat is limited to just seven women. This small group size ensures you are truly seen, heard, and supported in a safe community.
Throughout the weekend, we explore healing through ritual, guided talk, journaling, and shared spiritual practices. You will find a soft balance between connecting with others and finding quiet time for yourself.
Retreat Schedule
Friday, November 20
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Welcome and Opening Circle
Saturday, November 21
7:00 AM – 6:00 PM: Guided Activities and Spiritual Practices
Includes: Provided breakfast and lunch (Dinner on your own).
Sunday, November 22
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Integration and Farewell Circle
Includes: Provided breakfast and lunch
No experience is needed. Come as you are and move at your own pace.
Registration
Once you register, you will receive an email with payment steps and retreat documents to sign.
Our mission is to offer a compassionate space where your grief is honored. Because of the limited space, we encourage early registration for these seven spots.
Begin Your Journey
Have questions before you register? Email us at kldiffin202002@gmail.com


