We think you’ll like it here.
At Emberwood, we get you practicing intentional solitude to meet yourself again.
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Worried that this is a scary woo-woo cult? We appreciate your concerns! This woo-woo is science-based, trained in therapy, and ethically-informed.
I get the association — it’s definitely good to be wary of groups who want to take you out into the woods, on a “retreat.” So many of us gays have been “saved” one too many times at bible camp to know this sad fact of life.
Here, you’re going to dive into solitude to learn from yourself, not from us. We provide the skills, we set out optional invitations, but it’s all about you and nature.
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That makes sense! Let us explain…
Emberwood is solitude therapy.
The idea is:
How can I really know myself if I’m never alone to hear myself?
Oh crap, I have to be alone.
Oh double crap, it’s scary to be alone.
ENTER EMBERWOOD—where we teach you all the skills to sit through the scary in order to hear your own needs, insights, and what feels authentic to you.
We are experts in solitude for deeper knowing. Call it positive solitude, call it creative solitude, call it solitude therapy — it’s about meeting your true self again.
How does it really look?
We invite you out in nature, to a workshop event, or an overnight trip to the lake. We’ll give you all the tools we know to experience your solitude intentionally and make huge shifts on the things you care about most.
Nearly all programs have no prerequisites. Have curiosity? You’re good to go!
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It’s loneliness we all get too much of.
We teach you how to shift your alone-time from feeling empty, meaningless, and scary, into something generative, rich, and refreshing: solitude, not loneliness.
We get you to love being with you again.
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Everybody wants to know their practitioners before trying something, it’s good to do a vibe check before jumping in on a trip, we get that.
SO, to find out if Emberwood is a good fit, here is a little self-check-in with some more info.
Dog people (You are an extrovert or you like community time): We recommend trying a shorter in-town event like something from the Solitude Lab series. You also can jump directly into our foundations trip, Little Lodge.
Cat people (You are an introvert or you prefer a quieter time, ya know?): We recommend booking a 15 minute chat so you can meet us and learn about what’s coming up that would be a good fit. We can tell you about our foundations trip, Little Lodge, because that is likely the first thing you’ll do with Emberwood.
Summary: Everything with Emberwood is good for beginners (except the year-long Solitude Collective), and best starting places are an in-town event or the trip Little Lodge. Or, chat with us so we can recommend!
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Gosh yes, I hope so. Loons, owls, squirrels, that marmot who lives in the woodpile. [PLUS the latest science is suggesting that one way of looking at trees is that they are just very VERY slow animals. PLUS you are an animal—you are nature too.]
BUT if you actually mean, “yeah, but straight up will I see a bear,” no. Never seen one there in all our years of these trips.
That said, we teach you all the safety stuff you need to know for everything — animals, weather, warmth, psychological ease, getting around the area, etc. And mostly we just take care of all this for you in the back-end. This is all built right into the program and you will be totally confident when it comes time for your trip.
NICE FACT—being in nature for 20 minutes down-regulates your nervous system, it brings measurable ease and wellness to the body. We host our solitude therapy outside not to make it harder, but to make it way easier.
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We have a [drumroll please!]
No Mosquito Guarantee*
*on our trips out of town, excluding the August trip
Emberwood, perhaps surprisingly, does not run much in the summer. Why? We don’t want to see a mosquito. We want you to have a good time. So, no mosquitoes. And, we pick warm times of year for our trips, and put you in a cute sweater too, just in case.
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While “White Boy” (common name) is a very prolific and sometimes invasive variant of the species Homosapien, they remain rare to nonexistent in this area.
Let me be more specific—we do see a lot of men, but they tend to be gay, queer, or trans. (However, cis straight boys, why not come on by? You like nature? Want to explore your mental health? Come along.)
At Emberwood, we are pleased to share with you…
Our 51% Guarantee
Minorities in the majority—we guarantee that at least 51% of attendees will be part of a marginalized community (like trans, fat, Deaf, ace, IBPOC, limb difference, etc.). We’re usually at 90%.
More on mobility
Little Lodge (in cabins): Inquire about the barrier-free bathroom and cabin. Wheel-friendly in seasons without snow.
Nest (all outdoors): Nest is not accessible for wheels. Nest can be attended with lower mobility and fatigue. We often drive folks into the site.
Our short events in the city: our indoors space is accessible, and outdoors it depends if you can roll on grass.
Also
We are an introvert-friendly place - we celebrate people saying ‘pass’ if they do not wish to share
A stim-safer place
We will hire ASL interpretation on request
Trauma-informed
A safer place for neurodivergent folks
some basic nuts and bolts…
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We are in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
In-Edmonton events
- In the winter, events are indoors.
- 10740 19 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6J 6W9. Looking at the building, go in the door on the right. We will have a sign out.
- 20 min walk or short bus/cab ride from Century Park LRT.
- Content warning: our space is in a church (very very left politically, totally queer friendly)Trips
Yes you can travel to attend a trip. There is an international airport just outside of Edmonton, then you can rent a car or carpool to the trip location. Be in touch with pre-trip accommodation, we may be able to book our site a day early for you.Trips are at Narrow Lake Conservation Site, two hours north of Edmonton. Don’t drive? You can set up a carpool at your pre-trip All Skills workshop.
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God no. Haha, no no. Emberwood is all about going very slowly in nature or sitting. Many events and trips can accommodate wheels, and we offer shuttles down to the lake in the car.
We are fat positive, and pro health at every size.
No, this has nothing to do with exercise lol.
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Heck yeah, finally some relatable content! Like lots of folks, we are working on being less awkward about money and moving to being confident, straightforward, and totally open instead. So, let’s hash it out!
Emberwood is less expensive than average therapy and other retreats because we know people are often in a lot of debt and in tricky money situations, so we find grants to offset the costs. Then, it still does cost, so hopefully these things will help:
Payment plans
Payment plans available by email request. Many folks pay using a payment plan.
You’d set up a monthly or bi-monthly payment depending on what your finances dictate. Commonly people do $50-200 per month. You can pay off a trip in advance, or after, or some of each.
Be in touch and we will set one up that works for you.
Insurance providers
Depending on your plan, you might be able to reimburse some of your costs through Blue Cross or other providers.
Call or look to find if you have coverage for a "registered social worker” in your plan. If you have that, we write you a receipt for your event, or one per day of your trip (one session per date of the trip).
Then you submit those to your insurance. They would cover whatever your plan says they can cover per session.
Be in touch to chat more about this anytime.
Spending accounts
If you have a health spending account or a personal spending account, check those deets too, you might be able to cover some Emberwood fees with that.
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Our short events have tea and snacks.
On trips, all meals are provided, catered to your dietary needs. We can cook gluten free, vegan, low FODMAP (easy on the guts - brings IBS down to zero) and more.
There is food out and available at all times. You are welcome to bring more of your own.
We are happy to discuss bathroom hacks, be in touch!
We are eating disorder informed and have a no diet-talk norm.
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Ideally yes.
ahahah no of course not, it’s tough to do anything about where we fall on the ol’ kinsey scale, try as we might.
Most of our participants are 2SLGBTQIA+, though Emberwood isn’t queer-only by any means. Allies are totally welcome and do and should come. Good for stretching your brain, to be in the minority!
With Emberwood, we find it's more about an outlook on life. Whether you're straight, bi, disabled, BIPOC, or neurodivergent, Emberwood really vibes with all people who like to trust their intuition, think outside the cultural norm, love learning deeply about themselves, and find meaning in their experiences.
Plus, it’s easy to fit in when it’s a silent retreat! You should come :)
If you like scientifically-backed woo-woo, come on down.
I'm an ally and I don't want to take a spot away from someone who is marginalized.
You’re the kind of ally we want! We formally invite you to join.
Let us sort out these kinds of things in the back-end, you are definitely not taking away a spot.
Want to know more? Send us your question here!
Or set up a 15 minute call with Emberwood founders, we love a chat.