Experience and Expression: somatic and semiotic aspects within spiritual self-development retreat

Retreats serve as a concentrated time and space for immersive, transformative experiences and often claim to incite profound personal change, fostering new relationships with oneself, others, and the world. As guest and researcher, I join a ‘rite de passage’ retreat in Guatemala, featuring embodiment practices, rituals, plant medicine, and celebration to awaken creativity, ignite transformation, and amplify personal power. I explore the experiential and expressive elements within the spiritual self-development practices. Analyzing the ambiguous relationship between wellness retreats and hegemonic notions of reason. While often rebelling against dominant materialist and secular frameworks, retreats may simultaneously reinforce colonial rationalities of subjectification.