Choose Again Society
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    • Year-Round Retreats
    • Trauma Workshop with Diederik Wolsak
  • WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
    • All Workshops & Events
    • Half-day introductory workshop
    • Choose Again in the South of France
    • Holotropic Breathing
  • COURSES
    • Mastering the Six Steps
    • Advanced Readings Group
    • Practicing ACIM with Dawn Green
    • Costa Rica Residency for Advanced Students
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Healing Retreats Costa Rica

open year-round

Learn to identify and release the inner blocks that keep you from living life to its fullest. Take the time to go within & heal painful patterns at their root. Return home with a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and vitality.


The Retreat Centre & Program

Perched on a hillside overlooking Lake Arenal in Central Costa Rica - with toucans, monkeys, and butterflies ​in the trees overhead – sits El Cielo a remarkable gem of a retreat centre, the sole purpose of which is the personal transformation of all who come.

Our year-round centre is a small facility with no more than 12 visitors at any one time, allowing for a very high staff to participant ratio.  As soon as you arrive we will get to work on the root cause of your life's challenges, and empower you with practical tools to restore your natural state of well-being and happiness.

The program offers:

  • Daily circles  in which to undo obsolete and painful emotional patterns with the guidance of highly trained counselling staff.

  • Life-changing holotropic breathwork sessions.

  • Daily mind-body practices including, meditation, yoga, chi gong, expressive movement.​
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  • If desired - private sessions with our resident counsellors.

  • Digital Detox - Turn in your devices and claim back your own mind.
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  • A chance to connect with others seeking an honest and profound process of self- transformation.
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  • Uplifting and invigorating activities - lake walks and swims; outings to hot springs and beaches.​

  • Fresh, healthy, locally-sourced food shared together in communal meals around our dining-room table.
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  • Plenty of time to restore, renew and rejuvenate in the lush natural setting of Costa Rica, and in our simple and comfortable cabins. 

A typical day

  • 7:00 am Morning Walk/Stretch/Yoga
  • 8:30 am Fresh Healthy Breakfast
  • 10:00 am Group Circle
  • 12:30 pm Buffet Lunch​
  • 3:30 pm Afternoon Program (Varies)
  • 6:00 pm Dinner
  • 7:00 pm Time for socialising, or quiet reflection.
  • 8:00 pm Retreat to room for meditation.

Famously delicious...

Our Centre (who we loving call El Cielo - Heaven in Spanish) is famous for the quality of food and the love and creativity with which it is made. Some say that El Cielo is Costa Rica's best kept culinary secret...

During your stay you will enjoy a plethora of fresh vegetables from the local markets and from our own garden, artisan-quality home-made bread, fresh fish brought to us directly from the pacific Ocean, locally grown chicken and organic beef. Enjoy typical costa rican dishes with flair as well as inspired cuisine cooked by our team. 

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We never compromise on the quality and vibrancy of our food. 

Accommodations & Rates


"Tropical Season" - Stay Between Apr 1 to Oct 31
Vertical Divider
Single Private Room
(
Per Person/Per Week - All Included*)

1st Week $2,800 USD 
​
2nd Week  $2,450 USD
3rd Week  $2,100 USD​
Shared Occupancy (max 2 people in room)
(Per Person/Per Week - All Included*)

1st Week $2,450 USD 
​
2nd Week  $2,100 USD
3rd Week  $1,750 USD​

"High Season" - Stay Between Nov 1 to Mar 31
Vertical Divider
Single Private Room
(
Per Person/Per Week - All Included*)

1st Week $3,150 USD 
​
2nd Week  $2,800 USD
3rd Week  $2,450 USD​
Shared Occupancy (max 2 people in room)
Per Person/Per Week - All Included*)

1st Week $2,800 USD 
​
2nd Week  $2,450 USD
3rd Week  $2,100 USD​

Rates cover all aspects of the therapeutic program as well as meals, lodging, outings and transportation to and from the Liberia International Airport, (LIR). 
* Payments are billed in Canadian Dollars at rate on day of billing

Questions?

Our offices are open from 8am - 5pm (Pacific Time). 
If you call outside these hours, please leave a message and we will get back to you the next working day.


Toll-free Phone - (1) 888 832 5959

or email us: 
 enquiries@choose-again.com

Ready to book?


​Book an appointment for a call with our registration consultant.
​We will take you through all the steps for registration, and help with travel and arrival logistics.
Schedule a Call
"My time in Costa Rica was life changing.  I have never experienced a group of people with such love and compassion and light. 
I was just blown away with the kindness, in a place of profound beauty, I felt safe and welcomed and at ease.  I am so grateful."

​- Susan

Who is the program for?
​

​We see a diverse range of participants from all walks of life. All have one thing in common - a willingness to free themselves from negative emotional and relationships patterns, and a recognition that healing requires going within - to the root of the problem.
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Our clients have included:
​
  • A successful businesswoman struggling with depression
  • A couple on the verge of divorce
  • A workaholic executive
  • ​A young woman with anger issues, wanting to heal and not just suppress​ her emotions
  • A man on medication for anxiety, but it just isn’t working
  • A therapist interested in expanding her methodology
  • A family desiring to have a more harmonious home life
  • A retiree in search of meaning in life
  • A young couple seeking a greater sense of joy in life
  • A man struggling to find a sense of purpose

You will learn:

  • You will learn and master an incredibly powerful, proven six-step process for finding and dismantling all barriers and conflicts in your life.

  • You will discover how to transform your thoughts and core beliefs allowing for a complete transformation.

  • You will discover your innately powerful and authentic self; which will connect you to a greater sense of purpose and a richer, fuller life.

  • You will learn to take 100% responsibility for your experience, empowering you to make real and lasting change — regardless of your external circumstances.
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Transforming lives, since 2005

Our  internationally recognized program has been running for 16 years, with a proven track record working with a wide range of symptoms, including depression, anxiety, addictive behaviour, and family and relationship issues. 

​In December of 2011, Warren Helfrich, a program evaluation consultant in private practice, was contracted to complete an evaluation of the services offered by Choose Again at their Healing Centre in Costa Rica (El Cielo).

The primary purpose of the evaluation was to measure the impact (outcomes) of Choose Again’s services in the lives of the individuals they have served and to provide useful information for improving the quality and effectiveness of their services.

Here are only a few of the highlights of the results:
​
  • 95% of those attending the Centre reported having ‘very good’ quality of life at the time of exit, an 89% improvement over the pre‐test result.

  • 77% of individuals exiting the Centre indicated that they had a strong sense of the purpose and value of healthy relationships, an increase of 148% over pre‐test results.

  • The total number of individuals indicating that they had a very positive relationship with their spouse/partner more than doubled from pre‐test ratings to follow‐up (a 132% increase
Choose Again Evaluation.pdf
File Size: 476 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Learn more about the evaluation here

Recognition of the Six Steps to Freedom process

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"Direct and eloquent… a practical six-step program to self-liberation.”
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Gabor Maté

Renowned Speaker & Bestselling Author
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Canada

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“It has the power and the potential to truly change your life.”
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Jerry Jampolsky

Founder of Attitudinal Healing International & Bestselling Author
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USA

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“I discovered this course and immediately sensed the potential. I have experienced a lot of new-found peace that was missing in my life. And, I know this process will be a part of my life and work from now on. Many thanks to Diederik for generously sharing this powerful transformational tool."
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David Chard

​President, EngagingMinds
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USA

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“I wish everyone on this planet could come to know this excellent method of inner growth and health.”
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Rodolfo Roth

Physician
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Switzerland

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We are open year-round!

​Come when you like. Stay as long as you need to.

The Retreat Centre is open 365 days a year, with a minimum stay of one week.   ​
A one-week stay will give you a firm grasp of the Six Steps to Freedom—the process at the core of our unique healing program. It will also allow you an opportunity to relax and nourish your body with exercise, healthy food, and meditation. You will leave feeling refreshed and renewed.
​The average length of stay at our retreat is two weeks and participants often request to extend their stay while with us at the center. Extensions can generally be accommodated when space is available. To ensure a longer stay however, advanced registration is recommended
.

Longer stays provide the time to truly integrate and embody the work. Recent research on neuroplasticity has highlighted the benefits of repeated practice to form new neural pathways, and therefore facilitating more profound and lasting change. 

A natural healing environment


"El Cielo" is located right in the middle of lush and abundant jungle, with colours and sounds to soothe and calm mind and body. 
​
The surroundings provide an important addition to the healing program, be it the Volcanic Hot Springs, the amazing hiking trails on the property, or simply the incredible views from the dining hall.

In Costa Rica we get in tune with nature as we rise and sleep with the sun. It's a wonderful opportunity to get back into a natural rhythm, and restore the nervous system.
“My time at El Cielo was life changing. I know that I have only been home a couple of weeks but I have been using the tools and feel so free. It is amazing how taking responsibility for my own happiness and giving up responsibility for anyone else's can flip the world upside down.

I have had no symptoms of anxiety or depression since I arrived in Costa Rica. I feel like a different person."
​
– Former Client

Questions?

Our offices are open from 8am - 5pm (Pacific Time). 
If you call outside these hours, please leave a message and we will get back to you the next working day.


Toll-free Phone - (1) 888 832 5959

or email us: 
 enquiries@choose-again.com

Ready to book?

Book an appointment with our registration 
Schedule a Call

Getting here

The Choose Again Intensive Retreat Centre is located in North West Costa Rica, by Lake Arenal, and the now dormant, but nonetheless magnificent Arenal Volcano.
​The nearest airport to us is Liberia. 
A shuttle is provided on weekends for arrivals and departures free of charge. If you need to book a flight on another day of the week or via another airport in Costa Rica please let us know in advance so we can work with you on travel arrangements prior to registration.

Due to the distance, we are unable to run an airport transfer from San Jose, if you choose this route, please contact us for details of other transport options.

*Registration Terms and Conditions

*Rates indicated are per person and include all aspects of the therapeutic program, meals, lodging, outings and local transportation. All billing is done in Canadian dollars at time of registration and at the current rate of exchange. Depending on your banking institution some currency exchange or bank processing fees may be applied at time of purchase, these fees, along with airline transportation costs, are not included in the cost of attendance.

Choose Again is a registered Canadian Charitable organization. If you are experiencing financial challenges and would like to join us in one of our programs, please contact us to review available financial assistance. 

Read an independent evaluation of our program

Choose Again Evaluation.pdf
File Size: 476 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


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SEARCH THE SITE

  • COSTA RICA RETREATS
    • Year-Round Retreats
    • Trauma Workshop with Diederik Wolsak
  • WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
    • All Workshops & Events
    • Half-day introductory workshop
    • Choose Again in the South of France
    • Holotropic Breathing
  • COURSES
    • Mastering the Six Steps
    • Advanced Readings Group
    • Practicing ACIM with Dawn Green
    • Costa Rica Residency for Advanced Students
  • Circles
  • Counselling
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • About
    • The Six Steps Approach
    • Our Staff
    • Testimonials
    • The Book
    • Videos
    • Independent Evaluation
    • Affiliations
    • Library
    • Blog