Choose Again Intensive Retreat Centre, Costa Rica

Perched on a hillside overlooking Lake Arenal in Central Costa Rica - toucans, monkeys, and butterflies ​in the trees overhead – sits a remarkable gem of a retreat center,
the sole purpose of which is the personal transformation of all who come.
"With the absence of the accepted diagnostic categories, everyone at Choose Again is unbound and free to look at the core difficulties that we all share: we are deeply attached to our stories; we believe our stories define who we are; we believe our thoughts; we live in an internal world of guilt and shame; we do not know that we can choose again to have different thoughts, different experiences, a different life. The way we manifest our distress (drinking, overeating, restricting food, depression etc), which leads to the “diagnosis”, does not matter. What does matter is looking at our thoughts and choosing again."​
​- Dr. Norma Clark

The Centre & Program

The Choose Again Intensive Retreat Centre is a small facility with no more than 12 clients at any one time, allowing for a very high staff to client ratio. 
​We focus on treating the root cause of a disorder rather than the symptoms. We teach you practical tools to take 100% responsibility for your well-being.
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What you can expect from our program:
  • 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 of all aspects of your life.
  • 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.

Our Clients

​We see a diverse range of clients, who all have one thing in common — they have come to the realisation that there has to be a better way of living, and they want to find it. When people reach us they are often in a state where they are just surviving, and when they leave our centre they know how to thrive. 

​Our clients have included:
  • A successbul businesswoman struggling with depression
  • A couple on the verge of divorce
  • A workaholic executive
  • An exhausted single mother
  • 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

Cost and length of program

The Intensive Retreat Centre is open 365 days a year, with a new program cycle starting every Weekend. Minimum stay is 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 yoga, exercise, healthy food, and meditation. You will leave feeling refreshed and renewed.

It's no surprise to us when people opt to stay for 2 or 3 weeks, as it provides the time to really integrate and embody the work. Recent research in the brain and neuroplasticity has highlighted the benefits of repeated practice to form lasting change, and the longer you spend with us, the greater the change you'll make.
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​The cost of this program is USD $2450 per week, and this covers accommodations, meals and excursions, as well as all aspects of the therapeutic program.

A typical day

  • 6:30 am Wake-Up
  • 7:00 am Yoga/Meditation/Qi Gong
  • 8:30 am Fresh Healthy Breakfast
  • 9:30 am Group Circle
  • 12:30 pm Buffet Lunch
  • 1:30 pm Mindful Walk or Outing
  • 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.

How to Book

Booking is easy. Just contact us to find out when our next available spot is, and we will guide you through the simple registration process. From your first contact until we pick you up at Liberia Airport, we will be here for you.

A Lush and Healing Environment

The Choose Again Intensive Retreat Centre is located right in the middle of lush and abundant jungle, with colours and sounds to soothe and calm mind and body. 
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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.

Getting there...

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, and we run a regular pick-up and drop-off service every Weekend.

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.
“Throughout the last 20 years I have been seeking help for anxiety, depression, substance abuse and disordered eating. I have seen psychologists, psychiatrists, addictions specialists, therapists, sexual abuse counselors, and addictions counselors. I have attended 12 step groups like NA, ACOA, and OA and I have been to Treatment Centres. I have been on and off antidepressants throughout the last 20 years. I went to the [Choose Again] Centre in Jan/Feb to heal anxiety and depression and substance abuse that had taken over my life […] I am happier now than I can ever remember being, and I feel a sense of peace that comes from a very deep sense of knowing the truth about myself that is unchangeable no matter what is going on around me.  I gained valuable tools that are helping me to experience life in a completely different way than I was experiencing it before I went to the Centre.”
– M.C.

Check out this video for a taste of a day at the centre!