Nestled in the heart of my hometown, Thibodaux, a small country town in deep south Louisiana, the Emotional Recovery Retreat space is a sanctuary for people to heal, restore, and transform. Hugging the banks of Bayou Lafourche, 60 miles southwest of New Orleans, this sacred space draws inspiration from the love and safety I experienced as a child at my grandmother’s home. It was there that I first learned the power of receiving unconditional care, a space where I felt both physically and emotionally nourished, especially during times of overwhelming stress and uncertainty during my childhood.

My grandmother’s home has been a refuge to so many in Thibodaux - a French word meaning bold and brave. It was where the weight of the world seemed lighter, where the warmth of her sweet potato pies filled the air, and where her big-hearted gestures—like turning her living room into a cozy sleeping space for all the grandkids—provided a sense of security and belonging. It was within these walls that I first felt what it meant to truly heal, emotionally and spiritually. That is the essence of the Emotional Recovery Home: a space to feel safe, supported, and nurtured, just as I did at my grandmother’s side.

’porch sitting’ at the Emotional Recovery Retreat Home, Simone

“It is not my intention to give anyone ideas about peace; you already have plenty of ideas. Our intention is to be peace right in the here and the now.”

―Thich Nhat Hanh

A Place of Rest, Recovery, & Renewal

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A Place of Rest, Recovery, & Renewal *

A safe space for
Helpers & Caregivers

Maintaining social, mental, and emotional health is vital for everyone, but it can be particularly important for those working in helping professions like social workers, medical providers, teachers, mental health practitioners and jobs of all kinds that serve and support people. Unfortunately we often see that those in the helping professions don’t often get the care and support that they so readily give to others. Their constant exposure to suffering and the emotional demands of their work can lead to burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, and compassion fatigue, a specific type of burnout related to prolonged exposure to trauma.

In order to support those in the helping fields in the community and in organizations, the Emotional Recovery Home offers a therapeutic retreat space that supports groups, teams, and tribes come together to co-create of regenerative community. Whether you are visiting the Emotional Recovery Home for a staff retreat, back to school learning and connection session, or spiritual community ritual, we, in support of the lands we’re on, take a restorative approach, offering culturally-affirming, evidence-based, peer-to-peer healing interventions known as Restorative Storytelling Circles.

A safe space for Women

The Emotional Recovery Home is a healing sanctuary in Louisiana’s bayou region, dedicated to creating a safe, supportive space for women—especially women of color—to restore emotional wellness and reconnect with their inner wisdom.

For many women, it, unfortunately, doesn’t feel viable to go to a place to rest, reset, and recover because of their many responsibilities. This community of practice helps women to find deep relief and recovery that lasts while allowing them to stay engaged with most of their normal life activities if they need to, such as going to work or attending school. This program & retreat space empowers women to realistically move along their healing journey, while also engaging with life real time.

Grounded in the Emotional Recovery Program, our approach blends personal reflection, community support, and trauma-informed practices to reduce stress, cultivate rest, and promote deep healing. Rooted in ancestral wisdom, Indigenous traditions, and connection to the land, this home invites women to transform their stories—not only through the lens of trauma, but through the power of resilience, hope, and belonging.

The ER Home offers a mycelium of healing pathways along the Emotional Recovery Journey:

  • Individual therapy

  • Body-based trauma therapies & movement sessions

  • Creative and rejuvenating connection circles for groups

  • Spirit Medicine groups

  • A rich array of indigenous and ancient wisdom offerings

  • Ancestral diets & Sustainable Eating classes

  • Healing power of Herbal Magic & Gardening classes

  • “We Outside” enjoyment & pleasure experiences

Overnight Retreat Space coming soon….

Come experience the Spirit of the Sacred Swamp

Collective healing circles have long been a part of the southern Louisiana, a tradition that has supported native and indigenous communities for thousands of years. The Chitimacha and Houma tribes, among other first stewards of this land, such as my African ancestors from the Yoruba tribes of Nigeria and Benin, used these circles to restore peace and well-being in the community during times of transition, loss, change, disaster, conflict, and other trauma-inducing experiences. Restorative Storytelling Circles have enabled communities to move beyond trauma responses, creating a path toward the restorative and regenerative culture we truly seek. As such, the Emotional Recovery Covenant and the programs we cultivate are founded from those same healing practices that are inspired by Nature, backed by Science, rooted in Ancestral wisdom, and accessible to All.