Some excerpts from letters we have received with the kind permission of some of our past vision quest participants:
- from a woman in her thirtiesNatasha and Werner create and hold a container for transformation, where deep work and synchronicities can unfold in the most potent of ways. They complement each other so well. Natasha brings a fiercely feminine perspective, filled with love, raw authenticity and connected somatic movement skills; Werner brings a strong, protective, calm male presence full of insight, intuition and courage. Together, they guide with such humility and grace, you're free to seek whatever medicine the land has to offer you. It's a real gift and real wonder to behold: the power, magic and story of wild nature speaks through them.Dear Natasha and Werner, thank you will never do it justice. As I said on the retreat, although everything on the surface seems the same, the ground beneath me has shifted - perhaps it's my core? Or the presence of my spirit? It feels stronger somehow, more secure, and connected to nature - in a way I've always wanted - like the mosses, bracken, wood sorrel and ivy are holding me to the earth.I have re-read my letter of intent, and see that you opened the way for me to experience all I hoped for - and so much more - the full expression of love and life.- from a woman in her thirties
Dear Natasha and Werner, This testimonial will not be able to do justice to the depth of gratitude I have held for you both every day since leaving your company. Please know it can never really capture what you gave me and that you both continue to live in my cells, which now feel a little more fizzy and alive to the world than they did before. This is what comes out today as I sit to write, but there are reams more I could write. —Natasha and Werner are two incredible humans individually, and also bring a special kind of magic working together. They supported me to come back into experiencing an aliveness and connection to myself, others, and the more than human world, that I didn't otherwise know how, or have the tools to feel my way back into. They took us into a mythical realm for those ten days which allowed an opening up into a very tender, vulnerable and playful place. Their beautiful, soulful, loving and fiercely authentic facilitation created such a sense of safety, that in turn allowed for a radically alternative way of relating as a group. I felt safer than I ever have in this kind of space/work to allow an exploration of parts of myself which I have felt estranged from for a long time. They both held every single person in the group so deeply in mind, and not only accept, but celebrate and nurture, difference and diversity- so that everyone's experience was allowed to flow and generate at its own pace, without judgement. They are people who lead from their intuition and heart and are not afraid to bring passion and sensuality in their work, and inspire this in others. I was humbled by the generosity of how much they gave of themselves throughout the whole process. They are also people who live their wilderness practice, which inspires a deep sense of trust. The word playful also resonates so strongly when I think of this time and both Natasha and Werner. They are people who know how to hold and stay with both lightness and dark, their own and others, in a way that helps facilitate a deeply integrating experience. --Writing this has giving me a little smile in my heart at being able to reconnect to our time together.- from a man in his sixtiesThe vision quest wasn't what I was expecting. Most of my pre-Dartmoor research used USA sources, which involved being on solo miles from any human presence or buildings, with possible challenges from wild animals and life-threatening weather. HA! Obviously I knew we wouldn't get anything like that here in the UK and the solo turned out to be tamer than I had hoped. Being the only male participant, I also didn't expect (women's) healing and empowerment to come up during the process. This isn’t a complaint. The imbalance and injustice involved in the gender construct has always been a concern of mine. The point I'm making is that none of it was what I expected.THANKFULLY!Because I was rewarded with something I didn't realise I needed - the ability to discover, and embrace, my emotional 'body'. To go from denying emotion at Day 1 to expressing it openly from day 2 for the rest of my time there was a big step. Even now I allow myself to shed a tear. This is usually when watching a movie or documentary. I'm grateful to everyone for enabling the perfect environment for me to grow in this way, particularly for your patience and encouragement. Could I have done this in a predominantly male environment? Probably not, knowing me.Something else that changed for me post-VQ is my handling of relationships. Over time I realised that I put the feelings of others before my own. This, I believed, was how it should be. The very definition of a 'good' human being. Nah. A program instilled while growing up is what it was. I would never have tagged myself as a people-pleaser. But that's what it amounted to. We have to care primarily about our own feelings because nobody else really can. And why should they? If we all take care of ourselves, then everyone gets the care they truly need. The natural result is a caring for others that is authentic and effective for them and us. That's what I've discovered anyway.I returned to care work when I got back. I always loathed 'working for the man' but when I got home and had to start work again I wanted a way out even more. Out of the blue it happened. Someone turned up in my life, changed my circumstances, and asked me to work with them. I now do video editing from my office at home. Heaven! I never stop feeling grateful for this.So all in all a rewarding experience for me.I don't doubt that the process we all undertook was rewarding for everyone. Sometimes it can take a while to realise it though. We all have our own timing.