Courting Your Medicine

An In-person Rite of Passage for Therapists, Leaders, Teachers and Healers of All Kinds

A Deep Dive into Finding and Embodying Your Sacred Purpose

We are all here for a reason; we each have unique gifts that help us to live our purpose in the world. The core of these gifts is what we call “Soul Medicine.”

You may be a massage therapist, a Feldenkrais practitioner, a gestalt-trained psychotherapist, or a death doula, but these are not your Soul Medicine. Your Medicine is something deeper, more sacred, and often more hidden.

The trouble is most people never discover what their Soul Medicine is. Or if they know, they aren’t sure how to bring it into the world. They suffer the pain of feeling ungiven—their sacred fruits rotting on the tree. They get in their own way, trip over their shadow, get sidetracked with others’ expectations, or become lost in confusion, self-doubt, or fear.

If this is speaking to you, read on.

Courting Your Medicine is for therapists and healers of all types who have heard the beginnings of a Soul Call and are ready to court, embody, and live their Medicine into the world. It’s for those who long to be fully given and to truly and authentically serve (without leaving themselves behind).

We will engage in Soul-centered work in nature, deep imagery, embodiment practices, mirroring, radical truth-telling, sacred theater, shadow work, journaling, art-making, and the spontaneous magic and awe of being human. We will use all these to lift the veil and glimpse, court, and embody our unique way of belonging to the world. In addition to the time together, we  include personalized homework assignments, support between the two in-person gatherings, and culminating “ceremonies” to mark your initiation into your gifts.

If you allow it, this training can change your life.

Who This Training is For

owl in tree

Courting Your Medicine is for you if:

  • You have a desire for something greater, and have a sense that there is some as-of-yet unlived potency in you longing to be born.

  • You are ready to step more fully into yourself and are willing to work through the challenges you meet along the way.

  • You are a therapist or healer of any kind (acupuncturist, massage therapist, energy healer, coach, psychotherapist, etc. etc. etc).

  • You long to come into right relationship with your power—to not hide from it or get arrogant, but to own what’s yours to own.

  • You have a deep desire to feel more confident inside yourself and in the world, to feel the rightness that comes with knowing what you are here to do.

  • You are courageous—willing to go into the dark terrain of your own shadow to discover the hidden treasures there (this does not mean that you are not afraid!).

  • You are ready to show up completely and allow yourself to be changed in service of bringing your deepest offering to the world.

  • You are more committed to embodying your Soul than to staying safe or playing small (even if it is scary).

  • You are up to important individual and/or social healing and planetary change (even if you don’t know it yet).

  • You’ve done some basic psychological and spiritual work and are able to own (at least some of) your projections and break down your stories and use them for growth.

  • You have a sense that your challenges are opportunities to grow rather than simply obstacles and sometimes even celebrate and applaud your own difficulties (even while simultaneously cursing them).

  • You are grateful to have the opportunity to do your Soul Work and see it as a privilege.

  • You’ve resonated with much of the language you’ve seen here and have a sense (even though you don’t quite know why yet) that this training is for you

What You’ll Get From This Training

  • You will not learn a particular modality in this program. You will learn how to unlock your Medicine and the optimal conditions for bringing your gifts forward.

  • We can’t promise you will walk away “finished” or “perfect.” We can promise you will walk away clearer than you’ve ever been about what is yours to offer, and with the deep confidence to live your genius into the world.

  • You will have the opportunity to heal power dynamics that would otherwise keep you playing small or puff you up out of arrogance.

  • You will learn the Code of You and create a copy of your own Soul Medicine Operating Instructions.

  • You will have the opportunity to clear old contracts that no longer fit, release family dynamics and ancestral patterns that would keep you small, and remake your blueprint for life.

  • You will learn the secrets to stop poisoning yourself (and others) with your Medicine and learn how instead to use it for the greatest good.

  • You will receive the gift of being truly seen by a Soul community that has the capacity to mirror back to you who you really are.

  • You will have the opportunity to be deeply inspired, moved, wowed, and awed by an extraordinary group of people up to radical mischief and terrible goodness in the world.

  • You will learn to trust yourself and your own power.

  • You will receive the deep satisfaction of knowing who you really are and the tools, exercises, and guidance you need to birth your gifts into the world.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
— Mary Oliver

Program Outline

This year, we are offering two different formats for Courting Your Medicine:

  1.  A 2-month deep dive that consists of 2 six-day in-person gatherings in Colorado

  2. A 5-day in-person intensive in Texas

Courting Your Medicine is a Rite of Passage for Healers to more clearly identify, own and live into their unique soul gifts in the world. Whether you choose to join us for the 2 month deep dive ceremonial container, or our 5-day intensive program, you will experience the following:

  • Ceremonial opening of the group sacred container

  • Orienting to our time together and beginning to connect with your Medicine

  • Identifying and clearing the “Demons at the Gate”, or the many beliefs, experiences and lineage patterns that get in the way of your knowing, trusting and offering your gifts in the world

  • Deep explorations to know and embody your Medicine while being seen and supported by a supportive community, the earth, and your support in the unseen realms

  • Discovering the “Care and Feeding” of your Medicine, in other words, how you will set up your life, your environment, and your daily rituals to best support the living of your gifts intto the world.

  • Developing a roadmap for your “Delivery System”, i.e, how and in what format you want to offer your gifts to others, while simultaneously acknowledging the many ways that you are already and inevitably doing so. 

  • Clarifying and committing to your next steps for living your soul gifts in the world so that your very being can radiate your Medicine. 

  • Ceremonial closing of the sacred group container 

*Note that if you choose to embark on the 2 month deep dive Rite of Passage format, between our 6-day gatherings, you will also be supported  to continue deepening  into your Medicine through: 

  • An invitation to engage in weekly experiential processes

  • 3 on-line gatherings with the entire Counting Your Medicine community

  • 2 individual Soul Medicine Guidance/support sessions from the program assistants

  • Meetings with another person in the community to support each others’ discoveries and integration of all you are discovering and saying “Yes” to

What People are Saying About Courting Your Medicine

  • "This was by far the most impactful group training I have ever attended. [The facilitators’] deep care and tending for the container and their ability to create a safe and sacred space was profound. Courting changed my perspective on my work 180 degrees—I went from thinking I was going to focus on how to build my business to coming fully home to myself and bringing me into the world. If you are thinking of joining this program I’d say, trust your inner yes. Your presence in Courting will gift you in ways that you could never imagine."

    Justine, Spirit Keeper + Purveyor of Joy

  • “This training was a pivotal experience in my life. The gift of it will ripple out for eons and across realms. [The facilitators] are total rock stars – human, wise, hilarious, gifted, inspiring… I could go on and on and on. I am in awe. Let yourself say yes if you are in any way pulled into this training but may not feel certain. You are pulled because your medicine is needed and I guarantee you’ll come out the other side filled, fueled and focused. Welcome home!”

    Emily Waldeck, Designer + Ceremonialist

  • “Courting Your Medicine is an intensive and powerful journey! If you are prepared not to hide but to show up in your wholeness and vulnerability then you will receive the most important gift of your life—the ability to fully embody and serve through your Medicine.”

    Yasmin Suarez Shaddox, Essence Igniter + Founder of “Soulskin Journeys

  • “This training was the best thing ever. I fucking loved it—the sisterhood, the land, the magic, the evoking of the directions and spirits, the ritual, the safety of the container, the support and love of [the leaders]. It was life-changing in the best of ways. I now see myself as someone with unique gifts to offer. I feel like I belong here . Like I am complete as is. If you enter into Courting you will leave with a deep self-trust and inner knowing. You will know yourself (and the Divine) as the director of your own story.”

    Lynn Wolfbrandt, Writer + Sex and Intimacy Guide

  • "This training has allowed me to get in touch and learn to love all of who I am. It has given me the wonderful gift of coming home to the healer I am. My ability to hold a safe space for my client has dramatically deepened. I’d say, to anyone who is considering diving in, do it! And be prepared to be shaken and come out expansive and transformed."

    Karina Maria Tibble, MA, Women’s Counselor

  • "When I think of Courting Your Medicine, I think of reverence, inspiration, and Soul-rebirthing. This training brought me back to myself and my soul’s journey. It set me back on my true path. I am not just a psychotherapist, I am so much more. [The program leaders] are masterful and humble. It is clear that they have done their own inner work, and this created the foundation for magic to flow."

    Callie Shively, Little Warrior-Spirit Fighter, Psychotherapist + Energy Healer

  • "If it feels right, trust yourself and say yes. And be ready to step into your essence more than you ever thought was possible."

    Mary Lynn Neiman, Energy Light Worker, former Director of StarHouse/ASC

About Your Facilitators

Katie Asmus sitting in nature smiling

With several decades of experience in outdoor education, therapy, teaching, mentoring, and rites of passage guiding, Katie Asmus, MA, BMP, LPC, incorporates present-moment awareness, relationship to the natural world, body-mind connection and ceremonial practices to support people in more deeply and compassionately connecting to themselves, others, and the earth.

She believes strongly in the power of spending time in nature as a way to deeply listen inward, and has a long history of creating, practicing, and facilitating personally meaningful, culturally relevant ceremonies and rites of passage.  Katie also has had a 30-plus-year career working with therapy and coaching clients and over 20 years teaching wilderness therapy, adventure therapy, ecotherapy, and somatic therapy at a graduate level.

Currently, Katie directs and facilitates rites of passage trainings and experiences, sees therapy and coaching clients, guest teaches, and trains therapists and healers through The Somatic Nature Therapy Institute. She is known for saying that “Inner work is world peace work.”

image of melody mischke smiling indoors

For nearly 30 years, Melody Mischke has been seeking to define her purpose and give it life in the world. She is a certified Transformational Coach, Heart-Based Meditation Instructor, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Writer, and Intuitive. She began studying meditation in India at the age of 18, has degrees in both Environmental Science and Contemporary Spirituality, and is a primary contributor to Banyan Botanicals’ written educational content. She founded both her private practice (Live In Resonance) and a partnership with her brother (Luminous You) to help guide others into a more intimate relationship with their innermost essence and purpose. She is a passionate skier, wilderness adventurer, and singer with a profound devotion to her family, to wild places, and to elevating consciousness on the planet. She lives in Evergreen, Colorado with her husband and son.

As a co-facilitator of Courting Your Medicine, Melody's highly-skilled capacity to hold sacred space, her grounded wisdom, and her razor-sharp aptitude for seeing your deepest gifts will help guide your journey. 


image of Tami Gilmore leaning against tree smiling

Tami Gilmore, MA, LPC is a passionate advocate for integrating the healing power of nature with therapeutic practice. As a traditional and wilderness therapist, Tami has dedicated her career to guiding individuals on transformative journeys of self-discovery and healing. 

The "Courting Your Medicine" program, facilitated by the Somatic Wilderness Therapy Institute, has been a pivotal experience in Tami's personal and professional growth. Through this transformative journey, she has expanded emotionally and spiritually, finding profound meaning and connection with nature and herself. Tami treasures the lifelong relationships forged during this program and continues to be inspired by the community of like-minded individuals committed to sharing their authentic medicine with the world.

With a teacher's heart and a learner's spirit, Tami finds inspiration in the resilience and brilliance of others. She delights in hearing their life stories and guiding them on their path to healing and self-discovery. Armed with a BA in Psychology and an MA in Counseling, Tami has supplemented her formal education with extensive training in EMDR, Somatic Therapy, IFS therapy, and various programs offered by the Somatic Wilderness Therapy Institute. 

Combining her love for the outdoors with her passion for helping others, she now runs a successful private practice and a wilderness therapy retreat company.

Training Details

Program Option 1: 2 Month Deep Dive Rite of Passage

  • June 22-27 & August 20-25, 2024, 9 a.m. - 5pm MT

  • Foothills outside of Boulder, CO

  • 2 + month deep dive program: Foothills above Boulder, CO

    2 six day in-person intensives:

    June 22-27, Aug 20-25

    • June 22, 23, 24 & 26, 9-5

    • June 25, 9-8

    • June 27, 9-4

    • August 20, 21, 22 & 24, 9-5

    • August 23, 9-8

    • August 25, 9-4

    + 3, 2 hour on-line group meetings,

    + 2 one-on-one support meetings with Courting assistants, and 5-7 additional course buddy support calls between weekends

  • 12 day full price - $4444
    Early-bird price - $4150

  • Camping on the land is an additional $20/night facility fee (let us know if you need assistance with equipment rentals). There is no running water on the land, but there are camping toilets. There are also several hotels, AirBnBs, and campgrounds near the property. If you’re interested in this option, please let us know and we can help with recommendations. For meals, there are spots to set up camp stoves and store coolers for your prep or storage needs.

 

Program Option 2: 5 Day Intensive Rite of Passage

  • High Hope Retreat Center, Glenrose, TX

  • 5 day intensive Rite of Passage program: September 25-29

    • September 25- 27 9am-5pm

    • September 28, 9am - 8pm

    • September 29 9am - 3pm

  • 1, 2.5 hour follow-up zoom integration group

  • Full price - $2222

    Early-bird pricing - $1995

    *Ask about payment plan options

 

Apply for Courting Your Medicine

To apply, click the link below to fill out an application and share your goals for attending the training. We’ll review your application and schedule a time to talk with you, share more about the program, answer any questions you have, and collaboratively determine if it is the right fit for you. 

 

For questions or if you’d like more information, please contact us.

Learn more about all of our Ceremony and Rites of Passage programs and trainings for counselors, coaches, educators, and healers.