53 Mill St, Westfield, MA 01085, USA
January 1, 2027 - June 19, 2028
About this Retreat
The Genesis BioSpiritual Focusing Team offers a gentle, grounded pathway into embodied spirituality through the practice of felt-sensing. Rooted in the Catholic contemplative tradition and informed by the pioneering work of Campbell and McMahon, the team companions individuals and groups in listening to the body’s wisdom as a doorway to grace, healing, and inner freedom. Through retreats, circles, and ongoing formation, they create safe, welcoming spaces where participants learn to be present to their lived experience with compassion, deepen their relationship with God, and discover a more integrated, life-giving way of being in the world.
Mike Smoolca is a spiritual director and supervisor as well as a BioSpiritual Focusing companion and teacher. He is a contemplative group and workshop facilitator, and a dedicated teacher and student of contemplative practice and wisdom spirituality. Mike is a Contemplative Outreach presenter, trainer, and coordinator, a coordinator and presenter for the Christian Contemplative Experience at Holy Family, Contemplative Outreach of CT and the Northern CT Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society.
Nancy Benben has been a Seeker her entire life, exploring many spiritual paths along the way. She believes that the desire to be in relationship with the Divine is the essence of spirituality and that when we follow that desire, we are led to encounter the multifaceted heart of the Holy. Nancy is a Spiritual Companion, Supervisor and teacher of many years and is part of the core teaching team of the Spiritual Companionship training program at the Spiritual Life Center. She has extensive training using and teaching Enneagram and Bio-Spiritual Focusing as tools for spiritual direction and personal growth. Nancy is a graduate of Northwestern University and Hartford Seminary's Women's Leadership Institute. Nancy and her husband David live in Eastham, MA with their sweet rescue kitty, Misty.
Peri Boyle completed her training in the art of Spiritual Direction under the supervision of Sr. Nancy Brousseau of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2020. In addition to being a Spiritual Director, Peri is a BioSpiritual Focusing Companion, experienced in 12-step Wisdom, and is especially gifted as a certified ©iEnneagram Motions of the Soul Practitioner which blends the Enneagram and Ignatian Spirituality.
Donna O’Connor completed the Spiritual Direction Internship Program in Bloomfield, CT in 2006. She has focused her 1:1 work entirely at Genesis since that time. Having taught fitness/yoga classes for over thirty years now, Donna has a particular interest in helping people who struggle with weight, body image and disordered eating, and is experienced in 12-Step Spirituality.
Details of this retreat
Discover the wisdom your body longs to share. Wrap yourself in the study and experience of BioSpiritual Focusing.
The BioSpiritual Focusing Immersion Experience is an 18‑month journey of embodied spirituality and self‑discovery. Rooted in the pioneering work of Dr. Eugene Gendlin and further developed by Fr. Peter Campbell and Fr. Ed McMahon, for the purpose of deepening one’s spirituality, BioSpiritual Focusing invites gentle awareness of the felt sense—the subtle stirrings within the body that carry meaning, memory, and the mystery of the Divine.
BioSpiritual Focusing (BSF) is a guided contemplative practice that helps individuals connect with their inner wisdom by intentionally noticing and nurturing the body’s subtle felt-senses, rather than relying solely on thoughts or emotions. Through quiet attention, participants learn to be present to sensations or feelings that arise within, offering them gentle presence and compassion. This process can foster a deeper sense of wholeness, self-understanding, and healing, while enhancing one’s spiritual awareness and ability to experience grace in daily life.
With the support of a guide and through compassionate presence, participants learn to listen to these inner movements as pathways to healing, grace, and deepened connection—with self, with others, and with God. More than a program, we invite you to fully engage yourself in an experience that cultivates everyday mysticism and an embodied way of living.
The experience unfolds step by step, beginning with an introductory retreat, continuing with a BSF book study, and culminating with BSF Companionship training, ultimately equipping you to accompany others in this transformative practice. Along the way, you’ll share in retreats, a book study, days of presence, monthly focusing circles, and one‑on‑one sessions.
Program* Components:
BSF Days of Presence (2 separate in-person days) - 1/9/2027 & 1/8/2028
BSF Book Study Practicum (10 weekly virtual sessions) - starts 2/17/2027
Weeklong BSF Retreat (5 in-person days) - 8/12-8/17/2027
BSF Companionship Training (6 monthly virutal sessions) - starts 9/21/2027
BSF Community Gathering (2 in-person day) - 6/12/2027 & 6/10/2028
Monthly Focusing Circle
Monthly One-on-One Peer BSF
Optional components at reduced cost:
Companioning Supervision
Individual sessions with an experienced leader
Silent directed retreats.
If you feel called to explore BioSpiritual Focusing more deeply—and to grow into the sacred story held within your body—the BioSpiritual Focusing Immersion Experience offers a profoundly transformative path.
Program Start Date: January 2027
Program Cost: $1,695
Payment Plan:
Deposit: $200 due at registration,
Payment 1: $500 due January 1,2027
Payment 2: $500 due Jun 1, 2027
Payment 3: $495 due December 31, 2027
* The BioSpiritual Focusing Immersion Experience brings together a series of programs from the Genesis calendar (BSF Days of Presence, BSF Book Study Practicum, Weeklong BSF Retreat, BSF Companionship Training). You can learn more about each program offering by visiting each programs description on the “Our Programs” page.
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