A One-Day Online Retreat for Women
Led by Vikki Stark, internationally known divorce recovery expert
We had a wonderful full-day retreat on Saturday, September 7, 2024 and will look forward to planning the next Jump Up! in early 2025. Please register below to be notified.
The Jump Up! is an intensive one-day online retreat that will help you understand what happened to you and why your husband left. I will explain the thinking that causes a man to leave out-of-the-blue - why he didn’t prepare you, why he ran away and why he doesn’t seem to care. I will also help you manage your emotions so you can stop obsessing and blaming yourself.
The Jump Up! isn’t just an online retreat. It’s a way to start feeling normal again. I know how awful it feels when your relationship ends. You’re not in control of your emotions, you’re scared for the future, you just don’t feel yourself. And while you may be surviving – life is about much more that - it’s about thriving. The Jump Up! will help you move past those bad feelings and start to reclaim yourself.
“This retreat shed light on men who abandon their wives and how it affects us in many ways! The good news is we were given many tools to help us believe in ourselves and move forward in our new journey! Vikki is compassionate, has tremendous wisdom to share and has also walked in our shoes. Could not have asked for a better person to help us understand this heartbreak yet come out loving ourselves and our future! Thank you, Vikki!”
What to expect at the Jump Up!
The Jump Up! will be made up of three workshops which will help you understand everything you need to know about why your husband left in the way he did and how to recover from Wife Abandonment Syndrome. During the breaks, you have the option of meeting with a smaller group of women so you can discuss what you are hearing. This is a crucial aspect of the Jump Up! - the fact that you will be making connections with other women who really understand and with whom you can stay in touch after the event.
I’ve designed the timing for the retreat so that participants from all over the US and Canada as well as Britain, Ireland, Europe and Africa can join live simultaneously. Let me reassure you, no matter what stage you are at in your recovery from Wife Abandonment Syndrome, attending the Jump Up! will be profoundly healing.
The Three Workshops for the Jump Up!
Understanding Your Ex's Transformation: One of the hardest parts of recovering from Wife Abandonment Syndrome is understanding how a man who seemed like a committed engaged partner could morph overnight into an angry stranger. This workshop explains what goes on in his mind and how a person can change so dramatically.
Healing the Hurt: When your husband leaves, you're thrown into an emotional whirlwind, often obsessing relentlessly and struggling with profound sadness and hurt. This workshop focuses on how you can manage your emotions so you don't always feel so badly.
33 Erroneous Beliefs & Getting Closure: This workshop discusses how your belief system about what happened and about your future can limit your recovery. Then we will address how it can be possible for you to move on in spite of the fact that you’ll not get the closure you long for.
“The retreat has enormous value in gently showing the members of the workshop that you can and will survive the pain, sadness and shock. It is heartfelt and authentic. Vikki leads by example and as a survivor shows it is possible to go on and have a wonderful, happy and very full filling life.”
“Vikki promised that I would feel better after the retreat. She totally came through! I believe it changed the trajectory of my recovery. ”
FAQ
How will it work?
The day will be divided into three workshops. The first will start at 11am EST, making it possible for those of you on the west coast, Britain or Africa to be able to join (sorry about you Australians). Each workshop will be 1½ hours long followed by a half hour break. During the break, the group will be separated into smaller break-out rooms of about 8 people so you can chat informally with some of the others if you want. At the end of the day, the same break-out rooms will remain open so you can process your experience.
Should I attend the Jump Up! or A Course on Happiness?
The Jump Up! is targeted to those women who are still struggling to understand how and why their husband left and how to deal with the emotional roller coaster and obsessive thoughts. A Course on Happiness is best for those who are past the initial stages and looking for how to move forward in their lives.
I worry I won’t be able to manage the technology.
Not to worry! It will be super easy and even those of you who are technologically challenged will be able to connect. You will get clear instructions and we’ll be available to help you. We will be meeting by Zoom.
I was not married - just in a serious relationship. Does the retreat apply to me?
Yes! The Jump Up! is for any woman recovering from the break up of a significant relationship.
I was in a same-sex relationship. Is the Jump Up! for me?
Yes, the healing process is the same and the retreat will be therapeutic for you although the focus of the discussion will be on hetero couples.
“I did not think I could get over the pain of losing my husband of 30 years in such a blind-sided manner. With the rug pulled out from under me, I was free falling into the abyss of “something is wrong with me”. Vikki, her book and the Jump Up retreat gave me insight as to why this happened so that I could take back my self worth and move forward to healing. ”
“Attending the Jump Up! really helped me to shift my mindset from ‘look at what happened to me!’ to ‘look how far I’ve come and watch what I can do’. I started on day one all about the hurt and scared about the future. I left the second day thinking that ‘yes, this is what happened to me but I don’t have to let it define me’. I learned techniques to keep me moving forward, met amazing women and heard their stories, shared their grief and celebrated their successes!”
