The Sacred in Connection

Grounded in research, held in reverence.

The Sacred in Connection is a gentle, intimate retreat for couples who want to slow down, soften, and tend their relationship with reverence, whether you’re in a thriving season, a tender one, or somewhere in between.

Why this works
Decades of research show that lasting love isn’t built on grand gestures. It’s built on small moments called bids for connection: a glance, a comment, a touch, a “look at this.” In Gottman’s research, couples who stayed together turned toward each other’s bids far more often than couples who later split. Roommate-like distance often grows from missed bids, not lost love. This retreat blends that science with sound, stillness, and meaning, so you don’t just understand connection, you feel it.

What we’ll explore together

• A Sound Journey that soothes the nervous system and opens the heart
• Emotional regulation: the science of staying close when emotions run high, and practices to do together
• Bids for connection: learning to notice, offer, and receive them again
• Love Maps: Gottman-based exercises for getting curious about your partner’s inner world
• The sacred in relationship: gratitude, reverence, and the daily dance of being together
• The dance of giving and receiving: honoring the grounded and the      flowing within each of you, and finding balance between you
• Your soul contract: honoring what brought you together and carrying it into everyday life

Part science, part soul: we’ll weave the research on connection with the sacred dance of giving and receiving, the steady and the soft within each of you.

A small circle, held with care
We gather with only 2-3 couples. Before the retreat, I’ll have a personal 45-minute conversation with each of you to gain better understanding of where you are and how the retreat can be most supportive. Afterward, a 1-hour follow-up helps what you’ve learned take root at home. 

Your guide
I’m Sarah Marcus, LCSW, a couples therapist and Reiki teacher in active practice. I blend the Gottman Method, attachment theory, somatic awareness, and mindfulness to help couples feel seen, safe and closer. I also know this work from the inside. I’m still practicing it in my own marriage while raising three young children, and my journey hasn’t been smooth. What I’ve learned through my career and my life shapes how I walk alongside you, with compassion, honesty, and no pretending it’s easy. I believe every relationship holds something sacred, and I’d be honored to help you nourish and tend to yours.

Details
Date: We’ll choose a day that works for everyone. Join the interest list and tell me which dates work you and your partner.
Time: 4-hour retreat, plus a 45-minute pre-retreat conversation with each of you and 1-hour follow-up with both of you. (Pre and Post-calls can be over Zoom or a call.)
Location: White Horse Healing Center, Salmon, Idaho
Investment: $444 per couple

Join the Interest List
Space is limited to 2-3 couples. Add your name, share your availability, and I’ll reach out once we’ve found a date that works for everyone. Joining the list doesn’t commit you to anything. If this retreat resonates and you’re interested in a private option let me know on the interest form. 

Join the Interest List - click the website to take you to a form.  https://tally.so/r/2jjOeV 

By expressing interest- you are agreeing to the following: I understand this retreat is educational and experiential and is not a substitute for couples’ therapy. 

The Sacred in Connection is an educational and experiential retreat. It is not therapy, and participation does not create a therapist-client relationship. It isn’t designed for couples in active crisis, including situations involving abuse or safety concerns. If that’s your situation, please reach out to me privately so I can connect you with appropriate support. Couples are responsible for their own well-being during and after the retreat.