Southern Valencia, Spain
IFS RETREAT IN SPAIN
IFS Retreat for neurodivergent IFS therapists and practitioners
The 2026 Dates
4 - 9 May 2026
Full Board
Different retreat
hosts
Multiple classes
per day
Transportation and
activities included
“A restorative learning retreat for IFS therapists and practitioners who identify as neurodivergent or neurospicy.”
When your brain and nervous system are not supported by mainstream culture and not considered in creation of public spaces, jobs, schools, medical care, daily life takes a huge toll. Sometimes it is a struggle to just survive the day. Being a mental health or human services professional provides meaningful work while at the same time putting on extra-responsibility and once again lack of consideration of your own needs. We, your hosts, understand it not only professionally but personally, through our lived experiences. Whether you identify as autistic, ADHD, Highly Sensitive, dyslexic, dysgraphic, with processing differences, a combination of those or just neurodivergent, we welcome you to join with us. We welcome and value intersection of different identities. All ethnicities/races, genders, sexual orientations, national origins are welcome. We acknowledge language limitation of the retreat as it is conducted in English and are open to communicating with non-English speakers to see how we can accommodate.
The Experience
INCLUDED
- 5 nights at the beautiful Mediterranean Retreat Center
- Multiple IFS workshops led by your organization
- Optional excursions:
- Explore Valencia’s charming Old Town
- Flamenco Show & Premium Dinner (+115 €)
- Full board: three healthy Mediterranean meals daily (allergies and intolerances honored)
- Dipping pool at the retreat center
- 24-hour snack and tea station
- Group transport between the retreat center and Valencia Airport
- Retreat center hotel located just 1 km from the beach
Hour by Hour
PROGRAM
Arrival day pick up 15:30 at Valencia airport
Departure day 11:00 transport to Valencia airport
yoga
8:00 - 9:00
Mindful movement session (yoga, dance, or gentle movement).breakfast
9:00-10:00
Breakfast.workshop
10:30 - 14:00
Morning group session or workshop.lunch
14:00 - 15:00
Lunch.free time
11:00-17:30
Free Time / Beach / Tourafternoon class
17:30-19:00
Yoga Class or Workshop.dinner
19:15 - 20:15
Dinner.Leisure & relaxation time
20:30 - onward
Leisure & relaxation time.
* The schedule is flexible. It will adapt to needs of each group or as necessary.
One day of the retreat includes a self-guide tour of Valencia City, with an optional evening Flamenco Show & Dinner experience.
THE RETREAT GOALS
This retreat has been created with several goals in mind:
• Being in the community with other individuals with similar experiences exchanging experiences and ideas, supporting each other and building each other up
• Tending to our overloaded parts together: listening to them, understanding where and how their needs go unmet, loving on them. We will use a lot of art and externalization techniques to communicate with our systems in the ways that work for them.
• Acknowledging depth of our individual and collective journeys. Through nourishing quiet, contemplative practice, and a supportive community, we will invite each other to reconnect with the Self that already lives inside us.
• Being away from hustle and bustle of regular life to get more clarity about your needs and ways to support yourself well in your daily life “out there”
• Looking at the systems we interact with that keep us oppressed, understanding their impact, considering options moving forward
• Resting in a beautiful setting where our basic daily needs are provided for
This retreat is FOR you and ABOUT you. It is time to set your clients, students, supervisees aside and tend to your needs. Come as you are.
Over several days, we will take time to be with our systems and each other and return to the well-established roots of IFS—approaching the internal systems with respect, curiosity, compassion, and clarity. Together, we will explore how IFS supports autistic, ADHD, and otherwise non-neurotypical individuals in honoring their internal worlds while maintaining a gentle pace and organized, time-tested structure.
The setting emphasizes nature and restoration—returning us to old rhythms that remind us of who we are beneath the noise. No performance. No urgency. Just a steady return to Self-leadership, guided by the enduring principles of IFS. Our group will be the only one on the retreat center premises.
Our hope is that participants will leave with:
• A renewed sense of personal grounding and inner balance
• An increased clarity of their different needs and ways to meet them
• A deepened sense of self-acceptance and self-love
• An improved capacity to support others without abandoning themselves
This is a place of learning and of quiet personal renewal—honoring both the therapist and the human within.
BEACH DAYS
After morning meditation, yoga, and breakfast, grab your day pack and and head to the water. Soak up the warmth of the Spanish sun laying on the soft sand beach, walk along the shore for hours, or take a dip in the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Listen to the sounds of the waves and let any stresses melt away. Finally, return to the retreat center in time for a relaxing yoga class and dinner. The closest beach is a walkable 1 kilometer from the retreat center. More beaches in the area can be reached by private taxi.
THE OLD CITY
While on your yoga retreat, Valencia city is wonderful to visit. Spend a day in the old town visiting elaborate historical monuments and impressive churches. Enjoy the colorful street art, the vibrant central market, trendy little shops, and the mix of Gothic, Baroque and Modernist constructions. Take a day trip to the City of Arts and Sciences and the awe-inspiring Oceanographic.
LOCATION & TRAVEL
The Mediterranean Retreat Center is located on Spain’s eastern coast, near Valencia, just one kilometer from the quiet Mareny Blau beach. The venue blends Mediterranean charm and comfort, surrounded by rice fields and orange groves, with easy access to the sea.
While the retreat center is not directly reachable by public transportation, it’s conveniently located 45 minutes from Valencia Airport (VLC) and about 1.5 hours from Alicante Airport (ALC). Group transportation between the retreat center and Valencia Airport is included for all retreat participants.
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Arrival – Monday, May 4th, 2026
We recommend landing at Valencia Airport (VLC) in the morning or early afternoon.
Our group shuttle will depart Valencia Airport at 3:30 p.m., ensuring a smooth arrival to the retreat center by mid-afternoon, just in time for check-in and your first group dinner.
For those arriving a day earlier in Valencia, we can also organize a pickup from Valencia City Center at Joaquín Sorolla Train Station at 4:00 p.m..
Departure – Saturday, May 9th, 2026
Please plan your return flight after 2:00 p.m., allowing enough time for the morning class, breakfast, and the group transfer back to the airport and city center.
Travel flexibility
You’re welcome to choose any airline or route that suits you — just keep the group shuttle schedule in mind to join easily.
Many participants enjoy arriving a day early or staying an extra night in Valencia City to explore its lively old town and seaside promenade. If that’s your plan, you can book your own hotel and meet us directly at the shuttle meeting point at Valencia Airport on May 4th.
If you’d prefer to organize your own transport, we’re happy to help coordinate taxis or private transfers from Valencia or Alicante.
YOUR HOSTS
IRINA DIYANKOVA
Retreat Facilitator
Irina Diyankova is a licensed psychologist, certified IFS therapist, Approved Clinical Consultant, and IFS Trainer. She specializes in working with complex trauma in adults and adolescents, as well as an intersection of trauma and neurodivergence. Irina also maintains consultation practice where she offers individual and group consultation to the IFS therapists and those who are in the process of learning IFS. Irina has completed all three levels of IFS training. She has co-led Level 1 IFS trainings and also conducted multiple IFS workshops and consultation groups in the US and Russia. She is very passionate and excited about IFS Model and loves sharing it with other therapists and human services professionals. In her leisure time she loves practicing yoga, hiking, traveling, reading and writing.
Irina identifies as AuDHD with multiple sensory differences and auditory processing challenges. As someone who has lived experience of being neurodivergent in this world, she can understand other neurodivergent individuals and their needs on a deeper level. She also loves being a part of neurodivergent community.
NICOLE HOUSE
Retreat Supporter
Nicole House is a Certified Level 3 IFS Practitioner, Somatic IFS staff/mentor, and long-time coach who serves this retreat as both Program Assistant and Retreat Coordinator. With over 30 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and communities, she brings a grounded, reliable presence to every aspect of the retreat. Her work blends Internal Family Systems, Somatic IFS, astrology, Gene Keys, and gentle embodiment practices, offering participants a warm, steady guide throughout their journey. Known for her attentiveness, organization, and heartfelt care, Nicole helps create a supportive environment where learning, reflection, and authentic connection can unfold with ease. In her role, she ensures the retreat runs smoothly while also offering compassionate support to participants—honoring the tradition of this work and tending to the details that help everyone feel welcomed and held.
2026 Date:
4 - 9 May 2026
I'm in! Yes!
BOOKING FORM
We ask a deposit of 300€ per participant
to reserve your spot in this yoga retreat
Recommended Travel Insurance
We highly recommend that each participant purchase individual travel insurance for their trip. It can be a minimal expense compared to the benefits it offers.
We especially suggest choosing a policy that includes “cancel for any reason” coverage and medical protection.
Travel insurance is the best way to protect yourself from unexpected circumstances before or during your retreat.
