Hello.  There is a Christian retreat in Union Grove, NC.  I think it also serves as a nun retreat.  It is very pretty and peaceful.  There is also one in Vashti, NC but I can't remember the name.  If you are interested, I will find out the names for you.

Great, thank you. Anyone know of any on the West Coast? California, Oregon or Washington... there has to be one. I hope...

Esalen is right off US 1 in central California near big sur.. They have many workshops and meditation or yoga retreats.
I was there several years ago doing a weekend workshop and I was able to get around pretty well. It's rustic so that it is far from fully accessible, but it is manageable.
And the view is so magnificent, it is easy to overlook the details.

So wheelchair traveler, I just gave you some information about a retreat. But now I would like to know what is it that you are looking for? This opens up a much larger discussion about spirituality and what it means to all of us. If anything.

For many, spirituality means religion and that serves them well. There's plenty of research that shows that those who believe in a higher power and have faith, tend to have a better sense of well-being and security. Of course belief and faith are two very different things. Belief is about certainty, faith is about trust and letting go.

But what is spirituality and why do so many of us seek it?

My personal sense of spirituality is about connection. I have spiritual experiences when I see a baby, when I visited the Grand Canyon or when I gaze into the eyes of someone I love. I have many others, but all of them help me feel more connected to the larger world. All of them are and experience of humility and enable me to realize how small I am in this vast universe-how blessed I am to be part of and how fragile and beautiful everything is.

Spirituality is about enabling people to discover the essence of their being. Spiritual practices include meditation, prayer and contemplation. When we can quiet our egos, we can listen to the quiet voice inside. We can discover our own divinity, our resilience and kindness. After my accident, I felt unlovable. My spiritual practice at that time was about loving others. (I guess that's still is my spiritual practice).

Wheelchair traveler, like Dan Gottlieb and many others need a retreat in order to stabilize and deepen our spiritual practice. Every now and then we need to retreat from this fast-paced life and all of its demands.

My spirituality gives me a sense of well-being and comfort. At my age and after 32 years of quadriplegia, I know my health is not going to hold up and that I will have more time on well and in bed. But because of my humility, my gratitude and my faith in my ability to love and be loved, I'm not very frightened. Of course that could all change tomorrow!

What does spirituality mean to you?

Thank you Dr. Dan for your suggestions. When I hear the the word religion I think of organized religion, which I view differently from spirituality. Spirituality for me is the connection with ALL there is: with myself, other people (strangers and loved ones) and nature. Nature has always been a powerful force for me, my direct connection to it ALL.

I do my best to accept ALL that is, whether it's agreeable with me or not. Resistance is not an option anymore for me. It only makes things more painful/uncomfortable. I discovered this when I was laying flat on my back for 8 weeks recovering from a pressure sore surgery. I was extremely humbled by this experience, relying on everyone for everything. Once I accepted it, I once again could enjoy the small pleasures of life, like watching birds dance on tree branches outside the only window I could see or the warm water my nurse used for my sponge bath. ALL there is is L-O-V-E.

One's head or ego can be very tricky though. I feel it's a constant battle for most, including myself. The start is being aware of it. Consciousness is key. Sometimes things gets real complicated and I can't distinguish whether it's my ego or heart relaying me signals. I would like to strengthen this distinction. I'm working on quieting the voice in my head while meditating but still needs more work.

Another thing is that I feel I live a pretty peaceful life, yet when I sleep I grind my teeth which is a sign of stress that I cannot pin-point. I feel it's something deep to my core. I would like to release this whatever it may be.

A spiritual retreat is like maintenance to my soul. It allows me to focus all my energy into healing, instead of distractions, like "what's for dinner?!"  Prior to my surgery I wanted to do such a retreat for like a week, well I guess the greater force at work had a bigger plan... aka 8 weeks flat on back. I guess I needed more than a week this first go-around. However, I have seen the light and it is glorious! I need more of it to help me and those that surround me.

I have a grand mission to travel and make the world more accessible but more importantly along the way, I wish to spread peace, share how we are all connected and that ALL there is is L-O-V-E.

One of my favorite quotes is by Henry David Thoreau, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." We may seem physically separate but our energies (our souls) are all connected: one in the same. We need to carry each other.

what a beautiful answer and a full hearted description about where you are in your life.
Thank you so much for sharing both with us

yea, its called the reggae festival in Long Beach, It's accessible......

hi,
religion says: you're coming from somewhere and now you're missing it.all you should do to live a better life is contact it and keep this connection( my lost child,return to me) without leaving world,without ignoring reality.actually gives the best answer to our spirituality. we all are looking for truth and this is spirituality then religion gives concrete answer which always has been covered by some people now and then...lets live our lives,watch the world and reality in the truth( not forget that the main is our truth which is taking care of us all)...wish you all  a "HAPPY LIFE"..

wheelchair Traveler ..well said..
i'm you ,you're me ..parallel worlds theory, will prove this someday..then we'll see that "i'm the world (whole universe) and the world is me"...

A dear friend of mine is a high-ranking administrator in a nonprofit organization. She has spent a very successful career organizing tasks and solving problems. And now has her children live, she finds herself for the first time wondering whether life is about and what her real calling is. Like most of us, she's never had the time or the wherewithal to think about her life in broad terms as she has been so busy doing the tasks she thinks she is supposed to be doing. And in the process she has become the woman she thought she was supposed to become. And now she wants to know who she is beyond the "supposed to be".

When I was first injured, all of my "supposed to be" was shattered as I knew I would never be that person. I was scared and depressed as I had no idea how I was "supposed" to live my life as a quadriplegic, father of small children and psychologist.
And then I said out about the task of being the quadriplegic I thought I was supposed to be.

Whether we are in wheelchairs or not, wisdom is about becoming the person we are after we have given up on all of the "supposed to be's". But it's so much easier to create this path, this identity and do what we think we are supposed to do.

The journey is a bit scary, listening to that quiet voice. After all, we have no idea what our heart longs for and it could be quite different from the life we are living. A bit scary.

The borscht belt comedian Jackie Mason tells the story of how he went to see a psychoanalyst. He said the psychoanalyst told me that we were going to explore my unconscious. "But I told him that my unconscious is none of my business!"

It's a little scary leaving the supposed to be and learning about who we are.

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