Mindful Bonds:
Stay tuned for our retreat in September, 2025!
September, 2025, dates TBD
Location TBD
Previous retreats were located at the historic Jikoji Zen Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Leave the retreat feeling restored and motivated to improve your relationships
Nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains,
our retreat will feature:
Discussions on attachment styles and relationships
Group processing
Daily movement
Hiking
Meditation
Dharma Talk
Actionable goals to improve your relationships
Beautiful surroundings allow you to drop in with yourself
Develop a healthier attachment style and gain confidence in yourself.
Date & Location TBD
Deepen Emotional Insight in Mindful Bonds Men's Retreat, a weekend-long transformative experience.
Are you seeking an in-person retreat to understand your attachment style and develop stronger and more satisfying relationships?
You’ll leave the two-day retreat with a solid sense of your attachment style and how to find more security in yourself and your relationships. You will be led by experienced professionals trained in helping men learn their attachment style, develop healthier coping skills, and create deeper relationships with themselves and others. Our retreat will be based on the writings of David Khalili, LMFT, and his book “Mental Health Workbook for Men.”
Our retreat will include meditation, movement, group processing, individual coaching, and solo time for processing and integration. Participants will leave with a workbook and refined goals and clarity on their next steps for building a more secure attachment style.
The Mindful Bond’s Retreat is right for you if you want to stop:
Checking your phone for a response from your date?
Feeling anxious when your partner leaves town?
Feeling defensive and on edge?
Cultivate Mindfulness with Experienced Professionals
You will work with David Khalili, LMFT and other experienced professionals trained in helping men strengthen their attachment style and emotional well being. The retreat will be based on the writings of David Khalili LMFT, and his book “Mental Health Workbook for Men.” You will gain personalized insight into how to apply the techniques and strategies shared in the book into your own life.
David will provide guidance and support throughout the day to help you learn how to gain security and confidence and deepen your relationships with others.
In addition, we will bring in providers such as those in movement and other holistic practices to round out your experience.
Andre Jackson, AMFT, will join us to facilitate group discussions and lead a talk on polyvagal theory and movement.
Colin Fyfe, AMFT will join us to facilitate group discussions, and lead an experiential activity.
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David F Khalili is a Licensed Therapist, board-certified sexologist, and founder of Rouse Relational Wellness, a boutique couples and sex therapy center serving San Francisco and all of California. David’s book Mental Health Workbook for Men was published recently to help men improve their relationships with themselves and others.
David’s focuses on working with men, couples, groups, and multi-ethnic individuals. Before training in psychotherapy, David was a peer sex educator, worked in sex shops in California and Texas, and received his Masters degree in Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University, where his work focused on Middle Eastern queer folks as well as the intersections of kink and trauma. You can learn more about David’s practice at rousetherapy.com.
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“The work I like to do with clients is grounded in cultural compassion and a value-centered approach to better understanding what challenges or imbalances adversely impact their interpersonal and intra-personal relationships. When we are operating from a place of untruth, our mental and physical systems speak up; sometimes sending misleading messages as to the source of the imbalance that can often lead to a pattern of poor decision making.”
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My practice celebrates working with diversity of gender, sexual orientation, and racial and cultural identities, integrating anti-oppression and social justice values that allow you to share your lived experiences candidly. I use an interaction style of warmth, curiosity, authenticity directness and non-judgmental/non-critical communication to help you connect with your own inner wisdom and vitality.
I specialize in working with Gay/Queer men, individuals that are in the recovery process from substance use, and males around issues of masculinity, sex, and emotional vulnerability.
Jikoji Zen Center grounds
What will we talk about?
Some topics discussed:
What’s the difference between Anxious and Avoidant Attachment?
Holding yourself accountable to your values
Productive shame versus toxic shame
Hearing no, saying no
Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries
Why is it so hard to ask for help
Deepening your relationships past sex
And more
FAQs
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This retreat is right for you if you:
Are plagued by self-doubt, low self-esteem, and uncertainty
Want to address issues of sexual shame and anxiety
Feel like something is missing in your life but aren’t exactly sure what
Are ready to dive into the work
Find usefulness in personal therapy, retreats, and workshops
Want to meet other men with similar values and approaches to wellness
Want to face your shadow head on
Prepared to work on specific goals (we’ll help you refine them in the retreat)
25 years old and above who want to develop a deeper understanding of their relationship to themselves and others
** The retreat is open to all genders. Retreats specific to gender or sexual identity will be created with enough interest.
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On top of the retreat, you will also get:
Signed copy of David’s book “Mental Health Workbook for Men”
Meet with your group online one week before and one week after the intensive to encourage connection and efficiency
Bespoke approaches to your challenges
Meals, drinks and snacks included Friday night through Sunday afternoon
Beautiful lush green surroundings at a historic zen center in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Leave with more clarity on your goals and intentions to reduce shame and anxiety
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Scroll below for detailed pricing and discounts.
For 2 nights, 3 days in the beautiful surroundings of Jikoji Zen Center, you’ll spend the weekend with trained professionals and other men supporting each other on the mission to improve self-compassion and relationships.
Pricing tier:
Pricing is still being determined but will range from $1000-3000 for 3 days.
Please note: Discounts are available for current clients of Rouse Relational Wellness. BIPOC scholarships are also available.
Some sliding scale slots available. Contact David for a payment plan.
The retreat experience will include twenty hours of emotionally supportive coaching, group work, organic meals, drinks, and experiences with guest providers. Please talk to us if you need a lower fee.
Testimonials
Retreat Participant
“I have hope that if I get in touch with my shame and anxiety, I’ll find a way through it.”
Workshop Participant
“Rouse helped me by taking my focus into the experience, allowing me to feel less stressed.”
Retreat Participant
“I appreciated how I was able to put myself out there and make important connections.”
Workshop Participant
“David is a knowledgeable and down-to-earth presenter. He teaches with great thoughtfulness and dry humor and did a great job making time for participants to bring in their questions.”
Former Client
In our time working with David, our communication and conflict-resolution skills improved significantly. We learned to de-escalate conflict, approach each other with curiosity, and work through any issues in a loving, connected manner.
Retreat Participant
“I feel more excited about my future.”
Sample Itinerary
Friday
5 pm - Orientation and settle in
6 pm - Dinner (Provided)
7:30 pm - Sunset walk in the Santa Cruz mountains
Saturday
8 am - Breakfast (Provided)
9:30 am - Group circle - Attachment
11 am - Movement
12 pm - Lunch (provided)
1 pm - Group circle - Trauma & Polyvagal Theory
2:30pm - Solo processing time - Accountability
3:30 pm - Movement
4:30 pm - Group circle - Vulnerability
6 pm - Dinner (Provided)
8 pm - Optional sunset ridge hike
Sunday
8 am - Breakfast (Provided)
9 am - Meditation teaching
10 am - Dharma talk - provided by Jikoji Zen Center
12 pm - Lunch (provided)
1:30 pm - Solo processing time
2:30 pm - Group circle - Putting it all together & future intentions
4 pm - Depart
Registration Cost
Single-room Accommodations
For those needing extra time and space for a reset. The single room accommodation allows for privacy and time for reflection on our off hours.
Pricing will be determined shortly. Join our waitlist to receive updates!
Communal Living Accommodations
Get to know the other guys by staying in the communal living rooms.
Pricing will be determined shortly. Join our waitlist to receive updates!
Camping
Relax under the stairs on the beautiful grounds of Jikoji Zen Center. Truly unplug and connect with nature during your time with us.
IPricing will be determined shortly. Join our waitlist to receive updates!
What’s Included?
Your refocusing retreat will include:
Free copy of Mental Health Workbook for Men ($17)
Pre and post zoom group meetings ($200)
Lodging, meals, snacks, and drinks at Jikoji Zen Center ($450)
All meals are vegetarian
A bountiful selection of drinks & snacks will be served throughout the day
Daily movement classes ($90)
Four group processing circles ($400)
Free course on Rouse Academy ($47)
Goodie bag with reflection materials, snacks and fun surprises ($100)
Meditation classes (Priceless)
Practicing vulnerability while giving and getting support from other men (Priceless)
Deeper understanding of attachment and a clear plan to improve relationships (Priceless)
Pricing Tiers:
Pricing is still being determined. Please join our waitlist to stay updated.
Pay up front and save, or inquire about a payment plan
Current clients of Rouse, and former retreat members receive a special discount
BIPOC Scholarships are available
This is going to be a stunning retreat. One not to be missed, especially before the summer.
What would it be like to connect with yourself truly?
Find serenity at Jikoji Zen Center
Lovely grounds of Jikoji
Attend daily meditations and a Sunday Dharma Talk
Relax in the serene surroundings
Work with our team of trained professionals
Explore the grounds
Sleep together in the dorms
Desire a more rustic experience? Bring your camp gear and settle into the grounds