Why do we struggle in love - even when we want it so deeply?
We often long for closeness, but find ourselves caught in conflict, disappointment, or emotional distance.
No matter how hard we try, we keep repeating the same painful patterns.
At the root of these struggles are early, often unspoken wounds - the wounds of shame, shock, and the fear of separation or abandonment. These hidden layers shape how we relate.
They lead us to:
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Lose ourselves in co-dependency
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Withdraw into isolation
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Shut down or overextend to protect ourselves
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Feel unable to ask for what we truly need
In this workshop, we gently explore these inner spaces — with compassion and care. Through guided meditations, relational teaching, and experiential sharing, you’ll begin to:
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Identify and understand the wounds that shape your patterns
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Get in touch with the feelings you’ve had to hide
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Express those feelings in a safe and supported space
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Learn how to create real intimacy — from the inside out
Welcome to a new way of being: grounded, free and connected
Join us for a powerful, heart-opening 5-day retreat exploring the Foundation of Love - a deeply experiential and trauma-informed journey based on the Learning Love work of Amana & Krishnananda Trobe MD (Learning Love Institute).
What happens when we slow down and meet ourselves with kindness?
Old patterns begin to soften. We start to feel more like ourselves - steady, clear, and connected from the inside out.
This retreat offers a path back to your own clarity, power, and emotional freedom.
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Feel emotionally resilient and self-compassionate
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Communicate and connect with greater honesty
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Trust your own inner guidance
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Shift from reacting to responding with attuned self awareness
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Improve your relating from the foundation of self-love
Foundation of Love: What's inside the 5-day journey?
We honour each person's pace and process
Depth meets gentleness
Facilitated by experienced psychotherapists and somatic practitioners
Trauma-informed safe space
With daily movement, dynamic meditation, and expressive processes
Body-inclusive
Tools and insights you can apply long after the retreat ends
Real-life integration
Open to all, with deep respect for the sacredness of the human journey
Where psychotherapy meets spirituality
A circle of fellow travellers committed to honesty, kindness, and growth
Community
Your guides for this inner journey
Both Annie and Emanuela are attuned, intuitive, compassionate, authentic and trauma-informed. They "walk the talk" and are committed to supporting their clients on the healing path.
Annie Looby
Emanuela Girotto
Annie Looby is a Gestalt psychotherapist, trauma-informed Hoffman Process facilitator, and lifelong seeker of authenic, heart-based connection.
Known for her fierce compassion, warmth, and commitment to walking alongside others on the healing path, Annie brings humour, presence, and lived integrity to her work.
Emanuela Girotto is a transpersonal counsellor and somatic experiencing therapist with a gift for attunement and depth.
Her sensitivity, wisdom, and clarity create a safe space for transformation, and her personal journey through relationship and spiritual growth infuses her facilitation with authenticity and grace.
What Our Clients Say
”...Heartfelt thanks to Annie... the space felt safe, compassionate and as powerful as ever. It was such a gift to drop in so deeply and feel so held.” GR
"Working with Emanuela was a powerful experience. Her kindness, support and ability to facilitate a safe space created the right environment for me to access my own healing and growth. I'd highly recommend her for anyone wanting to create more calm, clarity and connection to themselves."
Retreat Details
Foundation of Love
17-22 April 2026 | Victoria
Whether you are new to inner work or have journeyed deeply already, this retreat meets you where you are. It offers a profound opportunity to reconnect with your inner ground, grow in self-responsibility, and step into a life of greater freedom, vitality, and authentic relating.
Location: Maitripa Centre, Healesville, Victoria
Accommodation: Simple, monastic-style rooms in a serene bush setting
Meals: Nourishing vegetarian meals provided
Cost: $2450 - Early Bird ($2800 after 31 Dec 2025)
"Exploring these inner spaces opens a door to deeply hidden feelings. And by getting in touch with and expressing them, we become empowered - and we learn how to create intimacy." Learning Love Institute
More Kind Words...
Emanuela's guidance and support has truly been life changing. I highly recommend her to anyone who is ready to embark on the most profound journey of self discovery and healing like never before".
Helen S
"What’s really special is the space Annie creates... genuine care that makes it feel totally safe to go deep - but also freeing and fun!”
SR
A Retreat that meets you where you are
Foundation of Love is not about fixing or achieving. It is about uncovering and remembering who you really are, beneath the roles and coping strategies. It’s about cultivating kindness toward the most tender parts of you and learning to live with more love, presence, and choice.
Identify and begin to heal core wounds of shame, fear, abandonment and loss
Develop emotional literacy and self-regulation tools
Discern the difference between protection and true empowerment
Explore how your inner world shapes your relationships
Engage in dynamic and active meditations that reconnect body and soul
Experience the relief and joy of being fully yourself in a safe space
