The Power in Your Hands
Ireland Retreat with Author & Therapist Shannon Algeo
Five days offline. A celebration of summer. To create. To commune. To connect with land and nature.
june 28 - july 2, 2027 • County Clare, Ireland
To follow your heart, first you must listen.
In the Irish language, mo chroí (pronounced muh-khree) translates to “my heart” and is a tender form of endearment. In the ancient Irish tradition, the chroí (heart) was viewed as more than a physical organ; it was considered the seat of the soul and the center of one's relational intelligence. To "listen" to the heart in the Irish tradition is to tune into a deeper, ancestral wisdom that exists beneath the surface of modern life.
Research shows that the average smartphone user spends the equivalent of 61 to 80 days every year on their device. This “societal addiction” has led to heightened levels of stimulation and desensitization that disconnect us from our intuition, creativity, and inner clarity. While digital dissociation creates a soul-numbing, offline time provides us with the unstructured time, emptiness, decompression, and the slowing down that the mind and soul require to access imagination.
One of the greatest tasks of our time is to nurture and protect the gift of our attention, presence, and creative spark so that we can be of inspired (in-spirit) service to a world in need.
NATURE meets neuroscience
72 hours offline in nature
Recent neurological research shows that just 72 hours offline in nature with no technology can help reset dopamine levels, making everyday experiences like walking in nature or connecting with others feel satisfying and pleasurable again. It can increase cognitive function and creativity by up to 50 percent, reduce cortisol levels that drive chronic fight or flight responses, and increase prefrontal brain activity, helping improve focus and reduce impulsive behaviors such as doomscrolling.
our time together
A Ceremony of Real Life
Set in County Clare near the Wild Atlantic Way, this offline retreat offers a unique opportunity to unplug from the noise of modern life and listen to the rhythm of your own heartbeat. In community, you will explore the stirrings of creativity within you so you can generate and build the world you desire with your own two hands. By getting still and connecting to the wisdom within you (inner practice) and connecting with the natural world & the intelligence of community around you (inter- practice), you’ll come to remember your unique gift and creative spark.
Originally developed in partnership with the Esalen Institute based on Shannon’s psychological research and book The Power in Your Hands, this experiential curriculum weaves together multiple frameworks/ modalities including attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology, poetry therapy and eco-psychology—as well as ancestral wisdom practices such as Yoga Nidra, Irish-language song circle, storytelling, authentic movement, nature-foraging, and ancient ritual practice.
LEARN YOUR DIGITAL ATTACHMENT
New research shows insecure attachment styles can increase compulsive smartphone use as people seek digital safety over human connection. Seeing how past relationships shape phone habits helps us rebuild true connection, repair old wounds, and experience connection we truly seek it.
TEND TO YOUR CREATIVE calling
This retreat helps you recover focus, creativity, and a deeper sense of being human. Through poetry therapy, storytelling, hands-on making, foraging, and deep listening, you’ll reconnect with curiosity, expression, and inner voice while exploring what is ready to be expressed through you.
LISTEN TO the wisdom of the land
Irish soil is rich with history, mythology, and ancestral practice. We will slow down to listen and experience these ancient rituals. Learning from local storytellers, musicians, foragers, and makers helps deepen our connection to nature and ancestry. In partnership with the land, culture, and community, we will practice tending to the wise intelligence of the human heart.
People are constantly looking at empty and false images; these impoverished images are filling up the inner world of the heart.
— John O’Donohue on the impact of technology on the human psyche
Irish poet, theologian, and author of Anam Cara
a personal share
a word from shannon.
Over the last eight years, I’ve returned to Ireland as a humble and curious student of her culture, land, communities, and soul. Each time I step foot on Irish soil, I experience a visceral stirring in my cells—one of resonance, belonging, and wild wonder. Both my paternal grandparents grew up in County Donegal (one of Ireland’s northern-most counties) and courageously immigrated to the United States in the 1920s. They left behind their loved ones, history, and land in hopes of a better life.
Over a century later, for me to return as a now-Irish citizen is a great privilege and an answer to my soul’s call. On retreats and excursions with dear friends, I have foraged, sang, grieved, wondered, laughed, danced, and even wrote a whole section of my forthcoming book The Power in Your Hands.
I am so excited to share this rich experience of Ireland with you and our special group. There is a mystery in Ireland that cannot be translated into words—at least not English ones. It’s an experience to be felt, sensed, and known. And so, together in June 2027, we journey. We return. We remember. We reclaim. We sing ancient Irish-language songs, we read Irish poetry, write poems of our own, learn skill-sharing practices from our hosts at the Common Knowledge Centre, sweat in the bog sauna, and participate in an Irish “trad” music session.
Let these 72 hours offline in Ireland become an embodied memory that you can take with you—an experiential template of time spent offline remembering what is possible when you reclaim your time, creativity, and life.
meet THE FACILITATOR
Shannon Algeo is an American and Irish writer based in California. He is a psychotherapist, researcher, poet, Yoga Nidra teacher, and co-founder of We Human and the We Human Podcast (formerly SoulFeed). Shannon is the author of the books The Power in Your Hands: Liberate Yourself From Attachment to Technology and Trust Your Truth. He is on faculty at the Esalen Institute and the Kripalu Center, and leads digital liberation programs and offline retreats around the world that support people to reclaim their humanity, creativity, and attention in the digital age.
He holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Clinical Counseling, and Jungian Depth Psychology.
Shannon was named one of the "35 Under 35 in Wellness to Watch" by Wanderlust, and has spoken at the United Nations sponsored “Yoga and the U.N. Culture of Peace,” the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), among other prestigious organizations.
Shannon Algeo
somtehing about how they’re additional teachers
Teachers & Guides
Teacher One
certifications
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Teacher Two
certifications
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Teacher Three
certifications
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THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Ireland calls us to remember.
As we gather at the summer solstice, we’ll listen to the land speak and ask, “What wants to be remembered and reclaimed?” We’ll celebrate the fruits born of the seeds we’ve tended to, within ourselves, with each other, and in our lives.
enjoy
Seasonal Menu
Our renowned resident chefs are passionate about creating wholesome, delicious food. The Centre’s dedication to sustainability means that whenever possible, they use locally sourced, organic and seasonal produce, as well as the harvest from their organic permaculture garden. A range of thoughtfully selected natural and organic wines are offered at an additional price to compliment our menu.
Relax
Wild Atlantic Seaweed Baths
As part of our commitment to your nervous system's renewal, your investment includes a private Wild Atlantic Seaweed Bath experience. Soak in hand-harvested Irish seaweed while looking out over the rugged coastline—a traditional ritual to mineralize the body and anchor the insights of our work.
EXplore
Foraging Experience
Guided by a local Irish botanist, we’ll walk the regenerative land as we are introduced to various plants—and the beautiful and diverse landscape of peatlands, meadows, grasslands, hedgerows, and native Irish trees. We’ll learn how our Irish ancestors engaged in relationship with different plants as medicines, sustenance, healing, and care.
Main studio
Our Workshop Space
Our sanctuary studio, the Octagon, provides a spacious, light-filled, and private container for our workshop experience. This is where the daily experiential sessions will be held—as well as Yoga Nidra, song circle, and other group experiences.
accommodations
The Collective Grove
The Centre’s monastic-premium lodging includes comfortable bedrooms with hand-built furniture ranging from single rooms with their own private bathroom to double rooms shared with one other participant to a selection of triple and dorm room options.
single rooms
The Solo Sanctuary
The Common Knowledge Centre offers a limited number of private single rooms for participants to enjoy their own private space and bathroom.
THE DETAILS
What’s Included
Full retreat programming, including five days of practices and group sessions led by Shannon and guest facilitators.
Four nights of lodging at the handcrafted Common Knowledge Centre, on 50 acres in County Clare.
Three nourishing meals per day, locally sourced and organic (with the exception of one celebratory dinner in Doolin).
Complimentary coffee and tea available throughout the immersion.
Sauna over the bog, providing a unique somatic and elemental release and restoration experience.
Full access to common spaces, gardens, and the contemplative land of the Burren.
Traditional Irish singing experience led by an Irish teacher.
Guided Foraging Excursion to intimately get to know the local plant ecologies and landscape.
Wild Atlantic Seaweed Baths, a one-of-a-kind full body wellness experience where we soak & remineralize in reclaimed Irish whiskey barrels filled with heated Atlantic seawater and hand-harvested seaweed, overlooking the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands.
good to know
What’s Not Included
Airfare
Transportation to and from the Common Knowledge Centre
Personal travel insurance coverage (highly recommend)
One dinner in Doolin
An Award-Winning Sanctuary in the Heart of the Burren
COMMON KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
Resting on 50 acres of native Irish forest and regenerative farmland, the Common Knowledge Centre is more than a retreat venue—it is a living laboratory for community, ecology, and soulful living. Situated within the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Global Geopark, this space was hand-built to foster the very relational presence and creativity we seek to reclaim
Recognized by Conde Nast as one of the "Best Places to Go in Europe in 2025" and named by the Irish Independent as one of the "50 Fab Places to Stay in
in Ireland," the Centre provides a lovely, authentic, and monastic environment where every stone and timber tells a story of sustainability and warmth.
The interior of the Centre reflects a deep commitment to the hand-made life. Every piece of furniture in the rooms is entirely bespoke, crafted on-site as a living example of the sustainable building practices taught in the Centre’s world-renowned skill-sharing courses. Here, you are not just resting in a room; you are held by the intentional craft and shared wisdom of the land.
your questions answered
Frequently Asked Questions
The magic is made in the details! We gathered a list of practical questions to help you ensure this retreat is the right fit for you, and to support your landing in Ireland. Please reach out if you have any additional questions.
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Tuition is based on the room you book (Single, Double, Triple, or Dorm) and includes all chef-prepared meals, lodging, and full retreat experience
The Solo Sanctuary $3,195 USD A private room for one. Ideal for those seeking deep solitude and restoration between sessions.
The Shared Horizon $2,895 USD A double-occupancy room. Designed for friends or participants open to connecting with a fellow seeker.
The Triple Hearth $2,395 USD A triple-occupancy room. A communal space for integrated rest.
The Collective Grove $1,995 USD Our dorm-style occupancy. The most accessible entry point into the container.
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On your Participant Information Form, you will be asked to select your preferred room (Single, Double, Triple, or Dorm). Rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis based on the date of your deposit. We will do our best to honor every request.
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Yes, sharing this experience with friends and loved ones can be a powerful way to deepen connection with self and others. Please specify your friend's name on your application form. Alternatively, once you know your friend has submitted their application, feel free to reach out to ensure we link your requests. We will do our best to place you in the same room.
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For the most easeful arrival, we recommend flying into Shannon Airport (SNN), which is a scenic 50-minute drive from the retreat center.
Dublin Airport (DUB) offers more international flight options, and it is approximately a 3-hour drive. If you plan to travel in Ireland prior to the retreat, you may choose to fly into Dublin and either drive to the Common Knowledge Centre or take a bus or train from Dublin to Ennis.
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From Shannon (SNN): The easiest route is via car rental or a pre-arranged car service (approx. 50 mins).
From Dublin (DUB): You can rent a car and enjoy the cross-country drive (approx. 3 hours) or take a high-quality bus or train to Ennis, followed by a short taxi ride to the Centre.
Detailed arrival instructions and a ride-share coordination sheet will be provided to all confirmed participants.
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We recommend monitoring flights now and booking when is most convenient for you, keeping in mind it might be best to book around March or April for a late June arrival.
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Your $850 USD deposit reserves your booking for the retreat. Room availability is first come, first served so it is recommended to book early.
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To align with our commitments to the Common Knowledge Centre, the remaining balance of your tuition must be received by April 22, 2027 (67 days prior to the retreat start date of June 28, 2027).
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Yes. We are happy to work with you on a monthly payment schedule to make this retreat accessible.
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Ireland 2027 Retreat Cancellation Policy
Because we must finalize our contracts with the venue and local partners well in advance, tuition payments are non-refundable after April 22, 2027. We strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance to protect your investment.
Cancellations made more than 67 days before the retreat start date (April 21, 2027 and earlier):
You will receive a refund of payments made beyond the non-refundable deposit.
Cancellations made within 67 days of the retreat start date (April 22, 2027 and after):
No refunds, as venue, accommodation, and operational costs will have already been committed.
While the $850 deposit is non-refundable, it is transferable to another participant or to a future We Human retreat offering.
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Yes. We are committed to inclusivity and are currently finalizing a scholarship application process. If you are interested, please email shannon @ shannonalgeo dot com.
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Absolutely. The Common Knowledge Centre's kitchen specializes in local, organic, and nourishing fare. Once your application is accepted, you will receive a form to list all allergies and dietary requirements (Vegan, GF, etc.), which our chef will hold with great care.
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To foster the wild awe and deep presence that this land offers to us, we will engage in a 72-hour Facilitator-Supported Offline Retreat. This intentional container is designed to help you transition from digital distraction into embodied presence.
Our collective offline practice officially begins on Tuesday, June 29 at 1:00 PM and closes on Friday, July 2 at 1:00 PM.
We recognize that every participant arrives with different life responsibilities. We ask that you reflect upon these three levels of engagement prior to arrival:
Level 3: Deep Immersion (Fully Offline) You commit to going completely offline for the full 72 hours. You will power your phone OFF and place it in our communal sanctuary box kept in the Octagon. This is the path of maximum neural restoration.
Level 2: Supported Connection (Modified Offline) You commit to the offline ceremony with the exception of one specific, timed window per day (or every other day) to check in with a loved one, such as a child or a sick family member. You will create specific operating procedures for this use and return your phone to the communal box afterward, leaning on the group for supportive accountability.
Level 1: Unrestricted Use (Discouraged) You make no commitment to changing your relationship with your device. While we respect your autonomy, this level is strongly discouraged, as digital noise can disrupt both your personal process and the collective energy of the circle.
KIND WORDS
He was a pleasure to be learning from. He made everyone feel comfortable and at ease. I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone who has a cell phone. The workshop was so fun, interactive, so many connections and lots of creativity. Content was absorbed easily.
“Shannon was an unbelievable guide.”
participant at the esalen institute
Shannon was AMAZING! The group was intimate and we were really able to connect. Shannon was the perfect blend of: information/research, heart, empathy, music, and creativity. When people have asked what I liked best this time...it was being in a group led by Shannon.
“Perhaps the best workshop I've had at Esalen.”
participant at the esalen institute
Shannon was able to bring in so many threads: the academic/data-based information, but mixed with movement, song, poetry, meditation, nature walks, and storytelling. All of this was delivered with warmth, kindness, depth, and humor. I also appreciated the small size of the group and intimate container we created together. Shannon was very skilled at making us all feel safe and at-home. . . so we could drop in more deeply.
“PLEASE bring Shannon back for more!”
participant at the esalen institute
Shannon, the lead facilitator, was brilliant, accessible, playful, and engaging, and his practices were inspiring, well-paced and fun. The group cohered in an organic way that showed the combination of Shannon's depth, emotional attunement and natural leadership skills.
“We laughed and cried a lot.”
participant at the esalen institute
Giving up phones...but he filled in the spaces with group sharing, connecting, and creative endeavors along with grounded to the land...top notch! I learned so much, and it was shared in a digestible manner; there was room to question and deepen our understandings, and the facilitators were always able to answer honestly and with great knowledge.
“I didn't expect it to be so healing.”
participant at the esalen institute
Pricing Begins at $1,995 USD
Retreat pricing ranges from $3,195 to $1,995 depending on your room selection: Solo (single), Double (shared), Triple, Dorm, or Camping.
Your tuition includes full retreat programming: 4 night stay, 3 chef-prepared meals each day, daily facilitated sessions, and two unforgettable excursion experiences.
Your deposit secures your retreat booking today.
june 28-july 2, 2027
Let’s go to Ireland
Come bring your fullness, your brokenness, your beauty. Come bring your questions, your grief, and your longings. Come bring your wholeness, your fragmentation, and the whispers of your humanity
