Small birds and branches painted by hand, climbing a stepped white wall
A brick path at dusk between timber buildings with colored glass windows, lanterns leading to a tiled fountain wall
The grounds from above in evening light: green lawn along the river, palms and timber roofs among big trees, hills behind

Somewhere quiet to work through trauma

Residential EMDR therapy for PTSD and complex PTSD in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Start with 30 days.

Talk directly to the owner

Who comes to Chiang Mai for trauma therapy?

PTSD

Often it goes back to one event, or to years in one job. They still get to work and run a household, and most people around them have no idea. Then a sound or a smell puts them straight back there, and the nightmares cost them another week of sleep.

Fine at work. Awake at 3am.

Yellow lotus flowers and leaves painted on a pale wall

Complex PTSD

There's often no single event to point to. It went on for years, usually from childhood, and parts of it may be hazy or missing. Many have done the reading and years of talking, and can tell you exactly why they feel this way. Their body still reacts as if it's happening now.

Knows why. Can't switch it off.

A green vine painted on a white wall beside coloured glass

Trauma

Some come with no diagnosis at all. Something happened, once or over years, and it still decides how they sleep and who they trust. They've told very few people, and they wonder whether it's bad enough to ask about.

No diagnosis? Ask anyway.

Blue and green patterned glass in a red teak window frame

For someone else

Sometimes the first message comes from a partner, a parent or an adult child, after years of watching it up close. They ask whether this place fits, what it costs and how soon there's a room. Darren answers all of it. The choice to come stays with the person it's for.

A few lines is enough to start

Ask about someone elseSmall birds painted on a branch along a stepped white wall

Why travel for this?

Some of this won't fit in an hour a week

Weekly therapy works for many people. Here the sessions run longer and closer together, and nobody has to go back to work an hour after a hard one.

  1. How often

    At home: Often once a week

    Normally one-hour sessions, done by video call.

    At the retreat: Three to four a week

    Full ninety-minute sessions, so everything can be covered and discussed in depth.

  2. After a hard session

    At home: Back to work and home

    At the retreat: Your own villa, with nurses who know

    A teak veranda bench with white cushions, against a brick pillar and coloured glass

  3. In the middle of the night

    At home: Whoever's home

    At the retreat: A registered nurse, awake

    A wall lamp lit on a teak post at night, with coloured glass windows glowing behind it

  4. What it asks of you

    At home: A slot in your week

    The rest of life carries on.

    At the retreat: Time away

    From work and home. Start with 30 days.

32 core staff, for ten clients at most.

A staff member at a desk, smiling across a paper form

Who would I work with?

Three EMDR therapists, on site full time

EMDR is delivered one to one by one of our three EMDR therapists.

  • Portrait of Denise O'Leary

    Denise O'Leary

    Leads the therapy team. EMDRIA Certified.

  • Portrait of Rebecca Loke

    Rebecca Loke

    Therapist. EMDR trained and listed on the EMDR International Association directory.

  • Portrait of Ann Whelan

    Ann Whelan

    Therapist. EMDR trained and listed on the EMDR International Association directory.

The tiled fountain wall and pool at dusk, with small lanterns lit along the path

Talk directly to the owner

A few words is enough.

Darren Lockie owns the center, and the first call is with him. He isn't a clinician. He checks this is a suitable and safe place for you, and when it isn't, he refers you to one that suits you better.

You don't need to tell him everything in the first phone call.

Message us on WhatsApp
Or leave a note

What's it like to stay?

Traditional Lanna style

A Thai building with never more than ten clients at a time.

Keep scrolling to walk through

Two timber buildings with steep gabled roofs and balconies, on brick pillars, behind a green-tiled pool

The building

Timber upstairs, brick pillars below, the pool out front.

Tiered timber roofs, with panes of blue and green glass under the eaves

The roofs

Tier on tier, with coloured glass under the eaves.

Small birds painted on a white wall, one on each step of the stairs

Painted birds

Up the wall beside the stairs.

A row of timber windows set with blue, green and amber patterned glass

Coloured glass

In the doors and windows, all along the walkways.

A pool in front of a tiled wall and big trees, under a blue sky full of cloud

The pool

Open from 6am to 8pm.

The grounds from above in evening light: a blue pickleball court on green lawn beside the river, with timber roofs among big trees behind

The river and the court

A floodlit pickleball court inside the grounds, right beside the river.

A treadmill, an exercise bike and a heavy bag on a rubber floor under an open-sided roof, with the river and trees beyond the rail

The fitness area

A treadmill, a bike and a heavy bag, under a roof by the river.

A raised teal yoga platform at the end of a curved garden path, with the pickleball court on the lawn beside it

The yoga platform

A Thai yoga teacher comes in the mornings.

A cable machine and weight bench in an open-sided white timber gym, with green leaves behind

The gym

By the river. Two one-to-one sessions a week.

Timber walkways at dusk, with coloured glass windows lit from inside and lamps on the posts

After dark

The paths light up as the sun goes down.

Where would I sleep?

Your own villa

Hard days need a door you can close.

A king-size bed with white pillows in a sage-green room, with coloured glass windows

The bedroom

A king-size bed.

A sofa, an armchair and a low table in a green room, with an open door through to the bedroom

The lounge

A separate room, so you're not living where you sleep.

A long wet room seen through open timber doors, with a large shower at the far end under a wall of green plants

The wet room

A large shower, and plenty of room around it.

A white kettle, two cups on a tray and bottled water along a timber counter

The kitchenette

A kettle, for the nights you can't sleep.

A massage table with folded towels in a dark room, under a high strip of coloured glass

The massage area

Inside the villa.

Housekeeping every day. Wi-Fi, and your phone and laptop stay with you.

What about the rest of the day?

Between sessions

All of it is part of the 30 days.

Two elephants walking a green forest trail, one carrying leaves in its trunk, with a handler beside it

Excursions

Trips out with staff, with a meal at a restaurant. Nobody rides the elephants.

An open-sided gym with a treadmill, a heavy bag, and gloves and pads on the rail, looking out over the court and river

Personal training

Two one-to-one sessions a week, starting with a fitness assessment.

A man in boxing gloves punching a red heavy bag under a garden shelter

Muay Thai

One to one with an instructor, as fitness rather than a fight. No extra cost.

A long table laid with plates and white orchids, in front of coloured glass windows

Food

A Thai chef cooks it fresh. Halal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are covered.

A row of red mountain bikes parked beside a white wall and tiled stairs

Bike riding

Flat routes, 3 to 20 km, for beginner to intermediate riders.

A raised teal platform at the end of a garden path, with hedges and fields behind

Yoga

A Thai yoga teacher comes in the mornings.

The whole tiled pool from above, with white loungers, a timber deck and a pavilion among the trees

The pool

Open from early morning into the evening.

A blue pickleball court on green grass, with palms and a big sky behind

Pickleball

A floodlit court by the river. We have the paddles and balls.

A hammock strung between palms on a green lawn, with a garden pavilion behind

Nothing at all

There's a hammock under the palms.

A desk and a black chair beneath three framed pictures, with a palm and a lamp

Work

Laptops are allowed in your room. Some work is fine, and your health comes first.

A sitting room with a green sofa and an armchair, its doors open to the pool

Stay in touch

Phones are fine in your room, for family and work contacts. If you agree, Darren updates family about weekly.

A painting of stacked stones on raked sand

Meditation

Two sessions a week cover this and Reiki. You can opt out.

A small oil burner lit on a round side table, in a dark room

Reiki

One to one with Leszek, in a quiet treatment room.

A whole massage bed with folded towels, beneath a painting of stacked stones, in low teal light

Thai massage

Twice a week.

What if it gets hard?

Some days in trauma therapy are harder than others, and it doesn't always show up during a session. Sometimes it's ten at night, with the whole place gone quiet.

So this place is set up for it. Thirty-two staff look after ten clients at most, and there's always someone awake.

At two in the morning, a registered nurse is awake.

The center goes quiet at ten. The nurses stay up and do their rounds, every night of the week, and all of them are registered nurses.

Plenty of people walk over to the nursing station at night. The nurses listen first, and nobody asks you for a good reason.

They know what you're up against.

Your nurses and support team know when your trauma work is under way. That week they watch how you're sleeping, how wound up you seem and how anxious you are.

The details of your sessions stay with your therapist. You can get help at any hour without telling the whole story.

Any hard night is handled on the spot.

If there's anything at all, there are people around to help you, right then. Walk over to the nursing station, or call the on-call nurse. You'll have the number.

If sleep keeps being the problem, the psychiatrist looks at it again, as many times as it takes.

By morning, your therapist knows exactly how the night went.

The night nurses write down how you slept, how you were and anything that changed. Nurses and therapists talk every day, so your therapist has the overnight picture before you sit down.

You won't have to open by going back over it. Your next session starts from there, with 90 minutes to work with it.

How does the trauma retreat in Chiang Mai work?

Start with 30 days

  1. Getting started

    Send a message

    • A few words on WhatsApp is enough.
    • You talk to Darren, the owner, to see if this place suits you.
    • You also talk to a therapist, as a pre-admissions check.
    A glass pavilion with a tiled roof on a green lawn, between two palms

  2. Once your flights are booked

    We meet you at Chiang Mai airport

    A nurse and a support worker, in a car with no branding. It's about 18 minutes to the center.

    A long teak walkway in daylight, leading down to the pool

  3. Your first few days

    You settle in

    • You talk with the psychiatrist.
    • In most cases, a full body health check on the second day.
    • Therapy starts straight away, three to four times a week.
    A made bed with a folded robe against a pale green wall, beside a window of colored glass

  4. After your assessment

    EMDR when it's right

    One to one, 90-minute sessions. We can't promise a start date before you've been assessed.

    A sitting room with a sofa, a low table and an armchair, its doors open to the pool

  5. After you leave

    Planning your next chapter

    We start on what comes next while you're still here. You'll also have:

    • A drive back to Chiang Mai airport.
    • More one-to-one sessions after you leave, if you want them, at extra cost.
    • A handover report for a therapist at home, if you'd like one.
    A path of lit lanterns at dusk, leading to the tiled fountain wall and the pool

What's included?

Your Thailand trauma retreat, mapped out

A warm lounge with a blue sofa and an armchair, its doors open to the pool

Therapy

  • EMDR and one-to-one therapyThree to four times a week, 90 minutes each. EMDR starts when it's clinically right.
  • CBT groupsCatching the thoughts that fire on their own, then testing them. Your trauma therapy stays one to one.
  • DBT skillsRiding out distress, steadying emotions, mindfulness and dealing with people.
  • Art therapyEvery Friday morning, with a visiting art therapist.
Wall lamps lit under the timber eaves at night, beside windows of colored glass

Care

  • Nurses, day and nightRegistered nurses, awake on site 24 hours a day.
  • Psychiatric assessmentsYour first on the day you arrive, and more if you need them.
  • Hospital checksIn most cases on day two, at Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai: bloods, EKG and chest X-ray.
  • Weekly plan reviewThe clinical team goes through your treatment plan every week.
A made king-size bed with white cushions under three wall panels, with white orchids beside it

Your stay

  • Private villaYour own bedroom with a king-size bed, a lounge, a kitchenette, a massage area and a wet-room shower, cleaned every day.
  • Meals cooked freshBy a Thai chef, with Thai, Western and international food. Halal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are covered.
  • A car from the airportIt meets you at Chiang Mai airport, and takes you back when you leave.
  • The poolOpen from 6am to 8pm.
  • LaundryCollected three days a week.
  • Wi-Fi, phone and laptopWi-Fi runs throughout the center, and your phone and laptop stay in your room.
The grounds from above, with the pickleball court beside the river and the timber roofs behind

Body

  • Personal fitness trainingTwo one-to-one sessions a week, with a fitness test at the start and again at the end.
  • GymA small riverside gym on site, plus an air-conditioned gym outside three afternoons a week.
  • Muay ThaiOne to one with an instructor, at no extra cost. Gloves and pads, taught for fitness.
  • PickleballA floodlit court by the river, inside the grounds, with paddles and balls provided.
  • Bike ridingFlat routes of 3 to 20 km, from the front door through the rice fields.
  • BadmintonSunday mornings at a professional center, with lunch out.
  • Golf driving rangeThere when you want to hit a few balls.
  • ExcursionsEvery Saturday, a supervised trip within about 90 minutes, with a restaurant meal. One is an elephant sanctuary, with no riding.
A glass-walled pavilion with a tiered roof on a green lawn, under palm trees

Mind

  • MeditationOne to one, about 50 minutes. Reiki and meditation make two sessions a week.
  • ReikiOne to one, about 50 minutes, in a quiet treatment room.
  • YogaA Thai yoga teacher comes in the mornings.
  • Thai massageTwice a week.

US$12,500 for your first 30 days, not including your flights or any prescribed medication.

Got a question?

What people ask

A white orchid and place settings on a dark glass table, with green glass windows behind

What does it cost?

US$12,500 for your first 30 days. Flights and prescribed medication are extra. You never pay ahead for more than 30 days.

Does insurance cover it?

We don't accept insurance or bill insurers directly.

How long is it? Can it be shorter?

30 days is the shortest stay, so it can't be a few sessions. After that, you can stay on while a room is free, billed week by week.

Do you treat complex PTSD?

Yes, PTSD and complex PTSD. If this isn't the right place for you, Darren will say so and offer a referral.

When would EMDR start?

When it's clinically right for you. Nobody can promise a date before your assessment.

How soon could I come?

It depends on which rooms are free. We take ten clients at most, so ask Darren what's open now.

Can I write for someone else?

Yes, for a partner, a parent or an adult child. Ask if it fits them, what it costs and how soon there's a room. The choice to come stays with them.

Who isn't this for?

Children. Active or unmedicated psychosis or schizophrenia. Unmedicated bipolar disorder. Borderline personality disorder as the main condition. Eating disorders that need a specialist medical program. We don't offer couples or family therapy either.

Do I need a visa?

People from 60 countries and territories can stay up to 30 days visa-free, with a possible 30-day extension. Other nationalities differ, so check yours.

Will anyone know I'm here?

The airport car has no branding. Your information goes to other people, family included, only with your written consent.

Anything else, ask Darren.

Message us on WhatsApp

Talk directlyto the owner

Darren owns the center and takes the first call. You don't need to tell him everything in it.

Message us on WhatsApp

A few words is enough.

Talk directly to the owner