Michael DeForbes’ Perspective on the Retreat

Michael’s perspective on another good reason to attend the 7 Steps Retreat!

The online 7 Steps Retreat from February 17-20 will have a rare treat – seeing Beverly Buncher, the creator of The 7 Steps and founder of The BALM Method of Family Recovery, teaching the 7 Steps, facilitating guided meditations, and coaching volunteer participants. 

Hello Everyone, 

This is Mike DeForbes, one of the teachers of the 7 Steps to BALM. Years ago, Beverly Buncher was the only one who taught the 7 Steps to BALM and I trained with her. It was a wonderful experience for me, week after week, to learn under the person who created the 7 Steps and the entire BALM program. Beverly has a unique coaching style that is both caring and knowledgeable. To watch her bring a client through coaching tools such as the Clear Unclear Chart or Work the BALM With Any Challenge, or to hear her guide participants through a meditation experience was a real treat! As the BALM grew and grew, she no longer had the time to facilitate the 7 Steps and asked Lisa Costa and myself to continue teaching it live. So now the only place you can hear Beverly teach the 7 Steps is in the recordings. 

But now we have created the 7 Steps Retreat, an intensive learning experience in which we guide you through all eight classes of the 7 Steps in a one-weekend event. Until we facilitated this retreat live near Houston, TX in 2019, and then the online Zoom Retreats over the past several years, I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to see Beverly in action, doing what she loves: helping families to internalize the BALM 12 Principles and 7 Steps. It was a valuable experience. Now we are repeating this Retreat live online again Feb 17-20, 2023, so everyone, regardless of location, can learn directly from her. 

Sign up for the Retreat HERE

In addition to teaching all of the 7 Steps in one weekend, Beverly, other BALM Coaches, and I will be guiding you through meditation sessions, journaling activities, joining you for optional online meals, and providing optional one-on-one coaching sessions. Families from all over the country have joined together for this Zoom weekend. Some were wary of getting on a Zoom for a whole weekend. Yet, almost every single participant who came, not only showed up, but also stayed throughout the first evening and the entire two following days, engaged and present throughout. 

Sign up for the Retreat HERE

If you’d like to hear more, please join us on Monday January 30 at 8 pm ET for the only live pre-retreat meeting, when we will be going into the nitty gritty of the weekend and answering your questions about the Retreat itself! Bring your questions and join us! CLICK HERE to register for this Zoom meeting.

Please note: Tuition goes up February 1! If this is your first online 7 Steps Retreat, you will also receive a free 7 Steps Handbook which you will need and use throughout the weekend. To be sure your handbook arrives on time and to benefit from reduced tuition, we recommend that you enroll before February 1!

Sign up for the Retreat HERE

In case you missed any, you can read all the previous emails and blogs about the Retreat  HERE

See you on the 30th for our live call on the value of an inner getaway, even a virtual one, and the ins and outs of the weekend retreat.

Best,

Mike