Welcome- Redesign SS

Reconnect

Enhance personal and relational growth, improve intimacy, communication, and emotional connection with your partner.

Become the lovers you have longed to be

Ripening Retreats are specialized programs led by Dr. Karen Berry that create a safe and structured environment where couples engage in workshops, guided discussions, and experiential exercises aimed at deepening their emotional and physical intimacy.

“Karen, a master clinician and one of the original core faculty members of PACT, has been instrumental in the evolution of our couple retreats and training programs. Her groundbreaking contributions are indispensable, significantly enhancing therapeutic outcomes for couples striving for deeper, more meaningful connections.”

-Stan Tatkin, PsyD
Developer of a Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy®️ (PACT)

Female lovers embrace one another

Bridging tantra and the science of relationship

Participants practice mindfulness techniques to become more attuned to their own feelings and those of their partners, fostering greater empathy and understanding. Often set in serene natural locations, these retreats allow couples to disconnect from daily stressors and reconnect with each other. The benefits include enhanced communication, improved emotional bonds, and greater self-awareness, ultimately leading to stronger, healthier relationships.

Ignite the erotic

Who comes on Ripening Retreats? Couples like you! They come to us longing for great sex.  Often they are focused on sexual functioning and ask questions like: “Why won’t my body do what I want it to do?” “Why don’t I feel enough desire?”  “Are we having enough or the right kind of sex?” For some of our couples this is a first step. Others have already been to couple therapy. Some have even been in sex therapy or tantric training and may have felt a glimmer of what’s possible, but they come to us because they know they have only begun to explore what’s possible.

Sensuality — redefined for you

This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our assessment process allows us to meet you right where you are in your development as individuals and as a couple.   Whether you spend two, three or four days with us, our time together will be paced for optimal learning. You will move between guided experiences with us and time in your own private space to explore what you are learning.  There will be breaks for lunch, for rest and for time outside. Everything that happens is for your sensual awakening! 

Welcome to your sanctuary

Ripening Retreats are held at my home in New England…. Nullam ullamcorper, mauris nec feugiat fermentum, purus lacus suscipit felis, et facilisis justo lacus id risus. Duis efficitur, sapien quis bibendum auctor, lectus risus feugiat sapien, ac pulvinar orci est a arcu. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.

Start your journey today!

What are you waiting for? Take the first step today. Learn more about Ripening Retreats.
Get in Touch

Free Resources

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Growing Erotic Skills with Your Person

Cultivating Erotic Energy

Testimonials

“Karen, a master clinician and one of the original core faculty members of PACT, has been instrumental in the evolution of our couple retreats and training programs. She now leverages her extensive expertise to develop the innovative Ripening Model of Secure Erotic Functioning, specifically designed to help committed couples elevate their erotic lives. Karen’s unwavering passion for advancing the field of couple therapy drives her to teach therapists how to skillfully apply PACT to address even the most complex issues. Her groundbreaking contributions are indispensable, significantly enhancing therapeutic outcomes for couples striving for deeper, more meaningful connections.”

-Stan Tatkin, PsyD
Developer of a Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy®️ (PACT)
 “The Ripening Retreat, carefully tailored and individualized to our couple’s specific needs, was without question the most positive and enriching thing we have done for our relationship! After 32 years of repeating the same arguments, (primarily having to do with  sex and attachment) without resolution, Karen helped us to develop and utilize productive tools for repairing the hurt and anger we have caused each other, which has allowed us to ripen as people and as a couple. Karen kept our couple as the primary client while she delicately balanced and honored each partner’s individual needs to be heard, acknowledged, supported and feel safe, providing us  the space we needed to be authentic and vulnerable with our emotions and bodies. She masterfully guided us through a variety of experiences and activities that, enhanced by her analysis, facilitated a deep understanding of our difficulties, empathy for each other, opportunities to practice repair, and ultimately, our reconnection   The retreat was so powerful for us that we started planning the next one before we got. home!”

—Trecia
 
“My wife and I have struggled with sexual intimacy for many years. Over that time we have attempted treatment with different therapist and therapies with limited success – more of a bandaid.  The 4 day ripening retreat we had with Dr Berry was truly transformational – we are now on an exciting journey of ever evolving growth and discovery. Dr Berry is the consummate healer who brings an unswerving commitment to ongoing extensive training and personal growth – she is a brilliant, empathic, intuitive, strong and passionate person. The environment Dr Berry provides for the retreat gives a sense of safety and permission to be vulnerable, creative and effective with each other.”

—Eric
“We headed into our retreat thinking we knew each other and we arrived home, 3 days later, strangers to one another in the best way possible.  Our relationship, already strong and safe, now feels new and expansive with sensual possibility.  A difficult interaction that plagued our sexual relationship for more than 2 decades now feels like an invitation to learn about each other.  We are more relaxed and more knowledgeable.  As our sex life becomes less focused on the sex and more about exploring states of deeper intimacy, self-awareness, ecstasy and transformation, the sex is even more delicious.”

– A&C

Other Services I Provide

I leverage my expertise to provide clarity and focus on what is unfolding in the challenge you are currently facing. Together, we will define what success looks like, plot the path forward, and map out the sequence of steps to help you accomplish your mission.

Sex & Death: Sacred Doors

Professional Development for Clinicians

Group Consultations

Latest News

  • The First 30 Seconds: How PACT Can Help Couples with Sexual Encounters

    The First 30 Seconds: How PACT Can Help Couples with Sexual Encounters

    PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy) helps couples like Bob and Sandra navigate differences in sexual desire by slowing down and understanding each other’s feelings. They learn that Bob’s fear of rejection and Sandra’s fear of confrontation are rooted in past experiences. Through playful exercises, they practice new ways of initiating and declining intimacy that…

    Read more

  • When a Couple Desires More Intimacy

    When a Couple Desires More Intimacy

    Helping couples enhance their sensual connection by focusing on sensuality rather than sexual performance. Key to this approach is differentiation, where each partner maintains their individuality while staying connected. Through slowing down and fostering deeper understanding, the therapist guides couples to build a more satisfying and intimate relationship.

    Read more

  • Beyond the Ick Factor: Deeper Healing for Issues of Sexuality

    Beyond the Ick Factor: Deeper Healing for Issues of Sexuality

    Couples seeking therapy for sexual issues often have deeper, underlying problems like the “ick factor”—a repulsion to a partner’s smell, taste, or touch. This can stem from early life experiences and psychobiological responses. Understanding these roots allows for more effective healing. For instance, Donna and Marcy overcame challenges with intimacy by addressing Donna’s past trauma,…

    Read more

Get in touch!

Developed by Dr. Stan Tatkin, PACT is a fusion of attachment theory, developmental neuroscience, and arousal regulation. PACT has a reputation for effectively treating the most challenging couples.

Want to learn more about PACT? Sign up to watch this free 90-minute introductory video or visit the website at: www.thepactinstitute.com.