Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Bradsher.
Hi Allison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first experienced new tools for the spiritual life through The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. This encyclopedia of practices helped me to experiment with new types of prayer. Prayer that engaged my memories, my heart, my body, and my story. This opened up an entirely new awareness of myself, my connection to God, and my connection to others.
The more I discovered new practices, new authors, and new ways of being inside of my life, the more I wanted. I pursued a certification in spiritual formation and spiritual direction through a two-year training program called Caritas (meaning love) outside of Chicago. Upon completing this program I longed for ways to share all I had learned and experienced. As time passed, I began to have more and more opportunities to meet with others through the practice of spiritual direction and leading retreats.
I began to see the great need we all have for a safe space to process our thoughts, emotions, experiences, and spiritual questions. It is no small part of my story that alongside my personal development and training has been the chance to offer and receive love and listening presence with the people in my home. My husband and kids are my greatest supporters. My marriage and motherhood have given me an incredible opportunity to learn to care for souls and respect the unique journey of each person.
My home has also been the literal space that I have used to meet with people for formal spiritual direction. For the past three years, the swivel chairs in my den have held many significant and tender conversations. As my practice has grown, I have longed for more space to offer this care in a way that does not lose the hospitality of an actual home. The dream of a place to step away from busyness and distractions and listen to the still, small voice within, has been growing in my heart for quite some time. This dream is now becoming a reality as I have partnered with two friends to open The Retreat House.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road! The gifts of healing, growth, and open-heartedness cannot be overstated, but the path to get there has been full of challenges. In my journey, challenges often come when I am experiencing some sort of disorientation. When something in my thinking perspective or circumstances shifts, it can be painful.
We tend to want to cling to what is familiar, to old patterns, and life as we know it. I have told several people recently that I am in my “Elsa era,” lots of letting go. Letting go of old ways of doing things, letting go of outcomes, letting go of control.
Specifically with opening The Retreat House, there have been challenges of this nature. When the dream for a place of rest, retreat, and spiritual rhythms, was just a dream there were no bills to be paid, no fundraising to do, no renovations in sight. As with any dream or goal, the stage of envisioning, preparing, and praying is incredibly important. But it does not require the perseverance, grit, humility, and surrender, that the actual work does.
We’ve been impressed with The Retreat House, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Retreat House is a brand new offering in Memphis for people of all means and situations to come and experience rest and care. We have spent the last year raising funds and developing a 10-acre property in Eads that invites people to step away from their roles and responsibilities to just be.
Being loved by God is the most essential truth that we each carry. But we lose touch with that awareness as our wounds, our relationships, our jobs, and our phones shape us. When given the opportunity to sit in silence, to be in the woods, or to be listened to by a therapist or spiritual director, we find that there are tears we need to cry, words we need to say, and experiences we haven’t processed. As we stop and pay attention to our inner lives, we begin to heal and live from a grounded place of faith, hope, and love.
We will offer lots of ways to receive this inner life care. Spiritual direction is 1 hour, one-on-one sessions with a certified spiritual director. Counseling provides a chance for talk therapy with licensed professionals. Silent retreats are monthly offerings that allow you to experience silence and stillness with a group. And we also have a cabin on the property that will allow for individuals, couples, and families to step away from technology and connect.
We are most proud of our full, circle care. We want people to feel cared for in mind, heart, and body. There are so many amazing nonprofits all over Memphis that are meeting the needs of housing, food, jobs, and mentors. We want to be a place that meets the inner, emotional needs of people in any zip code as well as care for the souls of the helpers and leaders doing ministry and nonprofit work.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
We are so new, that in the next 5 years, we hope to continue to spread the word, rally a village of participants and supporters, and give Memphians a chance to grow and heal from the inside out.
Contact Info:
- Website: theretreathousememphis.com
- Instagram: @theretreathousememphis
Image Credits
Gretchen Shaw
