Navigating Perimenopause and Menopause: A Retreat in Norway

Perimenopause and menopause involve a significant developmental transition, not only hormonally but emotionally and psychologically as well. Many women notice changes in sleep, energy, mood, cognition, and stress tolerance, alongside deeper questions about identity, purpose, and pacing.

These menopausal changes, sometimes experienced as menopause brain fog or emotional reactivity, can feel unsettling or lead to self-doubt, particularly during periods of sustained stress or transition. For many women, they are recognised as early signs of menopause, even when cycles are still present or symptoms feel inconsistent. 

This retreat offers space, guidance, and practical tools to understand these shifts more clearly. Through reflective sessions, experiential exercises, and gentle conversation, you will explore how your body and nervous system are responding, and begin working with these changes rather than against them, with greater understanding and self-compassion.

Dr. Duncan will join the retreat for a virtual seminar to offer clear, evidence-based guidance on women’s health, including hormonal changes and the role of hormone therapy in whole-body health during midlife and beyond, with time for thoughtful, open Q&A.

About Laura Duncan, MD

Laura Duncan, MD, MPH, MSCP is a board-certified internist with over 20 years of experience in direct patient care, specializing in chronic disease management, women’s health, and shared decision-making. She earned her medical degree from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Harvard Medical School’s Cambridge Health Alliance.

Dr. Duncan has served diverse populations in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including work with the Indian Health Service on the Navajo Nation in Arizona and in rural Utah, where she was also Medical Director of an Elderly Care Center.

She is the founder of Reclaim Menopause, PLLC, a practice dedicated to helping women across New Hampshire and Vermont navigate midlife transitions and reduce long-term health risks associated with hormonal decline.

This retreat is guided by people who understand both the science of change and the lived experience of moving through it.

Seoka Salstrom, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of experience supporting women through periods of transition. Her work draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and neuroscience-informed approaches to help people build self-trust, emotional flexibility, and clarity during times of uncertainty. Seoka brings depth, steadiness, and warmth to the retreat space, holding conversations that are thoughtful, humane, and grounded in evidence.

She is supported by Sarah Newell, who offers consistent group care throughout the retreat. Sarah helps attend to the practical and relational aspects of the experience, ensuring that participants feel supported, oriented, and at ease as the group unfolds.

We are also in the process of confirming the participation of Laura Duncan, MD, a physician with expertise in women’s health and hormonal transitions. Laura is expected to join the retreat to share medical insight on perimenopause and menopause, including dedicated sessions for education and open Q&A, bringing clarity to the physical changes many women experience during this stage of life.

Together, the team creates a space that is psychologically safe, intellectually grounded, and deeply respectful of each woman’s experience. This is not about being led or fixed, but about being supported as you learn to listen more carefully to yourself.

Together, we explore:

• understanding who you are beyond long-held roles and expectations

• emotional literacy and nervous system regulation during hormonal change

• self-compassion as a powerful antidote to shame and burnout

• boundaries, energy, and redefining success on your own terms

• sleep support and evidence-based approaches to insomnia

• reconnecting with vitality, play, and enjoyment, even in small bursts

• listening to your body as a source of wisdom, not something to override

• meeting uncertainty, fear, and possibility with grounded courage

These themes are approached gently and practically. Nothing is forced, and there is no expectation to share more than feels comfortable. The work unfolds at your pace, in a space designed for honesty, care, and genuine reconnection.

Set nearly 1,000 metres above sea level, the Norwegian mountain landscape offers space, clarity, and perspective that are difficult to access in everyday life.

The vastness of the peaks, open skies, and quiet strength of the environment create a grounding backdrop for this work. Time outdoors, whether walking, sitting, or simply taking in the view, helps calm the nervous system and supports deeper listening.

Nature becomes a steady companion throughout the retreat, offering spaciousness, honesty, and a sense of possibility.

This retreat is designed for women in their forties and fifties who feel that life is changing in ways that are hard to name but impossible to ignore.

You may be navigating perimenopause or menopause, noticing shifts in energy or sleep, questioning long-held expectations, or sensing a desire for a different rhythm, direction, or way of living. You may feel both relief and uncertainty as familiar roles loosen.

You do not need to identify with any single label to find this retreat meaningful. This space is for women who simply feel the pull to pause, listen inward, and understand what this stage of life is asking of them.

• you are navigating perimenopause or menopausal change

• your energy, sleep, or emotional rhythm has shifted

• your sense of identity feels in transition

• you are experiencing burnout, fatigue, or emotional depletion

• you want a women’s wellness retreat that goes beyond surface-level wellness

• you crave reflection, depth, and honest conversation

• you value evidence-informed guidance held with warmth

• you want time in nature without pressure to perform

• you are ready to redefine success on your own terms

This retreat offers a rhythm that supports reflection without overwhelm. The days are structured enough to hold you, yet spacious enough for you to move at your own pace.

You will experience:

• ACT-based workshops and experiential sessions

• guided reflection, guided meditation and journalling

• gentle, attuned morning movement designed with each woman’s experience in mind

• meaningful, supportive group conversations

• time outdoors for grounding and perspective

• opportunities for play, enjoyment, and rest

• optional spa experiences, yoga, and easy hiking

The experience follows a carefully designed, flexible flow rooted in neuroscience.

Deep Rest · Exploration · Integration

Frequent breaks, optional movement, and time in nature are woven throughout to support balance and nervous system regulation.

By the end of the retreat, you will have created space to hear yourself more clearly and understand what this stage of life is asking of you.

The retreat does not promise grand transformation.
It offers something quieter and more sustainable.

You will leave with:

• a clearer sense of who you are beyond long-held roles

• emotional tools to support perimenopause and menopause transitions

• reduced shame and self-criticism around fatigue and burnout

• improved understanding of sleep, stress, and energy

• renewed confidence in your inner knowing

• a calmer inner rhythm and more spacious perspective

• meaningful connection with women on similar paths

• practical ways to continue this reflective work at home

This lasting shift is supported by the retreat’s neuroscience-informed phases of Deep Rest, Exploration, and Integration.

The retreat is held at Skarsnuten Mountain Resort & Spa in Hemsedal, Norway, a boutique mountain hotel offering sweeping views, quiet luxury, and deep restoration.

This women’s wellness retreat setting offers:

• spacious communal areas with mountain views

• generous buffet breakfasts and dinners

• Nordic-Italian cuisine focused on seasonal ingredients

• a full spa with saunas, jacuzzis, cold plunges, and treatments

• outdoor spaces for reflection and gentle exploration

• summer activities including hiking, waterfalls, and mindful walks

Everything about the setting is chosen to encourage calm, clarity, and reconnection.

Skarsnuten Spa offers treatments and yoga sessions specifically designed to support nervous system regulation, hormonal balance, and embodied reconnection, which is particularly relevant for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and life transitions.

The following are two available treatment options for guests to purchase, as well as three complimentary yoga sessions incorporated into the movement schedule for the week.

TREATMENTS

1. Deep Relax – Nervous System Reset (60 / 90 min)

A calming, full-body relaxation massage designed to down-regulate stress and support parasympathetic activation.

Using slow, rhythmic strokes and intentional breath pacing, this treatment helps stimulate the vagus nerve and guide the body out of fight-or-flight into deep restoration.

Focus areas include:

• Neck and jaw (common tension zones during hormonal shifts)

• Diaphragm and breath support

• Lower back and hips

This treatment is ideal for:

• Improving sleep quality

• Reducing cortisol load

• Supporting emotional steadiness

• Creating a felt sense of safety in the body

The experience is grounding, nurturing, and deeply restorative.

2. Deep Release – Therapeutic & Somatic Bodywork (60 / 90 min)

A more focused and deeper treatment for women holding chronic tension or stress patterns in the body.

This session integrates:

• Targeted muscle work

• Myofascial release

• Breath-guided pressure

• Somatic awareness techniques

Special attention is given to areas influenced by stress and hormonal change — jaw, diaphragm, abdomen, pelvic region, and upper back.

The intention is not only muscular relief, but regulation through awareness.

By combining therapeutic touch with nervous system understanding, the body is invited into deeper balance and resilience.

Ideal for:

• Chronic tension

• Stress-related pain

• Emotional holding patterns

• Women who prefer more depth and intensity

YOGA SESSIONS

1. Vital Flow – Energy & Hormonal Support (60 min)

A gentle yet energising flow designed to increase circulation, stimulate lymphatic movement, and support hormonal balance.

This class includes:

• Soft spinal waves

• Pelvic circulation movements

• Dynamic breath coordination

• Standing grounding sequences

Breathwork is intentionally woven in to support vagal tone and regulate the stress response — leaving participants feeling clear, uplifted, and steady rather than overstimulated.

2. Yin & Let Go – Fascia, Release & Integration (60–75 min)

A slow, deep practice with longer-held poses targeting fascia, hips, and spine.

Yin yoga supports:

• Joint mobility

• Endocrine balance

• Emotional processing

• Parasympathetic activation

With guided awareness and extended exhalation breathing, this session gently stimulates the vagus nerve and supports the body’s natural unwinding process.

3. Yoga Nidra – Deep Rest & Nervous System Healing (45–60 min)

A guided yogic sleep practice designed to bring participants into a state between wakefulness and sleep.

Yoga Nidra is particularly supportive during perimenopause and menopause, as it:

• Reduces sympathetic overdrive

• Improves sleep regulation

• Supports hormonal recalibration

• Enhances vagal tone

Participants are guided through body scanning, breath awareness, and subtle nervous system settling techniques.

This session offers profound rest — often described as several hours of sleep in one practice.