Burnout Retreat in Spain
Burnout Retreat · Andalusia, Spain

Burnout Retreat in Spain

A five-day psychotherapist-led burnout retreat for people who need more than temporary distance from the pressure.

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Five days · Six people maximum · Near Málaga, Spain · €9,500 all-inclusive

When time off isn't changing it

You can stop working without stopping the pattern.

You can take time off. Sleep. Switch your phone off. Get away from work. Feel better for a while.

And still find yourself returning to exactly the same way of living.

Burnout is not always a problem that can be solved by becoming rested enough to continue. For some people, exhaustion is the point at which a much longer-running pattern has finally become impossible to ignore.

The Ridge is a five-day psychotherapist-led burnout retreat in Andalusia, Spain, for people who want to understand more than how to recover their energy. The work looks at what has been driving the pressure, what has kept it in place and what would actually have to change for returning home to mean something different.

For a broader overview of the therapeutic approach, explore our intensive therapy retreat in Spain.

From Simon

Why rest does not always resolve burnout.

Simon Hitchcock explains why time away can create relief without changing the underlying pattern that keeps rebuilding the same exhaustion.
From Simon Why You Can't Rest Your Way Out Of Burnout
Recognising burnout

Burnout does not always look like collapse.

Some people arrive at burnout unable to continue. Others continue remarkably well.

They still lead teams, run businesses, meet deadlines, care for families and make decisions. From the outside, very little appears to have changed.

Underneath, something has.

Work that once mattered can feel mechanical. Rest becomes difficult rather than restorative. Relationships receive whatever energy is left. Achievement still happens, but the satisfaction attached to it has disappeared. Stopping can feel uncomfortable because activity has become one of the ways difficult feelings are kept at a distance.

For people who have spent years being capable, self-reliant or responsible for others, recognising that something needs to change can itself be difficult.

For founders, leaders and high performers whose responsibilities remain intact while the internal cost keeps rising, our work around executive burnout looks more specifically at that pattern.

The question is not simply whether you can keep going.

It is what continuing in the same way is costing you.

See How the Five Days Work
Recovery or change

Rest matters. But rest and therapeutic work are not the same thing.

A burnout retreat can provide distance from work, responsibility and routine. Sometimes that is exactly what is needed. The Ridge is designed for the point at which distance alone does not feel like enough.

A restorative burnout retreat

Time away from work

Rest and sleep

Relaxation and wellbeing

Reduced stimulation

Space to recover energy

Temporary distance from ordinary pressures

The Ridge Intensive

Individual psychotherapy with Simon

Understanding the patterns beneath the pressure

Group integration

Specialist work where therapeutically useful

Five continuous days rather than isolated sessions

Written synthesis and ninety-day plan

Ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon

You may still be performing. That does not mean the way you are living is sustainable.
The burnout programme

Five days away. Ninety days of integration.

Location Near Pizarra, Málaga, Spain
Programme duration Five days
Pre-arrival Ninety-minute online assessment with Simon
Accommodation Included
Meals Included
Airport transfers Included from Málaga on agreed arrival and departure days
Group size Six people maximum
Investment €9,500 per person, all-inclusive
After the intensive Written synthesis and ninety-day plan
Follow-up 90 days of direct integration support with Simon
High-functioning burnout

You may still be performing. That does not mean the way you are living is sustainable.

High-functioning burnout can remain hidden because life may still look successful from the outside. You may still lead a team, run a business, meet deadlines, make decisions and carry responsibility for other people.

The signs often appear elsewhere. Rest stops feeling restorative. Switching off creates discomfort. Work becomes mechanical. Relationships receive whatever energy is left. Achievement continues, but the satisfaction attached to it has disappeared.

For founders, executives, professionals, business owners, carers and others accustomed to being capable, the ability to keep functioning can become part of the problem. It delays the point at which something is allowed to change.

For some people, burnout exists alongside longer-standing patterns shaped by earlier experiences, relationships or sustained pressure. Where those patterns are relevant, the work can explore how past experience continues to influence how pressure, responsibility and safety are experienced now.

Where earlier experiences or trauma are part of the picture, learn more about our trauma therapy retreat in Spain.

At The Ridge, the work is led personally by British integrative psychotherapist Simon Hitchcock. With more than fifteen years of clinical experience across private practice and residential settings, Simon works with the patterns beneath achievement, pressure, control and self-reliance, not simply the symptoms of exhaustion.

The work takes place as part of the Five-Day Ridge Intensive Programme near Pizarra, Málaga. For people who need greater privacy, different timing or a programme arranged around one person or one couple, Private Intensives are also available by conversation.

Every person considering The Ridge speaks privately with Simon before participation is confirmed. The first conversation is not a commitment to attend. It is a chance to understand what is happening and whether this is the right kind of work for you.

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Further information

Common questions.

What is a burnout retreat?
A burnout retreat provides time away from the environment and routines associated with ongoing pressure and exhaustion. The Ridge is a five-day psychotherapist-led burnout retreat in Spain for people who need more than rest alone. Rather than focusing primarily on relaxation or general wellbeing, the programme uses intensive therapeutic work to explore the patterns that may be contributing to how you are living.
How is The Ridge different from a wellness or burnout recovery retreat?
Rest and recovery can be important, but The Ridge is not built primarily around relaxation, spa treatments or general wellbeing. Simon leads five continuous days of intensive therapeutic work, supported by other modalities where they are therapeutically relevant.
Is The Ridge suitable for executives, founders and business owners experiencing burnout?
The Ridge works with individuals rather than job titles. It may be relevant for founders, executives, professionals, business owners and others carrying significant responsibility where the underlying patterns around achievement, pressure, control or self-reliance have become part of what needs exploring. Suitability is established privately with Simon before participation.
Do I need a diagnosis of burnout to attend?
No. The Ridge does not require a diagnosis or referral. Every participant completes a ninety-minute online assessment with Simon before participation is confirmed so that suitability can be considered individually.
Will five days cure burnout?
No responsible therapeutic programme can promise that. The purpose of intensive work is to create continuity and depth over five days, followed by a written synthesis, a ninety-day plan and direct integration support after you return home.
Where does the burnout retreat take place?
The therapeutic programme takes place at The Ridge near Pizarra in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. Participants stay in nearby rural accommodation approximately one kilometre away, providing a separate place to rest at the end of each day while remaining close to The Ridge throughout the programme.
Can I attend from the UK or elsewhere in Europe?
Yes. Participants can travel to The Ridge from the UK, Europe and internationally. Málaga Airport is the main arrival point, with airport transfers included on agreed arrival and departure days.
What is included in the €9,500 fee?
The fee includes the pre-arrival assessment, five-day intensive programme, accommodation, meals, agreed airport transfers, written synthesis, ninety-day plan and ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon.
What happens when I go home?
Returning home is part of the work rather than the end of it. You receive a written synthesis and ninety-day plan, with direct support from Simon for ninety days as you begin applying what emerged during the intensive to ordinary life.
Can burnout be connected to trauma or long-term patterns?
Sometimes. Burnout can develop for many reasons, including prolonged pressure, responsibility and patterns around achievement, control or self-reliance. For some people, earlier experiences may also influence how they respond to pressure or rest. The assessment with Simon is used to understand what is relevant for the individual rather than assuming a single cause.
Start with a conversation

You do not need to know whether The Ridge is right for you before speaking to Simon.

The next Ridge Intensive runs from 21–25 September 2026 and is limited to six people. Every enquiry is reviewed personally by Simon.

The first conversation is private and does not commit you to attending. It is simply a chance to explain what has been happening, ask questions and establish whether the programme may be appropriate for you.

If you are not ready to contact Simon yet, the short assessment can help you identify the patterns underneath the pressure.

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