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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Scheduled five-day intensive · Six people maximum · €9,500 per person · Private formats available

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 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.

The scheduled Ridge Intensive runs for five continuous days with a maximum of six participants. Where privacy, timing or more individually structured work matters, private intensive formats are also available.

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
A private conversation

You can begin here.

If something you've read feels familiar, you can write to Simon directly. A few words are enough to begin. You don't need to explain everything in a form.

Prefer to speak? Book a Private 20-Minute Consultation with Simon

A brief message is fine. Please avoid sharing sensitive details unless necessary.

Or, if you'd prefer to message directly Message Simon on WhatsApp
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.

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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 meet deadlines, make decisions, care for other people and carry significant responsibility.

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 people who are used to being capable, the ability to keep functioning can delay the point at which something is allowed to change.

Where this pattern is specifically tied to leadership, founding a business, executive responsibility or the pressure of being the person others depend on, our dedicated page on executive burnout looks more closely at how those pressures can interact with identity, control, achievement and self-reliance.

Burnout can also sit alongside anxiety, emotional disconnection, low mood or earlier experiences. The important question is not which label fits best, but what is actually driving the pattern and what kind of therapeutic work is appropriate.

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 which Ridge format, if any, can responsibly hold the work.

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Further information

Common questions.

What is a burnout retreat?
: A burnout retreat creates time away from the routines and pressures that may be contributing to exhaustion. At The Ridge, the emphasis is on psychotherapist-led therapeutic work rather than rest alone. The scheduled Ridge Intensive runs for five continuous days, while private intensive formats are also available where privacy, timing or individual structure matters more.
How is The Ridge different from a wellness or burnout recovery retreat?
: Rest, sleep and reduced pressure can all be useful in burnout recovery, but The Ridge is not primarily a wellness, spa or restorative retreat. The therapeutic work looks at the patterns underneath the exhaustion and what may need to change when someone returns to ordinary life.
Is The Ridge suitable for executives, founders and business owners experiencing burnout?
: It may be. The Ridge works with the person rather than the job title. Where burnout is specifically tied to leadership, founding a business, executive responsibility or the pressure of being the person others depend on, there is a dedicated Executive Burnout page exploring that pattern in more detail. Suitability is considered individually with Simon.
Do I need a diagnosis of burnout to attend?
: No. A diagnosis or referral is not required. Every prospective participant speaks privately with Simon before participation is confirmed so that what is happening, the suitability of intensive work and the appropriate Ridge format can be considered individually.
Will five days cure burnout?
: No. The scheduled Five-Day Ridge Intensive is not presented as a cure or a promise to finish the work in five days. The purpose is to create enough continuity to understand and begin changing the patterns underneath the exhaustion, followed by a written leaving document and ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon.
Where does the burnout retreat take place?
: The therapeutic work 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 and decompress at the end of each day.
Can I attend from the UK or elsewhere in Europe?
: Yes. Participants can travel from the UK, across Europe and internationally. Málaga Airport is the main arrival point, with transfers included on agreed arrival and departure days for the Ridge intensive formats.
What is included in the €9,500 fee?
: €9,500 is the fee for the scheduled Five-Day Ridge Intensive. It includes the pre-arrival assessment, five-day programme, accommodation, meals, agreed Málaga airport transfers, written leaving document and ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon. Private intensive fees are discussed separately with Simon.
What happens when I go home?
: For the scheduled Five-Day Ridge Intensive, returning home is part of the work rather than the end of it. Participants leave with a written document setting out what has been understood and how the work can continue, alongside ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon to support integration into everyday life.
Can burnout be connected to anxiety, trauma or longer-running patterns?
: Sometimes. Burnout can develop through prolonged pressure alone, but for some people anxiety, control, emotional disconnection, earlier experiences or patterns around achievement and responsibility are also relevant. The first conversation with Simon is used to understand what is actually happening rather than assuming burnout has one cause.
Start with a conversation

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

Burnout can become easier to ignore when you are still functioning. Work still gets done, responsibilities are still met and life may continue to look intact from the outside.

The first step is simply to speak privately with Simon about what is happening, what has stopped changing through rest alone and whether this kind of intensive therapeutic work is appropriate. You do not need to decide beforehand which Ridge format is right.

From the Start page, you can book a private 20-minute consultation with Simon or, if you would rather write first, send a short private enquiry. Neither commits you to attending.

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