Couples have many options for strengthening their relationship. A Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat is not just one of those options; it’s the best one. What’s different about Hold Me Tight®️? Most programs or workshops teach skills and techniques. They teach partners to negotiate or problem solve or to “fight fair.” All that is fine, for what it’s worth, but it’s superficial. Those are skin deep solutions. If they work, they likely won’t last. It’s like taking Tylenol for a headache when the real problem is the nail in your head. You might get a little relief for the pain, but the problem hasn’t gone away. It makes little sense to treat symptoms, but not the sickness.
A young couple hold hands as they run through a grassy field representing the joy that can be found in your relationship as you reconnect at a Couples Retreat in Orland, FL. Couples Retreats are available to anyone in the United States and beyond.

Hold Me Tight®️ Couples Retreats go deeper. 

Hold Me Tight®️Couples Retreats go deeper. It gets to the cause, to where relationships truly live. And where is that? I can tell you, it’s more than “I statements” and counting to three before you speak. Hold Me Tight®️ is rooted in what we call “attachment science.” Attachment science has taught us that real intimacy is not about skills or techniques. Intimacy is about connection. 


We are wired for connection. We seek it from cradle to coffin. When we feel seen and heard and valued by our partner, when we know that he or she is there for us, that’s emotional connection. That’s where we are our best self. In that place, we relax, we are confident, capable, creative; we thrive. We feel safe. That is real intimacy and that’s where love lives and grows. 


That safety is an emotional survival need. We seek it. Without it, we struggle. We suffer. We live guarded, even with the one we love most. And, unless or until we understand how to connect and create safety, no amount of couples skills or techniques will help for long. That’s why most couples who learn such superficial skills in a workshop or even in therapy say that they work for a while, but soon, things go right back to the way they’d always been. 

A couple stands in front of a lake smiling as they embrace. Rekindle your intimacy in a Couples Retreat in Orlando, FL today. Our couples retreats are here for anyone in the United States and beyond.

Hold Me Tight®️ Couples Retreats Last

Hold Me Tight®️is different. Indeed, outcome studies consistently say that 70 percent of couples who practice what they learn in a Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat are doing well even two years later. That is the best results in the business! It’s because a Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat gets below the surface and helps partners practice the two dynamics that make emotional connection possible: vulnerability and empathy. Vulnerability and empathy are two sides of the same coin. They are easier said than done, but they are the essential building blocks for the kind of safety and closeness that grows ever stronger and lasts a lifetime. 

A Hold Me Tight®️ Couples Retreat is Experiential

In a Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat, couples don’t just hear about this; they actually get to practice it. Hold Me Tight®️ is experiential. In a laid back setting, couples have a series of conversations together that get progressively more vulnerable and more empathic. Each couples goes at their own pace. No one is put on the spot. A Hold Me Tight®️ retreat is low key and non-threatening. But it gives a couple a road map for the kind of connection that makes real intimacy possible. Do something for your relationship that will last. Get beyond skin deep solutions and build a strong foundation. Sign up for our next Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat today.

A couple kiss under an umbrella as a rainbow frames the sky. Reconnect and reignite the fires of love in a Couples Retreat in Orlando, FL. Our Couples Retreats are open to any couples in the United States and beyond.

Ready to Rekindle the Intimacy in Your Relationship? Join Our Couples Retreat in Orlando, FL Today!

 Do something for your relationship that will last. Get beyond skin deep solutions and build a strong foundation. Sign up for our next Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat today.



A couple hugs beneath a beautiful starry sky after reconnecting at a Couples Retreat in Orlando, FL. Hold Me Tight® Couples Retreats are available to couples throughout the United States.

Have a Safety Plan

Safety First

By Mark Beck • April 1, 2025
A local factory required all of its employees to attend a safety class. One fellow didn’t really pay attention and when the final exam at the end of the class asked, “In case of a fire, what steps would you take?” the fellow answered, “Large ones!” “Safety First” is a wise strategy, everywhere from the workplace to the highway to healthcare to childcare. Injuries and accidents cost multiplied billions every year and it’s always better to prevent an accident than to treat one. Whatever the setting, people do better when they feel safe.

Curious or Critical

By Mark Beck • March 14, 2025
Somebody said, “Marriage is a never ending conversation.” I think that’s true. It certainly is a never ending education. That’s part of what makes it fun. Everyday I learn something about my wife, Debbie, about how she sees the world and sees me. And I’m often surprised at our different perspectives. We were on the verge of an argument the other day, simply because we both saw the situation very differently. Neither of us were wrong. But, once I realized how Debbie saw things, I understood her actions and reactions much better. And I realized again that a real key to connection lies in understanding, more than being understood. The late Sue Johnson used to say, “People calm down when they feel understood.” I’ve certainly found that to be true.

Love Is a Team Sport

By Mark Beck • January 29, 2025
If you’re a sports fan (specifically, football) this is your favorite time of year. The NFL playoffs showcase the best of the best and even for the non-fanatics out there, some important truths are evident. Football, like many other sports, is a team game. For sure, individual superstars shine, but only because those around them pull together for a common goal. The best teams operate as one. Eleven players, all on the same page: focused, supportive, picking each other up, pursuing the same goal. When they do, they become more than the sum of their parts…highly efficient. They minimize mistakes and overcome them when they happen. When adversity hits, lesser teams slip into fault finding, sniping and looking out for number one. In any sport, if teammates ever become opponents, they can’t win. It’s game over.

Relationship Rescue

By Mark Beck • January 24, 2025
You might remember the cruise ship Costa Concordia that foundered off the coast of Italy in 2012 after her captain carelessly steered her too close to shore. Rocks tore a 175 foot gash in her hull and the ship listed severely to her starboard side, taking on water and running aground. Ultimately, 32 people died and the recovery cost about $2 billion. Perhaps the greatest blunder though, was that the captain waited over an hour to give the order to abandon ship. For such negligence, he was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years. Indeed, he left the ship with 300 passengers still on board! (He said he “fell” into a lifeboat as it was being lowered.)

Help Is Nearby

By Mark Beck • January 17, 2025
I had a close call today. I was almost duped by a very slick hacker. He posed as a security guy from PayPal and I nearly gave him remote access to my computer. (I know, that sounds pretty stupid on my part.) Fortunately for me, when things smelled fishy, I tapped out before any real damage was done. But, I didn’t know what to do from there. I unplugged my PC and called an expert. He knew just what to do and he got me up and running in no time. What a relief! It cost me a few bucks, but most likely saved me a lot more. Computers are a necessary evil in my life. I can’t even imagine managing my home or my business without one. But, they can sure be troublesome. And a cyber wizard, I am not. That’s my problem. I know just enough to be dangerous. It sure eases my mind that help is available when I need it. Because some things I can’t fix. That doesn’t make me stupid…it’s just not my expertise.

Comfort Isn't Always Comfortable

By Mark Beck • January 10, 2025
Intimate relationships are never easy and too many don’t survive. Courtrooms and counselors’ offices are full of couples who didn’t set out to destroy their love; it just looks as if they did. Maybe you’re one of those couples…trying to figure out how you went from newlywed to nearly dead...and you never saw it coming...or you did and you didn't know how to stop it.
A Hold Me Tight couples retreat in Orlando is a great way to ring in the new year

Happy New Year

By Mark Beck • January 2, 2025
A Hold Me Tight couples retreat in Orlando is a great new years resolution

When You Hit Turbulence

By Mark Beck • December 16, 2024
Now and then, I travel by air. I enjoy it, for the most part. But, on one trip, seemingly out of nowhere, the plane hit heavy turbulence. Suddenly, the cabin was shuttering and shaking. I looked outside; the wings were visibly bouncing up and down as the plane lurched and pitched. I tried to hide my fear, but (pardon the pun) it really shook me up. My stomach tightened; my breathing got shallow. I couldn’t think straight. Having such little experience with something like that, I feared we would crash. But, then, I noticed the flight attendants. They were cool as the backside of a pillow…no panic or alarm. I wondered how they could be so calm. Soon the pilot came over the intercom and in a steady, measured voice, explained that turbulence is normal, the plane was built for much, much worse and it would all subside in a few moments. The crew had been through this many times. They understood what was happening and what to do. I was so glad that somebody did! Their calm was contagious. Gradually, I was able to relax and realized that it wasn’t the crisis I had feared it was. That was a game changer. I got through it and now, turbulence isn’t the problem it used to be for me when I fly. It still happens, but I know what it’s about when it does and that gets me through. .

In Person Or Online?

By Mark Beck • December 2, 2024
Vicki and I will start something new in March of 2025. We have been leading in person Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreats at least four times a year for six years now. No two are the same; we always see amazing results and we get more than we give every time. And, in addition to our in person workshops, we’ll also begin offering online Hold Me Tight®️ workshops next year. In person and online workshops are definitely different. Each format has its own advantages. So, what’s different about the two and what is the same and which might be best for you? I’m glad you asked.

What About Love Languages?

By Mark Beck • November 19, 2024
Dr. Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages” is one of the most popular and prolific couples self-help books in history. Since its initial release in 1992, through several revisions, it has sold over 20 million copies. That’s one popular book! Perhaps you’ve read it. If not, it’s worth your time. Chapman basically contends that romantic love shows up in five ways. He calls them “languages.” In no particular order, they are: personal touch, words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service and giving gifts. The idea is that all of us have a top one or two love languages and that couples can and should know, not only their own love language, but more so, their partner’s. And the more you and your partner speak one another’s language, the more love you’ll both share.
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