What Can I Expect?


Feedback From our Recent Retreat

Having just completed another Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat, I want to pass on some of the feedback that we received from our participants…and answer some of the questions that people often ask before signing up, especially if a relationship workshop is uncharted water. It takes a measure of courage to try anything for the first time, but nothing ventured is certainly nothing gained. 


So many couples are stuck in ruts: ruts of mediocrity or, worse, ruts of unending disconnection and distance. They want to be closer, but just don’t know what to do. So they do what they’ve always done and get what they’ve always gotten. And little by little, hope fades. 


It doesn’t have to be that way.



Results Can Be Amazing

Time and time again, couples leave a Hold Me Tight®️ retreat better connected than ever before. When asked to sum up the experience, one of our couples just this week said, “This workshop is seeing for the blind and hearing for the deaf.” That’s pretty exciting, especially for couples who say that they were about to give up on their relationship. Another of our couples said, “These two days were like buying the wedding ring again.”


Let me be clear, no retreat works miracles. We don’t do rebuilds in two days. But we do help couples make sense of conflict and hurts that so often make no sense. And we give couples a map, a path forward and the hope and confidence that they walk that path together. What we all really need of love is to know that we aren’t alone, that our partner values us and supports us. We can endure what life throws at us as long as we turn toward one another and go together. Hold Me Tight®️ will show you how.


Questions for Those Who've Never Attended

First of all, many people wonder, “What goes on at one of these retreats?” Good question. Hold Me Tight®️ is not therapy. Your two co-leaders (Vicki and Mark) are licensed therapists with years of experience (so, you’re in good hands) but this retreat is not therapy. It’s a learning experience with other couples. Over two days together, we alternate between learning and doing. We learn in small bites some of what attachment science has taught us. Hold Me Tight®️ is rooted in years of solid research. Then we break out in private spaces and couples have guided conversations together with each other. Each conversation builds on the one before. 


But, you go at your own pace. You don’t earn a grade or a certificate. You don’t have to pass a test at the end. There is no “pass/fail.” It’s just time in a safe place with your partner, connecting in ways you may never have before.


Hold Me Tight®️ is a group experience. Thus, it’s very different from just reading a book with your partner or taking a course online. You will be with other couples and, while no two couples are the same, you will learn how very much you have in common with others. Couples in distress often think that no couple could be as stuck or hopeless as they are. You’ll be surprised and comforted to see you aren’t alone. We have time for discussion and questions and often, friendships form in just two days. But no one is ever put on the spot or singled out. No one will ask you to “air your dirty laundry.” You share as much or as little as you please. More than anything, Job 1 for Vicki and Mark is to make Hold Me Tight®️ a safe place for every couple that attends.

Don't Miss This Chance

All in all, Hold Me Tight®️ is a gift that keeps on giving. Couples literally from all walks of life have attended our Hold Me Tight®️ retreat in Orlando. Every one of them has survived! And most go home knowing that they changed over two days, sometimes profoundly and permanently. But don’t take my word for it. Do the homework; ask your questions. Check out the details on this site and others and then, take the plunge! Sign up for our next retreat in Orlando. You’ll be glad you did!



Have a Safety Plan

We All Need Predictability

By Mark Beck • April 25, 2025
If you are invested in the stock market, it’s been a roller coaster lately. Indeed, perhaps the best short run strategy is to close your eyes and hold on and ride it out—just like on a roller coaster! However you view the market moves we’re seeing—tariffs and the like—one thing is pretty clear: markets don’t like unpredictability. Uncertainty makes markets very nervous. Hence, lots of ups and downs make for tension and trouble. It’s human nature; unpredictability is stressful in any context.

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.
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