Dr. M.P. Wylie’s Amore Retreat has been a part of Idyllwild’s
therapeutic tourism community for 11 years now. Amore’s website calls
their couple’s retreats “A journey of renewed connection and lasting
intimacy.’ The Crier spoke with Dr Wylie about her innovative approach
to couples therapy this week.
Wylie works out of a spacious yet cozy home office, and only sees one
couple at a time. ““The original home living room is my office and where
I hold the retreats. It has its own entrance, deck, and rock fireplace,
and is a very warm and welcoming environment; with the original knotty
pine walls and ceiling and wood flooring.”
The retreats last five days, with daily three-hour sessions in which she
“guides them through some of the challenges in the relationship. We
usually cover four or five personal challenges; each gets to pick two
things they would like to discuss and work on.” Mixing vacation and
inner work and removed from the routine and stress of daily life,
couples reconnect and find their path forward. “It’s so rewarding to see
them transform before my very eyes.”
To compete the retreat experience, Wylie partners with local businesses.
“I have an Idyllwild page on my website, they pick from lodging I have
listed.” Amore has partnered with two local inns, The Creekstone and the
Grand Idyllwild Lodge, with other options on the list. The site also
lists local restaurants with an emphasis on the romantic. “I am so
delighted that I live here in beautiful Idyllwild, and the couples find
it delightful too. The restaurants, they go to , they say ‘that was the
best meal I’ve ever had.’ Some have done a lot of traveling, and say
this is one of their favorite places.”
Dr. Wylie shared a bit of her own back story. She has a double Master’s
Degree in Counseling and Healing Resources, and when she finished her
PhD in Psychology in 1999, she moved from Phoenix to Southern
California. In Orange County, she started a nonprofit organization that
provided workshops, seminars and sessions for couples, funded by federal
grants.
She moved to Idyllwild in 2013, a few years after her first visit. “I
came to Spirit Mountain for a personal, private retreat, for a couple of
days. Before I left, my inner voice said, ‘Someday you’re going to live
here and provide marriage retreats.’ I needed to figure how that would
work or look. It sort of unfolded in the process, day to day, week to
week, month to month.” Wylie added a note of gratitude for her husband
Jim Billman and how “extraordinarily supportive Jim is in the retreat
work I do and how very helpful he is in assisting in setting up for each
retreat.”
Amoreretreat.com. The website includes a blog.