ELEVATE YOUR EMDR PRACTICE IN MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND PARADISE
Advanced 5 day EMDR workshop from Sandi Richman and Sanja Oakley
Who are Sandi & Sanja?
Trained by Dr Francine Shapiro (EMDR’s founder), Clinical Psychologist Sandi Richman is probably the UK’s most experienced and senior EMDR trainer. Over the past 25 years she has run EMDR trainings in the UK and multiple other countries, teaching EMDR practice to over 9,000 psychotherapists.
Sanja Oakley is one of the UK’s/Europe’s leading EMDR consultants and facilitators. She demonstrated EMDR on Oprah Winfrey’s/Apple TV’s ‘The Me you Can’t See’ documentary in 2021 and has since been described as ‘World renowned’ by Vogue magazine. Sanja is especially known for her empowering approach to teaching colleagues how to use EMDR for faster results.
Why the Croatian island of Iž?
Sanja grew up in Croatia and, while she now lives in London, she remains deeply attached to her homeland. Sanja and Sandi chose the secluded, untouched, island of Iž for this event: A Mediterranean paradise with over 200 days of sunshine per year and a population of less than 600. Surrounded by calm, crystal-clear deep-blue waters, the island is covered in lush pine forest, olive trees, vines and citrus trees.
Tranquil and clutter-free, it’s perfect for psychotherapeutic reflection and relaxation.
Early October is the best time to visit: The scorching summer heat has gone and daytime temperatures are 22-24C. More importantly, the deep blue, crystal clear Adriatic sea, having been heated up all summer, reaches 21-23C - perfect for swimming, snorkelling & diving!
Iž island is 55 mins by ferry from Zadar, Croatia’s fifth largest city. Zadar itself is a captivating, 3,000-year-old coastal Mediterranean metropolis known for its rich Roman and Venetian history and a charming old town.
Iž
Zadar
What about the hotel, rooms & food?
Sandi & Sanja’s retreat will be held in the Hotel Korinjak, located in Iž’s small, principal, village called Veli Iž. Veli Iž has a handful of restaurants, 2 cafe bars, 1 food shop, a bakery and a small fish market.
The Hotel Korinjak is an eco-sanctuary, minimalist, vegetarian hotel set right on the sea front. Korinjak has been deliberately designed to operate in harmony with the island: “A sanctuary for the soul” it calls itself - sustainable and eco-conscious. It is also the first Adriatic Hotel to specialise in group self-development and training workshops.
All participant rooms are double, with private bathroom, balcony, a/c and sea view.
To reduce distractions, the hotel pursues a policy of digital minimalism: There is no internet in the bedrooms, only in the common & workshop areas and the restaurant (guests can, of course, access the internet on their mobile phone networks wherever they are).
Hotel Korinjak food is vegetarian (free of meat, fish & eggs). The workshop fee includes breakfast and dinner, served buffet style. Raw and gluten-friendly options are also available. In case of other allergies or special dietary requirements, the hotel can prepare separate meals (upon request).
Workshop Agenda and Approach to Teaching
This immersive workshop will run for 5 days/nights 1–6 October 2026. It will include a combination of a) formal teaching, b) demonstration and c) experience of receiving and practicing EMDR therapy.
Sandi
Sanja
​The teaching element will include brushing up on your EMDR skills, covering how to expand the use of EMDR therapy with a wider client group, with varied symptomatology. Teaching will be very much designed around participants’ individual needs and interests.
The demonstration element will include at least three sessions of EMDR therapy conducted by Sandi Richman with workshop participant volunteers; it will be followed by feedback and consultation with the group as a whole.
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The experiential element of the workshop (c) will involve participants working in pairs to provide EMDR therapy to each other, supported/supervised by Sandi and Sanja.
Extra-curricular activities?
Beyond the workshop, participants will be encouraged to relax, reflect and enjoy the island; to socialise with each other and Sandi & Sanja, and to participate in organised extra-curricular activities. To unwind and forget the stress of everyday life!
Extra-curricular activities include yoga, meditation, sound bath, Ayurvedic therapy, swimming, organised walks, massage, Shiatsu,
Most activities are included in the price: A few, however, like boat trips to nearby islands (€10-30), Gong bath (€10pp/hr) and Ayurvedic therapy, will be extra.
evening animation (some form of art therapy, such as singing, dancing, or painting) and a boat trip to a nearby island.
A typical day looks as follows:
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Morning yoga & meditation: 7–8:30 AM
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Breakfast: 8:00–9.00 AM
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Workshop: 9.00-1.00 PM
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Lunch: 1:00–2:00 PM
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Gong/Sound bath: 2–3:00 PM
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Free time: 3.00-5.00pm
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Dinner: 6:30–8:00 PM
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Animation/social activities: 8-10.00pm
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Professional Accreditation
Excluding all breaks and informal elements, the workshop will total over 22 hours and has been awarded 18 CPD points (the maximum allowance for a workshop) by the UK EMDR Association. ​
For participants, the event is fully chargeable as a professional development cost (against your tax liability).
18 CPD Points
Pricing & # of Places
Sandi and Sanja have deliberately restricted spaces to 24. This creates a more intimate, personalised workshop, allowing participants to spend more time interacting with their trainers and socialising with each other.
To attend, you must have completed EMDR UK's/Europe's Standard 7/8 day training.
Book by 30 April and get a 15% discount with our £2,500 pp Early Bird price. This cost includes all EMDR training, accommodation, food (excluding lunch), ferry to/from Zadar and most extra-curricular activities. Flights to and from Zadar/Croatia are not included.
Payment should be made with a 40% deposit, with the remainder due 2 months before the event.
Logistics
If you have any queries before booking, please email adriaticemdr@gmail.com
You must be @ Zadar Ferry Port by 10.30 Thursday 1/10/26, where we’ll meet and take you to Iž to begin the program. Participants need to book their own flights. Zadar is connected to London by daily, direct, inbound & outbound flights: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Our schedule has been designed around the Wed 30/9 evening Ryanair direct inbound flight (you will need to stay In Zadar overnight), returning to London on Ryanair’s Tuesday 6/10 outbound flight.
Participants can also fly in/out of nearby Split (1.5hrs from Zadar by car or bus). Split, Croatia’s 2nd largest city, offers more frequent flights to additional destinations. The city is especially famous for its sea front centre: built in and around the world’s only remaining actively inhabited Roman palace (1,700 yrs old). Split is also famous for its culture, nightlife and gastronomy.
Both Zadar and/or Split are great bases from which to explore Croatia before/after the workshop, If you would like to use this workshop as an opportunity to explore Croatia and seek planning advice, we are happy to help: once booked, please email us at the above address.
Split
Zadar
