ABOUT RACHEL’S VINEYARD
Rachel’s Vineyard: Healing the Pain of AbortionTM is the world’s largest ministry for healing after abortion. In 1985, Dr. Theresa Burke started one of the first therapeutic support groups to help people recover from the emotional and spiritual aftermath of abortion. She began with free support groups for women whose emotional trauma had been ignored by family members, boyfriends, abortion providers, and the mental health community. When she realized that talking about abortion’s deep wounds was not enough, Dr. Burke blended counseling techniques with group therapy discussions, Living Scripture meditations, and somatic exercises to help them grieve the loss of their aborted children. Originally, these groups were held in 15-week sessions; by 1995, Dr. Burke adapted them into a weekend retreat format.
These weekends provide an opportunity to get away from daily pressures to focus on the buried emotions of the past and begin healing in a safe, supportive, nonjudgmental, and confidential environment. During the weekend, participants are invited to speak their truth, identify the ways that the loss has impacted their lives and relationships, and acknowledge any unresolved feelings that are common after abortion.
This program helps people who are trying to fit the normal experience of grief into a world that would rather they feel numb and disconnected—and keep a safe distance from the truth. Rachel’s VineyardTM fosters the renewal of the soul and the awareness of one’s dignity in body and faith, instead of being squashed by denial, avoidance, and rhetoric.
We provide a compassionate setting to explore the fabric of our lives and the innermost depths of our souls. Supported through bereavement and grief, we lay a candle-lit path to discover forgiveness, self-compassion, and reconciliation.
Rachel’s VineyardTM is for those who instinctively sense that life is a gift, a precious seed that has been given to us for cultivation. We acknowledge the loss of that irreplaceable life and the grief that comes from having relinquished one so intimately connected to us.
Mourning and grieving are necessary milestones that must be passed through, so our lives may continue in peace and freedom. When this process is complete, there is new life within our spirit that gives us hope for the future.
Married couples, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and siblings of aborted children, as well as persons who have been involved in the abortion industry, have come to Rachel’s VineyardTM retreats and have found comfort and inner healing.
Our trauma-sensitive weekends are offered in both Catholic and interdenominational formats. Both have been called “a therapy for the soul.”
Contact Us
If you or someone you love is suffering from the loss of a pregnancy, you can begin the process of renewal and healing. Call our hotline for immediate assistance: (877) Hope4Me (877-467-3463). If you would like to attend a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat, see which retreats are close to you. If you would like to sponsor a participant, learn more about this program, or bring Rachel’s Vineyard to your area, contact us. We keep all your information in complete confidence.