Brett Cotter, author of 3 Keys to Managing PTSD: The Warrior’s Guide and founder of Stress Is Gone, will lead a Trauma Recovery Retreat from May 29 to June 3 at The Omega Institute, in Rhinebeck. Participants will learn to overcome stress, anxiety, and the pain from traumatic memories, including pandemic-related PTSD, and to improve their confidence, emotional balance, mental clarity, and realignment with purpose.

Certified by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, Cotter helps people heal traumatic memories and overcome anxiety through classes, coaching and guided meditation. He has taught his signature method in Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, schools, nonprofits, military bases and disaster sites.

“I have 20 years of hands-on experience helping individuals and families break free from the grips of their pain,” Cotter says. “My work transforms stressful family dynamics and helps create happy, loving homes.”

Veronica Domingo, assistant director of programs at the Omega Institute, says previous participants in Cotter’s retreats have called the experience “profound and amazing,” adding that “it went beyond their expectations.”

“I could see an obvious shift in each of the participants,” she says. “It’s teachers like Brett Cotter who truly remind me why I’m still at Omega after 18 years.”

Retired Colonel Mikel Burroughs, of Warriors For Life / Victory For Veterans, says Cotter is “an amazing healer” with a gift for working with veterans and first responders and leading them through guided meditations.

Antwan Martin, an army veteran who attended one of Cotter’s retreats, admits to being surprised by its immediate effectiveness. “I was shocked at how quickly he began bringing out of us what was really hurting. I’ve never met anyone who listens to pain as well as he does, and reflects back such empathy. The most critical part of the retreat for me was my one-on-one session with Brett. He mirrored my grief, acknowledged my frustration, guided me back to my good pure heart, and helped me stand tall and proud again.”