Courageous Intimacy
An Invitation to a Couples Intensive 

8/20 through 8/23 2026


Courageous Intimacy

A Couples Intensive at Story Ranch



A small-group, trauma-informed retreat for couples seeking to repair trust, restore emotional safety, and deepen intimacy. Through guided relational practice grounded in attachment theory, parts work, nervous system regulation, and mindful embodied connection, you will learn how to co-regulate, rebuild after rupture, and create a foundation for authentic, connective intimacy.

Courageous Intimacy Retreat

A Natural Setting, Nourishing Food, Private and Safe Community of Couples

Guided Through a Supportive Process to Repair Rupture and Build a Foundation for Intimacy

Who This Intensive Is For


This intensive is for couples navigating intimacy disruption, relational disconnection, betrayal, or loss of trust, including those working through recovery from compulsive relational or sexual behaviors. It is for partners who struggle to co-regulate and find themselves caught in cycles of reactivity or shutdown. It is designed for couples who are ready to move out of rupture and begin rebuilding a renewed foundation of connective intimacy, grounded in presence, accountability, and authentic connection.

Location: Story Ranch, Las Vegas, New Mexico


Dates: August 20–23, 2026

Arrival: Thursday, August 20 at 2:00 PM

Closing: Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 PM

Courageous Intimacy is a four-day relational intensive for couples seeking to repair trust, deepen communication, and restore intimacy after disruption or disconnection.


Set within the quiet landscape of Story Ranch in Las Vegas, New Mexico, this small-group experience (limited to 12 couples) offers a carefully guided, trauma-informed process grounded in Attachment Theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic nervous system regulation, and tantric principles of presence, breath, and embodied awareness. Together, couples learn to recognize patterns of reactivity and withdrawal, strengthen co-regulation, and develop clear, respectful boundaries that allow both differentiation and authentic connection.


Through experiential exercises, mindful dialogue, and supported relational practice, partners are invited to move beyond cycles of defense or avoidance and into moments of honest contact, repair, and mutual presence. The work emphasizes slowing down, rebuilding emotional safety, and creating a foundation for renewed relational and sexual intimacy through mindful, non-performance-based connection.


The heart of this intensive is not only repair, but transformation — supporting couples in moving from pain and rupture toward a grounded, living experience of connective intimacy.



Mark Pugsley, PhD, LCSW, CSAT


Mark Pugsley is a licensed psychotherapist with over 30 years of clinical experience working with individuals and couples navigating relationship crisis, intimacy disruption, and recovery from betrayal and compulsive sexual behavior. His work integrates Attachment Theory, Gestalt relational practice, Internal Family Systems (IFS parts work), and mindfulness-based approaches to support partners in rebuilding trust, emotional safety, and authentic connection.

Cindy McLeod brings over 45 years of experience supporting individuals, couples, and families as an educator, administrator, child and family counselor, and grief counselor. She now works as a couples’ facilitator and personal life coach, offering a somatically informed, trauma-aware approach that blends nervous system regulation, relational awareness, and embodied healing practices. Cindy helps individuals explore the connections between body, emotion, and relationship patterns, emphasizing safety, deep listening, and compassionate presence. Her work supports processing grief, strengthening resilience, and cultivating authentic connection and meaningful change.


Cindy lives on a sustainable farm with her husband of 36 years, their daughter, and two-year-old granddaughter. For more than three decades, their land has been a sanctuary for healing, hosting retreats, workshops, and immersive experiences that nurture growth, restoration, and community.