Christopher Shaw, LCSW-S CSAT-S RYT
Founder & Lead Facilitator
Christopher Shaw is the founder of Merkaba Retreats and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Supervisor and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Supervisor with over 18 years of experience in trauma, addiction, and behavioral change.
He works with individuals, couples, and high-performing clients who are navigating complex personal, relational, and identity-level challenges.
The Work
Merkaba Retreats are not workshops or passive self-improvement programs. They are structured, guided experiences designed to help you step out of patterns that are no longer working — and create real change.
Christopher works with individuals, couples, and groups who are ready to address what is happening in their life directly.
This includes:
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major life or identity transitions
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relational challenges or difficult conversations
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periods of instability, stress, or internal conflict
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a desire for deeper alignment grounded in real life
His role is not to give surface-level advice or temporary relief. It is to:
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identify patterns in real time
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challenge what is not working
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guide participants through difficult but necessary conversations
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support clear, actionable change
This is active, engaged work — not observation.
And it is designed to continue impacting your life long after the immersion ends.
Approach & Orientation
Christopher’s facilitation integrates:
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somatic awareness and nervous system regulation
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depth-oriented psychological work
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structured, intentional use of environment and process
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direct, honest relational feedback
He works deliberately and with attention to pacing and integration.
Silence, rest, and presence are used intentionally — not as passive elements, but as part of how change stabilizes and becomes sustainable.
Participants are not pushed to perform or force outcomes.
They are guided to slow down, see clearly, and respond differently — allowing change to emerge in a way that can actually hold.
Experience & Lineage
Christopher brings almost two decades of experience supporting individuals and communities through meaningful change.
In addition to his clinical background, Christopher has trained extensively in the facilitation of ceremonial work with plant & earth medicines.
His training includes direct study with experienced facilitators and elders in Mexico, as well as formal education in preparation, safety, and integration.
His approach to this work is grounded, intentional, and responsibility-driven — with a strong emphasis on participant safety, psychological readiness, and post-experience integration.
Over time, Christopher integrated this work with his clinical and experiential background, leading to the development of Merkaba Retreats.
Christopher now works between the United States and Mexico, where immersions are held in carefully selected environments designed to support focus, privacy, and integration.