Women, Stress and the Body: A Morning at OFFLINE Dubai
On Sunday 4 October 2026, a group of women gathered at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai for OFFLINE, a three-hour immersion in somatic movement, BreathPlay and sound. It was led by Constanze Witzel of AchievHer, somatic and BreathPlay facilitator, and Letizia Silvestri, Board-Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, sound healer and founder of Altha.
This edition had one theme: a woman’s reverence for her own body, approached through touch and breath.
Why So Many Women Override Their Own Bodies
Many women are raised to be good girls: agreeable, helpful, the one who says yes. The habit follows them into adult life as the colleague who takes on more, the mother who rests last and the friend who never cancels. Over the years, saying yes when the body means no becomes automatic.
The physician and author Gabor Maté built his book When the Body Says No around this pattern. He describes patients with chronic illness, autoimmune disease in particular, who shared a history of putting other people’s needs first, suppressing anger and finding it hard to refuse. His argument is that when a person cannot say no, the body eventually says it for them. It rests on clinical observation, it is debated, and it should never be read as blaming women for becoming ill.
Around 80 per cent of people with an autoimmune disease are women, a gap that hormones and genetics explain in large part. Stress may be one more factor: a Swedish study of more than 100,000 people linked diagnosed stress-related disorders to a higher rate of autoimmune disease later, an association and not proof of cause. What is clear is that a nervous system kept on alert for months leaves the body little room for rest and repair.
How Touch, Breath and Sound Restore the Connection
Constanze Witzel led a somatic movement flow, movement practised with attention on what the body feels from the inside, followed by BreathPlay, her breathwork practice.
As the breathwork settled, Letizia Silvestri began the Hypno-Sound Bath she had written for the theme: a guided hypnotic journey carried by singing bowls, gong, crystal alchemy bowls, ocean drum, Koshi chimes and Tibetan bowls. For about an hour, the women lay under blankets with their eyes covered, and received.
Touch and breath are the most direct ways back into the body. A hand resting on the chest and a slower exhale can calm the stress response, and sound gives attention one steady thing to follow.
Reverence in Every Detail
Altha and AchievHer build their events on one principle: mindfulness in every detail. When the theme is reverence for the body, everything that touches the body has to honour it. Each partner was chosen for that reason.
The women lay on Heveya wellness mattresses dressed in natural linen. Heveya makes its mattresses from natural organic latex, free from toxins and glues, so the surface each body rested on was natural, non-toxic and comfortable.
Before the first movement, the morning had opened with reishi from Life Within, whose mushroom extracts are triple-extracted, alcohol-free and lab-tested in the UAE. Reishi is the mushroom of rest, used for more than 2,000 years to calm the body, which made it the natural way to begin. Its counterpart, cordyceps, traditionally taken for energy, went home with each guest. The pairing speaks to women in their forties, when perimenopause can lighten sleep, lower energy and shorten patience for stress. The research on both is still early, so they are best seen as support, and anyone with a health condition should ask a doctor first.
Nourishment continued with vitamin B12 drops from Biogena, the Salzburg micronutrient house that works without colourants or preservatives, and Bioactive Collagen Jelly from Health Nag, a Dubai-born wellness brand. For the skin, and for the theme of touch, Beautillicious, the UAE home of organic, cruelty-free skincare made without harmful chemicals, gave organic body oil and scrub, a rose toner and a non-toxic sunscreen. The spa at Mandarin Oriental added its Release bath and shower oil.
How to Practise Reverence for Your Body at Home
Pause before yes. Before agreeing to a request, take one breath and notice the body’s first response.
Use touch. Rest a hand on the chest or belly for a minute and feel it move with the breath.
Lengthen the exhale. A few slow breaths with a longer out-breath help the body settle.
Receive something every day. Lie down for ten minutes with music or silence, with nothing to achieve.
Letizia Silvestri leads Hypno-Sound Bath sessions and women’s immersions for luxury hotels, retreats and events in Europe and the Middle East. Upcoming dates are listed at altha.com/events.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A. OFFLINE is a three-hour immersion that combines somatic movement, BreathPlay breathwork and a Hypno-Sound Bath. It is led by Constanze Witzel of AchievHer and Letizia Silvestri of Altha, and has been held at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai.
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A. Good girl conditioning, sometimes called good girl syndrome, describes a learned pattern of putting other people’s needs first, avoiding conflict and finding it hard to say no. It is not a medical diagnosis. It is a habit, and it can be changed.
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A. Large studies have found an association between diagnosed stress-related disorders and later autoimmune disease, but they do not prove that stress causes it. Hormones and genetics play a major role. Anyone with symptoms or a diagnosis should follow the advice of their doctor.
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A. Reishi is traditionally used for calm and sleep, and cordyceps for energy, which are common concerns in perimenopause. Small studies point to benefits for fatigue and physical performance, but neither mushroom has been properly tested in perimenopausal or menopausal women. Speak to a doctor before taking them, especially with an autoimmune condition, during pregnancy or alongside medication.
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A. Altha has hosted events at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira in Dubai and Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, and Letizia Silvestri now also leads sessions across Europe. Upcoming dates and locations are listed at altha.com/events.
