Have you ever tried switching off the world around you completely for a few days and staying just with yourself? Maybe it tempts you, but at the same time you’re a little worried about what will happen in that silence. That’s exactly how one brave participant of ours felt when he decided to find out what darkness therapy would do to him. Although at the very beginning he felt a real chaos in his head , this dark retreat ultimately helped him find absolute inner peace. By the second day all his thoughts had fallen beautifully into place and he found that darkness is not an enemy but a space for perfect rest.
How my sons got me into the dark
It was my sons who got me into the dark, because they gave me a dark retreat as a birthday present. We were talking about it together once and I just casually mentioned that it interested me and that it might be good. And suddenly, bang, I had it in my pocket. I was really looking forward to coming here, even though at first I couldn’t picture it at all. In the last week before I came I couldn’t even sleep properly, I was so full of anticipation. I’d known before that something like this existed, but I hadn’t taken much interest in it. But as soon as I got the present, it gripped me straight away; I started watching YouTube and searching the internet and ordered everything right away.
Good God, what am I going to do here for three days?
That’s a good question, what you actually do in there. I have to admit that my very first thought, when I switched off the light and sat down there for the first time, was: “Good God, what am I going to do here for three days?”. The feeling when you switch off the light is terribly strange. At first I couldn’t think about anything specific and all I felt in my head was that chaos. But I have to say that in the end the time flew by incredibly fast and it was simply amazing. Only on the second day did I start to notice how beautifully my thoughts had settled and I was finally able to concentrate on things from the past that I wanted to think over in peace. Now I feel great and, above all, rested. I have the feeling that everything in my head has settled into its proper place.
When the brain starts to see even in the dark
The most interesting thing about the darkness is how endless it is, and at the same time how kind and beautiful. It’s definitely not scary, and there’s nothing you need to be afraid of. It’s simply a strange and interesting feeling. If you think you won’t see anything in the dark, you’re in for a surprise. I saw plenty of things and it was really nice and pleasant. It’s amazing to watch, right there in the dark, how your brain works.
For instance, I was lying there looking at the wall right in front of my nose. I could see beautifully how it was plastered, even though I knew that inside this room there’s wood. That alone might have made me suspicious, but the image was unbelievably real. When I touched the wall, I couldn’t see my hand, because the wall was simply something my brain had filled in. It knows the wall is supposed to be there, so it just shows it to you. Definitely don’t be afraid, go for it, because that calm and the settling of your thoughts is worth experiencing.
We’ve put together the most frequently asked questions that clients ask themselves before a dark retreat.
Follow our YouTube channel too, where you’ll find videos about the retreats and people’s experiences with darkness therapy. 🔔
