I let go of everything that’s outside

Stopping in today’s hectic world and giving yourself time just for you takes courage and clear priorities. Here is a first-hand account from someone who regularly steps out of the conventional cycle of everyday life to recharge and get clear about important steps in his life. Read how an experience like this changes the way you see everyday reality, and why he keeps coming back to it.

My inner journey at the end of March

I feel great, rested and relaxed. That’s how I’d put it, simply, because I just feel really good. This was actually my third week in the dark. Every two years, around the end of March, I go into the dark for a week. It’s not something I’m afraid of; if anything, I find great joy in it. For me, darkness therapy means a wonderful break from the established rhythm and the conventional cycle that all of us live in one way or another. I see it as a very useful and worthwhile change. From a conventional point of view it may seem odd that someone would choose to spend their holiday in the dark for a week, but it’s a question of priorities, of how we want to spend our time. It’s definitely not an addiction, and it can’t be, because addictions aren’t beneficial.

Introspection and the deep things that last

You go into the dark for inner reasons. It’s an inner, introspective journey, so you don’t need to talk about it much beforehand with everyone around you. I only tell people who’ll understand it. I see a dark retreat as part of a wider journey, a kind of development that changes your approach to life. When you go back to your usual routine, the most intense benefits slowly fade, and the sensory deprivation evens out within a few days. But what matters stays. In the dark you can realise a great many things. If you approach it in a self-reflective way, the long-term benefit is lasting. The deeper things stay with you and become an integral part of your path, whatever it may be. These are things you simply have to live through yourself.

Set your worries aside before the lights go out

Every experience is individual; everyone goes into it with something different and with different patterns or karma. So never compare yourself with the people around you, which is a good approach to life in general. From my own experience I can only recommend it. If you have any worries, I’d suggest setting them aside at the latest before you switch off the light in the cabin. Try not to carry too many things from outside around in your mind, and try to let go of everything. I have a ritual before the lights go out, where I consciously tell myself that I’m letting go of everything that’s outside, including the things we don’t like letting go of. You’ll see that it all carries on without us, and carries on just fine. Then you come back, hear birdsong on a beautiful day and know that the world is wonderful, just as the darkness was wonderful. There’s no reason to be afraid.