A digital detox that gave me back my appetite for food and for life
For many of us, stopping in today’s rushed world is an almost superhuman task. Constant distractions, pinging notifications and an endless list of work duties keep us permanently on edge. So one participant decided to take a radical step and chose a dark retreat as a way to finally switch off from the world outside. He came to it fairly quickly – a friend gave him a voucher that the friend hadn’t used. Originally the idea was that his girlfriend would use it, but for some reason she couldn’t go in the end. As the voucher had limited validity and a window opened up to switch off, he ended up diving in head first himself.
A switched-off phone as the biggest victory
The main goal of this darkness therapy was a total digital detox. In today’s world we are surrounded by too many stimuli that distract us from ourselves. The participant was rightly proud that he kept his mobile phone switched off beside him the whole time and never once felt the need to turn it on. Thanks to that, he could finally stop thinking about what needed doing at work or what he would have for dinner. Instead, his mind turned to much deeper things that we simply overlook in the ordinary merry-go-round of everyday life.
When food becomes your only dose of dopamine
The absence of sight brings fascinating changes in how you perceive with your other senses. In the dark you lose track of time, so the only fixed point in the day becomes food. In seclusion, it works as the main dose of dopamine, and you look forward to it incredibly. Eating itself is fascinating too – when you can’t see your plate, you experience the food only through taste and smell.
The experience showed that the darkness can even change long-standing eating habits:
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Food tastes fantastic, even when you don’t know exactly what you’re eating.
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You even savour things you normally “can’t stand”, which in this case was kale.
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Your senses sharpen and you focus on every mouthful.
Physical and mental rest in absolute calm
Although his sleep over the three days was broken up into shorter stretches, both body and mind got a rest. Darkness therapy allowed the participant to work through topics that we can’t get hold of from week to week, because we don’t know how to stop. Even everyday tasks such as brushing teeth, showering or using the toilet went surprisingly smoothly and without any trouble.
After three days there was a sense of being rested, but at the same time came the realisation that it could have done with at least one more day. So the next milestone will probably be a whole week straight away, because only a longer dark retreat allows an even deeper dive into your own inner world. For the participant, the experience was clearly beneficial and confirmed that the darkness is a powerful tool for helping modern people recover.
Would you like to try what it’s like when the world disappears completely for a few days and it’s just you and your thoughts? You might find that even kale tastes great when you eat it in complete silence and calm.
We have put together the frequently asked questions that people ask before a dark retreat.
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