When our visitors tell us about their personal experiences, we are always delighted by how original each story is. Darkness therapy gives every person a completely different experience, because everyone brings their own life story into it. Today we bring you an interview with a man who came to us without great expectations and left with unforgettable experiences.
I expected nothing and took it as a cleanse
From the start I saw the dark retreat as a way of cleansing. I told myself I’d clear out all the pipes here. I really came in with a clean slate and didn’t expect anything. The only thing that crossed my mind beforehand was whether some kind of hell would come up in the dark and whether I’d end up fighting tooth and nail in there. But I had zero expectations. I had seen a roughly three-minute video of someone who had been here for three days and talked about it knowledgeably, but I thought, that’s his thing. Everyone experiences it in their own way and it can’t be passed on, because everyone brings their own individual stories into it. I’m glad I came, thank you for the opportunity, it’s really lovely here and it was good for me.
A Christmas present that came at the right time
I first heard that something like this existed about three or four years ago. Then a few interviews with interesting people came my way, and it turned out it had been an important milestone in their lives. I thought, these are smart people, and what they’re saying makes sense. So when my family gave me part of the money for this experience for Christmas, I didn’t hesitate or think twice. It was a combination of two things: I knew about it, I was starting to be drawn to it, and the present came at the right time. But for someone who isn’t ready for it or knows nothing about it, it could also be a problem, so I’d be very careful about giving it as a present.
Magical visual illusions took me by surprise
I didn’t notice at all that I wasn’t eating, the water was good and I’m not complaining. The only thing that surprised me was the hallucinations. When it felt like floodlights were shining full into my eyes, I couldn’t sleep. I was darting around the room, stumbling about, with no idea where I was. I had visual hallucinations or illusions. It wasn’t like being on a trip, but it was magical. Halfway through the retreat a Japanese gravel path appeared in front of me with a little strip of grass beside it. I walked along it and crashed into the wall. Little lights would appear, or the light of the Dutch masters – that kind of yellow fading into darkness. I deliberately put my hand in front of it. I couldn’t see my hand, but I could see the light. I wondered how the brain puts these images together. I really didn’t expect visual hallucinations, and they were very strong.
We have put together the most frequently asked questions that people ask before a dark retreat.
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