For one of our guests, a dark retreat was an unusual gift from his wife. The main reason he set off into this environment was a need to clear his head and be alone somewhere new and different. He wanted to cut himself off from the outside world.
After three nights spent in the silent dark, he felt great. He felt calm and peace inside. He was rested, well slept and at ease. What made him try this darkness therapy was his heavy workload combined with his private commitments. Things kept piling up in his head and he was constantly dealing with problems. So he really welcomed being able to switch his mind off completely in such a unique setting.
Surprise and calm
Even though he didn’t know what he was getting into, he was pleasantly surprised. He had been afraid his head would keep “grinding away”. The opposite turned out to be true – his mind switched off completely. During the first half of the retreat, about a day and a half, he loved doing nothing at all. He gave in to the darkness, which made him just lie there. Surprisingly, he had no thoughts at all.
His fears of paranoia didn’t come true. He said he felt good mainly because he knew he could leave at any time, turn on the light, switch on his phone or open the door and go outside. He did none of these things; everything went calmly.
The dimension of time
Paradoxically, time flew by because he was always doing something. When he wasn’t sleeping, he was eating, showering or listening to music and audiobooks on an MP3 player. For example, he listened to the audiobook The Way of the Superior Man several times and took its ideas home with him.
Because he wasn’t in a hurry, he savoured everything. Making tea or eating takes longer so that you don’t spill or splash anything. But in this environment, the dimension of time disappears. You have no task, no meeting. Time doesn’t restrict you, and you can enjoy everything to the full. As he puts it himself: the only thing in life you can’t buy is time.
In the second half of the retreat, once he had rested, new ideas for his private projects started coming to him. That made him think that three nights might have been too few, because he had spent the first half just lying down and sleeping. He found that some of the problems that had been troubling him now seemed unimportant. Either they will sort themselves out or they won’t, and the world will keep on turning.
He understood a different dimension of time and realised that perhaps he won’t rush so much any more. This dark retreat was an extraordinary experience that he warmly recommends to everyone. He is already thinking about coming back for darkness therapy again.
We have put together the most frequently asked questions that people ask before a dark retreat.
Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about the retreats and experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔
