Is a dark retreat actually safe? That’s something almost everyone asks us on the phone when they call for the first time. And it’s a good question. Of course there are risks, as with everything in the world. Lenča and I have been guiding people through the dark since 2013, and more than three thousand people have been through here. So here’s what we’ve learned in that time. No needless scaremongering, but no sugar-coating either.
The dark itself isn’t dangerous
Nothing’s going to happen to you here, nobody’s going to bite you. The cabin is set up so that before the lights go out, you walk through it with your guide and can feel your way around everything, so you know where things are. The real risk isn’t in what’s on the wall around you. It’s in what’s going on inside you.
The main risk? Meeting yourself
When the phone, the noise and the everyday worries disappear, your brain suddenly doesn’t know what to do with all that free time. Most of the time it’s a huge relief. But now and then things start to happen. Things come to the surface that you’ve been sweeping under the carpet for years – sadness, anger, memories that nobody wants to think about. For most people, though, that’s exactly why they come to us in the first place.
But… if you’re going through a really hard time right now, it can be too much. That’s why we have a list of situations when you’d better not go into the dark, and we want to say it straight.
Who the dark really isn’t for
Don’t take this as a label. It’s just honest information that in these cases a dark retreat probably won’t help you:
- If you have acute mental health problems, severe depression or panic attacks. The dark won’t calm you down, on the contrary, it can stir things up even more.
- If you have thoughts of harming yourself or suicidal thoughts. The first step here is a doctor or therapist, not our cabin.
- A psychotic illness, or if you’ve ever experienced anything like it.
- Epilepsy and similar conditions involving seizures.
- Serious heart problems or conditions where you need regular supervision.
- If you’re ill right now, with a fever or an acute infection.
- Alcohol and drugs. Please come sober.
- Severe insomnia, or if you’re mentally completely shaken.
- Marked claustrophobia. If you’re not sure, talk it through with us, but it needs careful thought.
When to be careful, but all is not lost
Sometimes it can work, we just need to have a chat first. For example when you:
- take medication for your mental health.
- have a high-risk pregnancy.
- have a chronic illness that might need attention during the stay.
- are under 18, or on the other hand are quite advanced in years.
- have recently lost someone, split up with someone or are completely burnt out.
- know that you can’t stand being alone, silence or changes in your perception.
Write to us or call. We’ll look at it together, whether to go for it, whether to try just that one night, or whether it’s better to wait a little longer for the dark.
What might surprise you, even if you’re fit
These aren’t the classic risks, but it’s good to know about them:
- You lose track of time. You don’t know whether it’s noon or night. It’s normal, and after a few days you get used to it and even start to like it.
- You may start seeing things. Little lights, colours, shapes. Without any images, your brain simply starts painting its own.
- Strong emotions, strange dreams or memories come up. Your body sometimes reacts quite intensely.
- The first day is often restless. Body and head are getting used to the fact that they suddenly don’t have to run anywhere.
None of this means you’re doing something wrong. And if it gets to be too much, we’re here for you.
How we keep it safe
- We prepare you for the dark beforehand and talk through your health.
- During your stay we’re close by every day.
- You can pack up and leave at any time, with no need to explain yourself.
- You can start with just one night. (We write about why that’s nothing to be ashamed of here: A dark retreat for one night is nothing to be ashamed of).
- We have experience with several dark retreats lasting 49 days.
And what about you?
Safety works both ways. It helps enormously if you:
- arrive sober and not high,
- tell us the truth about what’s going on with you. Even the things that are hard to talk about.
- choose the length of your stay to suit yourself (and if you’re hesitating, go for fewer days),
- expect that it might open up some strong things.
And what about plain fear of the dark?
That’s a completely different league from the health risks. Most of the people who were afraid write to us afterwards with similar things. Ivana, for example, wrote after her stay: “In the end it was much easier than in my head. There’s nothing to be afraid of, whenever it starts to feel unpleasant, you can leave.”
And Petr had a message for those who are afraid of being alone: the best person in the world will be there with you, you yourself.
In conclusion, straight talk
We’re not a medical facility, and the dark doesn’t replace a doctor or psychotherapy. It’s a deep experience that you enter voluntarily and with your eyes open (even though you won’t see much in the dark 🙂
Having doubts about whether it’s right for you? Call us on 608 08 33 33, it’s always better to talk it through beforehand than to regret it later. You’ll find everything else on the Safety and contraindications page.
We’re looking forward to you – Tomáš and Lenča.
P.S. Do you know what the biggest risk is that we’ve noticed in thirteen years? That after a few days people sometimes don’t want to go back to the light 🙂
