Category: Participants’ experiences

When you spend several days in complete darkness, you may come back with feelings you would struggle to find in everyday life. One participant who did a three-night dark retreat described feeling truly rested. He stressed that he had not slept so peacefully and deeply for a long time. Sleeping in silence, with no disturbances, allowed him to recover his strength in a way he never does in the usual rhythm of the day.

He did not expect any great shock on coming back into the light, and indeed there was none. He said he did not feel like a completely different person, but rather like someone who had treated himself to the luxury of real calm. Darkness therapy gave him the chance to stop and let everything around him be for a while. In the silence and the dark, your own thoughts and questions come to the surface – the ones that are so often drowned out by noise in the everyday world.

What he said about the worries he had before entering the cabin was also very interesting. He had imagined the darkness almost as a “bogeyman”. But once the first few hours had passed and nothing had happened, he felt there was nothing to be afraid of. He even added that we all carry our real “bogeymen” inside us, and that meeting them may be the most valuable thing a dark retreat brings.

He summed up the whole experience by saying that what he had been through first needs to settle. Even so, he already knows he would like to come back to the dark. Darkness therapy showed him how much he needs to slow down and give himself space. Sleep, rest, meeting his own fears – all of it became an important experience for him, one he would recommend to others looking for inner balance.

Want to find out more about the guides through the dark?

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about retreats and experiences with darkness therapy. 🔔

🌌 For many people, the first encounter with light after several days in total darkness is one of the most powerful moments of the whole experience. That is how it was for a woman who decided to try darkness therapy. The moment the alarm rang and she opened the door to the outside, a wave of joy and surprise washed over her. Her eyes were only just getting used to the brightness, the lights flickered and for a while she couldn’t focus, yet she described the moment as immensely beautiful and profound.

A walk round the garden shortly after the dark retreat ended was an even more intense experience for her. She sensed everything around her gradually coming to life with sound, and calm arriving with every step. She said she felt as if she were discovering the world all over again – every detail struck her more strongly than she would ever have expected.

Her journey into the dark began with a slight tension. She said herself that she was not afraid for her life, but felt more of a pleasant excitement about the unknown. She compared it to an expedition somewhere you have never been before. She believed that next time she would know what to expect and would enjoy it even more calmly.

She saw the whole experience as a chance to stop and come back to herself. Darkness therapy gave her a space in which everything slowed down and her senses tuned in to subtler perception. For her, the dark retreat meant not only rest but above all a path to deeper awareness and to joy in ordinary things that easily slip by in everyday life.

We have put together the most frequently asked questions that guests ask before a dark retreat.

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about our retreats and people’s experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔

When someone steps into complete darkness, they rarely suspect how powerful a process awaits them. One of our participants described how, thanks to the silence and calm, he felt an unexpected sense of regeneration after coming out. From the start he knew he was setting out on a demanding journey, but without great expectations. Gradually he found that the dark retreat brought him not only rest but also space to discover something essential – as he put it himself, he found his own secret there, the one he needed to find.

Darkness therapy often opens up topics that in everyday life there is neither time nor courage for. In his case, it turned out that seven days of seclusion offered a deeper insight into himself. There were difficult moments too. On the sixth day a crisis came, with strong tiredness and doubts. At that point meditation and listening to audiobooks helped. Although he had originally planned to spend the time only in silence, in the end he accepted this support, and thanks to it he was able to finish the retreat at full strength.

His experience shows that darkness therapy is not only about resting the body but also about working with the mind. In silence and solitude, space gradually opens up for a deeper awareness that often stays hidden in an ordinary day. The dark retreat awakened gratitude in him, and at the same time a desire to go into the process fully. He stayed until the very last day, because he felt that the final moments were bringing him the greatest reward.

A story like this confirms that everyone enters the darkness on their own and everyone takes away something different. Some look for calm and rest, others for answers to an important question in their life. Either way, a dark retreat brings the chance to stop, quieten the mind and touch an inner strength that few people notice in the daily rush.

Want to find out more about the guides through the dark?

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about retreats and experiences with darkness therapy. 🔔

🌿 One of our guests decided to treat himself to a few days of silence and calm. In his everyday life he had been through a long stretch of work rush, jumping from one obligation to the next, and he felt he needed a change. So he chose four nights in the dark – and it wasn’t his first time. This was already his third experience of darkness therapy.

✨ After the retreat he spoke about feeling rested and inwardly settled. He shared that every time he goes back into the dark, he finds something new there. This time, the retreat meant above all a chance to calm his mind and allow himself to switch off completely. Darkness therapy has become his way of stepping off the daily merry-go-round and coming back to himself.

👣 He also talked about how, in the dark, the need to deal with little things gradually fades away. In everyday life he was overwhelmed by constantly jumping between tasks, but in the silence and the dark he was learning to stay centred, at peace. He sensed subtler layers of his inner self and came to appreciate how important time spent just with yourself is.

🔥 He also mentioned that he sees the setting of his retreat as safe and supportive. For him, darkness is not an escape from reality but a return to what really matters. When, with a smile, he considered whether he would go again, his answer was clear: “Definitely yes.”

🌌 His words show that a dark retreat can be a repeated journey towards a deeper experience. Darkness therapy then becomes not a one-off experience but a gradual discovery of yourself. Each return to the dark brings new awareness, more calm and a strength that stays with you in everyday life too.

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 retreats and experiences with darkness therapy. 🔔

✨ The first moments after coming back from the dark often bring surprising feelings. One participant described feeling as if an enormous amount had happened in just a few days, while he had not yet had time to fully take it all in. He shared that it was the dark retreat itself that opened up a deeper sensitivity in him, one that lasts even after the whole process is over.

During darkness therapy his emotions changed quickly – they came and went again. In the silence and without outside stimuli, he had the chance to perceive them differently from how he was used to in everyday life. After the stay ended, he realised he had a greater ability to feel and recognise what was going on inside him. He could name more precisely the emotions that were coming up, and that brought him more calm and more space for himself.

The experience of the dark retreat also sharpened his awareness of the world around him. When he stepped outside, he described how stimuli from his surroundings felt more intense, yet at the same time he could take them in with more perspective. Things he used to pass by without noticing, he now enjoys more. He admitted that it was thanks to the darkness that he gained a new dimension of sensitivity – not only towards himself, but towards other people too.

For him, darkness therapy became a path that revealed subtler layers of experience. It opened up the possibility of working with his feelings more consciously and recognising his own reactions better. He described how before going into the dark he had not felt such depth, but after coming back he has a clearer insight into his inner self.

Every dark retreat brings unique experiences, and this one shows that darkness can be not only a rest, but also a powerful path to self-discovery.

Would you like to find out more about your guides through the dark?

You can also follow our YouTube channel, where you will find videos about dark retreats and experiences with darkness therapy. 🔔

One of the most powerful experiences people often talk about after darkness therapy concerns how the senses perceive. In an interview, one participant described how, after a while, his brain began to create its own stimuli. His nervous system adapted to the lack of light, and new impulses arose in the cerebral cortex. Images appeared that did not come from his surroundings but straight from within. He could watch how body and mind respond when they are cut off from ordinary stimulation.

An interesting moment came with the realisation that everything we usually consider reality is in fact the brain’s interpretation. The participant spoke about how the Buddhist idea of the outer world as an illusion took on a whole new meaning in the darkness. Everything the eyes normally see is only a construction, and when outside stimuli are removed, deeper layers of consciousness come to light.

The dark retreat also brought calm and space to observe his own thoughts. He noticed that at first his mind tried to fill the emptiness and looked for any stimulus at all. Gradually, though, a release came, along with the chance to rest in silence. What seemed hard at the beginning eventually turned into a liberating experience.

Another important experience was about connecting with himself. He could watch old memories surface and emotions emerge that stay hidden in everyday life. In the safe setting of the darkness, everything showed itself more clearly.

This story shows beautifully that darkness therapy is not only about rest, but above all about self-knowledge. Everyone who enters the dark discovers new ways of seeing the world and themselves. A dark retreat offers a path that can change how you have perceived reality so far and bring deep calm.

We have put together the most frequently asked questions that clients ask before a dark retreat.

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about retreats and experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔

💡 On her path towards deeper self-knowledge, a young woman discovered a way to look into her inner self from a completely new perspective. Inspired by something Jaroslav Dušek had mentioned, she decided to try something ordinary life does not readily offer – a dark retreat lasting several days.

During her darkness therapy she sensed an immense kindness in her surroundings. She was left alone with herself, free of the distractions of the outside world, and gradually began to realise that it is precisely silence and darkness that open the door to listening more deeply to your own thoughts and feelings. “In the paradox of darkness, I suddenly saw myself much more clearly,” she said of her experience.

Each day brought new insights. Thoughts that used to get lost in the everyday rush were given room. She found calm within herself, and with it the strength to keep going on her path of personal growth. She felt that it is in the dark that answers are born to questions she had long been putting off.

For her, the dark retreat meant not only slowing down but also meeting her own soul. She sensed that there is no need to search for anything outside – the most important answers come from within. The darkness became a place where you meet yourself quite naturally, without any pretence.

Darkness therapy thus offers a way to disconnect from the noise of the outside world and reconnect with your true nature. She describes the experience she took away as deeply human, kind and enriching. It opened up new ways of looking at life and reassured her that a path to inner peace really does exist.

Would you like to find out more about our guides through the dark?

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about our retreats and people’s experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔

🌙 When you find yourself in the dark and set aside all outside stimuli, something special starts to happen. One of our guests described how after a few days she felt enormous release and deep calm, and didn’t even want to go back to the everyday rush. As she put it herself, “it was worth it” – a simple sentence that perfectly captures the power of a dark retreat.

The first night wasn’t entirely easy, though. When she heard footsteps outside, she wondered whether someone was watching her. The inner tension quickly turned to laughter when she realised it was only a dog. Moments like these show how, in the dark, the mind reacts much more strongly to seemingly ordinary stimuli than in everyday life. And that is part of the transformation darkness therapy brings – you begin to notice your own feelings, fears and joys much more.

Gradually her body and mind tuned in to a new rhythm. She described feeling a pleasant tiredness and an inner balance at the same time. Time flowed differently, her thoughts slowed down and every moment took on a new depth. For her, the dark retreat wasn’t just a rest, but also a path to herself. She realised how important it is to stop and give yourself space for your inner world.

At the end she mentioned that she didn’t want to go back to reality. Many people feel this – the darkness becomes a safe space where you find the calm you so often look for in vain out in the world. So darkness therapy doesn’t only work during the retreat itself; it has lasting effects, because the inner calm and awareness stay with you after you get home.

✨ The experiences people share show that everyone experiences the darkness differently. What they have in common, though, is that a dark retreat opens the way to a deeper perception of yourself and offers a chance to tune back in to your own balance in life.

We have put together the most frequently asked questions that people ask before a dark retreat.

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you’ll find videos about dark retreats and experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔

🌑 “I didn’t really have any expectation that I’d be doing rituals here… more like doing nothing. And yet doing a lot at the same time.” That is how her account of her dark retreat begins. She didn’t go into the dark with a set plan. She let things flow. And that is exactly where what really mattered began to show itself.

🌓 The first days passed in silence and stillness, but after three days something shifted. “All sorts of things started showing up for me in there,” she recalls. The visual impressions kept changing; at times the space of the cabin turned into a cathedral or a dome with skylights. “I really enjoyed that,” she says with a smile.

🔥 Darkness therapy gave her a powerful experience – not only mental but physical too. Her body made itself heard; the processes were intense. And even coming back into the light carried its own weight. “There was hardly any light yet, and it was already too much for me.”

🌱 She was surprised by how many impressions and images surfaced in the dark. “That there’s nothing in there… actually, no. There was a lot going on in that darkness.” There is no need for big words or complicated techniques. Sometimes all it takes is a space where you can simply be with yourself. No pressure, no disturbance, no expectations.

✨ The dark retreat offered her not only calm but also a deeper connection with her inner self. It wasn’t an escape – more a gentle coming closer to what so often stays hidden in everyday life.

Would you like to find out more about our guides through the dark?

Follow our YouTube channel too, where you will find videos about our retreats and people’s experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔