Here I will refer to the person concerned and her body in the feminine, because the overwhelming majority of people suffering from anorexia are girls and women rather than boys or men.
Anorexia as an illness
Anorexia is an eating disorder in which the person believes that her body does not have the shape she wants. Usually it is about weight: she is not satisfied with her weight and tries to reduce it as much as possible. There are also cases where the wish is to gain weight, but such cases are very, very rare. More often the girl thinks of herself as fat, even though other people see it completely the other way round.
Anorexia is therefore a mental disorder that leads a person not to accept her body and to try to reduce its weight drastically, and sadly this effort often ends in irreversible damage to the body, or even death.
Causes of anorexia nervosa
Although the medical community does not agree on the causes of anorexia nervosa, the causes are evident. Rejection of oneself and one’s body, rooted in childhood, when a girl tries to be different in order to be loved by her parents or to fit in with the other children. This is where programmes, opinions and beliefs form: the girl wishes to be different from who she is, and from that she logically concludes that something is wrong with her body. The mind arrives at this error through its own judgement and then clings to it even against clear and compelling arguments that the body is fine – arguments it literally ignores.
Darkness therapy as a treatment for anorexia
We have already said that anorexia nervosa arises from a conflict between the image in the mind and the actual state. Darkness therapy helps because the participant cannot see her body. By not seeing her body, the opinions and beliefs about how ugly or fat the body is begin to dissolve. For a week, the participant has the chance to experience what it is like not to see her body and to confront herself with her views about it.
Participants’ experiences
For example, in Mr Urbiš’s book on healing with darkness, or when searching online, you will come across many participants who report an improvement, or even recovery from anorexia nervosa, after a single week in the dark. To represent them all, here is Martina’s experience:
“Hi, darkness therapy was my last option for coming to terms with the anorexia I have suffered from since puberty, so for over 10 years. I had the chance to get to know myself by not seeing the image of my body for a week, and I experienced that my body is wonderful just as it is. I only came back from darkness therapy three weeks ago, but I already know that the anorexia is gone. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. With love, Martina M.”
P.S. The person concerned has to deal with anorexia herself and must have the desire to heal herself! If a girl’s family signs her up for a dark retreat, the therapy will not work!
