4 days in the dark

Coming to a stop in today’s hurried world takes courage, but the reward is often beyond measure. People frequently arrive here in a state of utter exhaustion, when body and soul alike are crying out for a reset. The story we bring you today captures the transformation of a man who chose radical calm and silence. Although he spent only a few days with us, he left with an entirely different mindset and a sense of inner strength he had previously lacked. His experience shows how deeply darkness therapy can affect us when we manage to open up to it and let things flow freely.

The journey to calm began at the railway station

I arrived here a pretty devastated man, both mentally and physically. I’d been thinking about the fact that such a thing as a dark retreat exists for at least a year, but I still didn’t know exactly where you were. Then around Christmas I saw a podcast in which Petr Vachler talked about his film The Secret and the Meaning of Life and mentioned that he’d spent something like eleven days with you. The way he described it all gave me such a kick that I told myself it was definitely worth trying too. My journey began with an hour’s walk from the train at Bykáň. Even though the weather was dead against me that day, with rain and snow, I had a beautiful walk and prepared myself inwardly for what was to come.

First steps in absolute silence

On Saturday, before I turned the light off for good, I had to pace out the whole space carefully. I wanted to know exactly where everything was so I could find my way around later without my sight. For the first hour or two my eyes watered as they got used to seeing nothing. In the end my darkness therapy lasted four days, from Saturday to Wednesday. I’d definitely have liked more, at least seven days, but I only started sorting it out on the Monday and was arriving on the Saturday, so a longer stay wasn’t possible. Even so, I’m very glad of those four days, because I know that what opened up in me still needs to be finished.

Food as a completely different experience

I was fascinated by how my approach to food changed over those few days. When you can’t see it, you perceive it mainly with your tongue and perhaps your nose. It’s a completely different relationship and a deeper experience. I even had foods there that I probably wouldn’t normally bother eating. I remember the moment I put a gooseberry in my mouth. The flavour simply took over and was incredibly intense. Now I’m thinking that, as long as it isn’t embarrassing, I’ll occasionally close my eyes while eating in everyday life. Without sight involved, the sensation is simply incomparable.

When body and mind begin to regenerate

At the start I had just one worry: whether I’d be able to stand my own company and how I’d cope with my negative thoughts. But gradually I learnt that when a really negative thought comes along, I simply let it go and don’t dwell on it any further. I’m learning that when I can’t influence something, I let it flow. I was also surprised at how quickly the body can regenerate when it has the time. I went into the dark with back pain, and on top of that I burnt the roof of my mouth on the very first hot soup. The body’s effort to heal itself perhaps works faster here than in ordinary life. From Monday on I had no more trouble with my back, and in the morning I couldn’t even feel the burnt palate.

Back to reality with new energy

Today, when I stepped outside and heard the birds singing, it completely charged me with energy. I feel reborn. Now my head is running through how to bring it all together, and whether to give myself some distance or dive in head first over the next few weeks. My dark retreat met my expectations. If it had been longer, I’d probably have dealt with more of my old baggage, but even so I’m definitely satisfied. To anyone planning to come here, I’d also recommend that opening walk through the countryside, because it puts you in a wonderful frame of mind for the whole process.