Hi Tomáš and Lenka,
greetings a month after my dark retreat, time flies..
The dark retreat and my experiences
About the dark … I wasn’t there long, I left after 3 nights. Even so, the experiences from my dark retreat kept catching up with me emotionally for about another 14 days. When I left, thanks to Lenka I only felt it as a bit of a failure, but now I know it was exactly what I needed, 2 days, 3 nights.
I’d compare it to an athlete training for a long distance 🙂 Nobody who doesn’t last is a coward. Everyone has their own stuff to battle with in the dark; there’s no avoiding it.
I was also surprised how important the talking is on a dark retreat. I thought it wouldn’t be, but about 15 minutes in total over 2 days wasn’t enough; I really missed the contact.
On the morning after the 3rd night I had to turn the light on, it was such a panic, but then again..I’m glad, and I don’t think it would be any different now, even with the experience.
Darkness therapy, all in all
In short, a priceless experience. I’ll plan it again next year; everyone should, for the sake of their mental health..because in the dark you simply can’t help but stop. Time disappears and what is left is the present moment, an empty head; holding on to a thought felt like a superhuman feat. That’s not the only reason, but even though I slept quite little, I rested a great deal.
Many thanks, have a lovely day.
Martina
