Imagine the moment the door closes behind you and you are left in absolute darkness. On the first day you will probably be looking forward to it, just like the participant in our interview, who threw herself headlong into this adventure. But then Wednesday and Thursday come and your mind starts to fight. You may find that your biggest struggle is not with the lack of light, but with yourself. A dark retreat pulls you out of your comfort zone and makes you face things that are easy to overlook in the everyday rush.
Struggling with yourself and the path to acceptance
Many people think the worst part is the darkness around them. The truth is that first you struggle with your own inner settings. Our guest described how, during the first few days, she felt outside her comfort zone and time seemed endlessly long. The turning point came when she stopped fighting and began to accept her own presence. Darkness therapy shows you that once you connect with yourself, you actually start to feel good in that solitude. Suddenly you realise that your own company is exactly what you needed all along.
Audiobooks as a guide to your inner world
Audiobooks can be an interesting help during this experience. For some people they work as a kind of “handbook” for working with their inner world. They help you break through the initial discomfort and steer you towards accepting yourself. In absolute silence and darkness you can feel “naked”. It is an intimacy that few people experience in today’s world. It is a look deep inside yourself that reveals that all the masks you wear out there are actually completely unnecessary. You will feel much better without them.
Returning to reality and a new awareness
As the end approaches and you know a sunrise is waiting for you, an unexpected feeling may arrive – suddenly you won’t want to leave. You get used to focusing only on yourself and not on your surroundings, other people or everyday problems. A dark retreat gives you the gift of time, more time for yourself than you have ever had before. A few hours before bed at most can’t compare with several days in a row.
From an experience like this you take away an important resolution: to connect with yourself more often. Darkness therapy opens your eyes to the fact that you need to make those moments for yourself regularly in everyday life too. Even though returning to reality and getting used to your surroundings takes time, that inner awareness stays with you. If you feel afraid to look inside yourself, or you are in some kind of conflict with yourself, this is a way to change that. Next time you will know what you are getting into, and the initial fear will give way to calm curiosity.
Would you also like to experience the feeling of putting down all your masks and finding peace within yourself? Get in touch and we will arrange a date for you.
We have put together the frequently asked questions that people ask before a dark retreat.
Also follow our YouTube channel, where you will find videos about the retreats and people’s experiences of darkness therapy. 🔔
