You won’t find the power of darkness anywhere else

Are you looking for a way to slow down in today’s hectic world, shake off your worries and find the inner peace you have lost? Sometimes you simply feel that something is not right, that you are not comfortable in your own skin, and that you need a more radical change or an escape from the daily grind.

Read the honest story of a man who decided to support the transformation happening in his life and set off for a place where worries and problems stay outside the door.

My first radical solution

I thought about my very first darkness therapy for about a year, maybe a year and a half. I knew I needed to do something, to change something. Quite a few people tried to talk me out of it, but all they had was second-hand information. At the time I didn’t know anyone who had been through it themselves. All I’d heard were tall tales from friends of friends, saying that people don’t come out of a place like that normal.

But I felt I needed to give it a go. Either I’d manage it or I wouldn’t. The first time, I spent four days and four nights in a place like that. I slept through the entire first day, and then things slowly started to settle.

I drove home relaxed and at peace. My wife did say that the calm only lasted me a short while, but I reckon I drew on it for about six months. Then it started to crack again, the stress came back and everything began piling up on me once more. Thankfully, no longer to the same extent as before.

Coming back with no expectations

A year later I decided to come back, but this time I went into the dark without any expectations at all. I wasn’t waiting for quick conclusions, changes or instant miracles. All I wanted was to support the change I had set in motion within myself a year earlier. And as far as I’m concerned, that worked one hundred per cent.

I came out and I feel completely zen. The second dark retreat turned out quite differently from the first. It offered a longer and more intense experience, with a much gentler run-up. It definitely helped that I already knew exactly what I was getting into. Once again I slept through the first night and day, but then time started to stretch out miraculously. Everything slowed down.

When I stood outside in the sunshine, my stomach still churning a little, I knew straight away that I had to return to stillness for a moment. These days I prefer to give myself some time before I get into the car, and I plan a stop for a good coffee on the way.

A step back from your own life

Before my first stay my head was full of thoughts. I kept wondering what I would do there the whole time on my own, and whether I could even stand my own company. Paradoxically, though, I never felt alone in there.

I gained an enormous perspective on my own life. Suddenly you allow yourself to take that important step back; you look from a completely unfamiliar angle and simply observe. I went through everything in my head: what has been, what I want in my life and what I don’t.

If you’re facing a similar dilemma, I have one piece of advice for you. Those who don’t want to look for reasons; those who do look for ways. You don’t have to go away for a whole week straight off. Three days is plenty, which means one long weekend. It is absolutely worth it. Darkness holds a completely different kind of power, one you won’t find anywhere else.