The Promise and Perils of Darkness Retreats

Darkness retreats involve spending a period of time in complete isolation and darkness. People do this for different reasons – to achieve an introspective state, a digital detox, a period of rest, or a spiritual experience. Participants in these retreats stay in rooms equipped with beds, toilets, and showers, which can be tricky to use as the room is deprived of light and sensory input. Food and drink are typically left in a blacked-out hallway. Phones and books aren’t allowed. No sounds can be heard (except for the ones participants themselves can make). People usually stay at darkness retreats for 3-5 days, but some stay longer, for a week, or even 40 days.

While this set-up sounds like self-imposed torture – a voluntary form of solitary confinement, with the additional sacrifice of nothing to look at – the extended sensory deprivation can lead to states of catharsis, spiritual breakthroughs, or visions (similar to what may be seen during a powerful psychedelic experience). The lack of sensory input can, over time, lead to an opening of ‘inner vision’ – visionary experiences that don’t depend on external stimuli.

Darkness retreats are a growing trend. They are taking place all over the world, and many people are sharing their experiences online – in blog posts and YouTube videos. But as with any consciousness-altering practice with positive aims, there is no guarantee that people will enjoy the outcome. Besides the difficulty in adjusting to spending an extended period of time in darkness, alone, which can be boring and lonely, there is also the possibility of disturbing psychological effects. The promise of darkness-induced insight and post-darkness joy also carries along with it darkness-induced distress and, in some cases, post-darkness difficulties. (We see a similar story in the case of intensive meditation retreats.)

The ‘darkness retreat’ – voluntarily spending time alone in the darkness – is an old practice, dating back thousands of years. It has origins in Buddhism and Taoism. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is known as mun mtshams (‘dark retreat’), and it is considered an advanced spiritual practice. In Naked Seeing: The Great Perfection, the Wheel of Time, and Visionary Buddhism in Renaissance Tibet (2014), Christopher Hatchell writes that the Kalachakra system in Tibetan Buddhism instructs:

[T]he yogi to spend lengthy periods either gazing at the blank sky or residing in a dark room specially prepared to seal out all light. Both of these are forms of sensory deprivation and result in a series of unstructured appearances of light—like sparks, fireflies, and so forth—that ultimately coalesce into a vision of deities, or the appearance of a luminous goddess known as the Great Seal (mahamudra, phyag rgya chen mo).

In modern darkness retreats, however, the deprivation of sensory input is more complete. They offer absolute darkness and silence, which makes it easier for consciousness-altering effects to manifest. They range in cost from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

In the West, there has been a growing understanding of how sensory deprivation can alter the mind, as many people have experienced this in a floatation tank. But the floatation tank experience typically lasts for only an hour (unless you pay extra for an extended session), and so it can be hard to access deep altered states of consciousness in this way (unless this activity is combined with a mind-altering substance). Darkness retreats, then, can be seen as a more committed (as well as challenging) way to experience darkness-induced altered states.

Tereza Rasovska describes intense effects during her 7-day darkness retreat. On day three, she recounts:

It felt like a panic attack approaching. But I knew this feeling very well from my younger age taking psychedelics or then meditating and also as a person who struggles with strong anxiety. The sudden change of consciousness. Unfortunately, here when you open your eyes, nothing changes. You try to breathe and calm yourself, no change.

Either I had to leave or face my demons was my only option. I then returned to bed, prepared this time. I started to focus on my breathing as I was lying there, and it came back. I kept saying to myself, “It can show me anything,” and “I accept it and want to see it.”

Bring it on!

Then it appeared as though a demon of some sort was sucking a bright stream of energy from my body. But it was a blast. There was a background sensation of relief.

It felt like a near-death experience.

Although it may sound absurd, that is how things were. It got more difficult as it grew more powerful but I knew I had to let go because the more you fight it, the worse it gets. I, therefore, stopped fighting and…

It turned around 180°. Suddenly feeling of ecstasy, gratefulness, and unconditional love. Just the most beautiful feelings ever. I was crying. It lasted just moments but seemed like hours (both the worst and best part of it).

Nobody among my friends who I had previously discussed it with, had any experiences similar to mine.

Everyone told me how they were relaxing, chilling, or sleeping. No hallucinations or scary things.

But again, I'm sensitive, very imaginative, and a bit paranoid with a bad past.

Sometimes spiders were flying around (my nightmare), sometimes corpses, sometimes weird languages I never saw before.

Childhood memories started to appear, which I also never remembered. I don't know if they were true or just imagination.

One time I saw the whole room in infrared light (at least that's what I think it looks like).

NFL star and psychedelic enthusiast Aaron Rodgers went on a darkness retreat and promoted its benefits. Scott Berman, co-founder of Sky Cave Retreats – where Rodgers did his retreat – told CNN:

When someone goes into the darkness, all these things that were important to them like money, fame, power, status, being worthy – they all become insignificant and meaningless in the dark. In the dark, all you have is the present moment which reveals what is truly meaningful – whether it’s love, forgiveness, peace – and it begins to transform you as you truly authentically touch what is most important to you.

He eventually experienced more ‘psychedelic’ effects one evening:

I first feel something “unlocking” between my eyebrows — in the region of the mythical third eye spoken of in eastern traditions. The next morning, following a night of disrupted sleep, I descend ever deeper into a well of clarity, as what’s said to be a natural form of DMT slowly circulates through my body. I was half expecting this, but I still whoop as it sets in – finally it’s time to get high on my own supply.

Still lying down, I float through the night gently on my own cosmic saucer. I melt into a soothing dreamland where my entire extended family — including those who have passed, most notably my father who passed away in December — get together for a game of cards. This never happened in real life. Then I wake up with a sore hip, and see my room filled with faintly crackling holograms – the first visions. Now it’s getting seriously trippy.

The effects for Busby become more intense by day five:

By this point, Day Five morning, the “DMT” really seems to have kicked in and it all feels rather incredible, so we agree I’ll emerge the following dawn instead. While the previous “DMT” rushes plateaued after no more than half an hour, this one has some staying power. It kinda feels like I’m candy flipping on a low dose of MDMA and LSD, rather than DMT which tends to deliver an intense, short-lived high. This may be the sustained natural high I’ve long yearned for. It leads to my aches reaching their lowest point yet and I’m even able to muster the energy – and joint flexibility – for a decent Qi Gong routine, a type of Chinese standing yoga slash martial arts practice.

The blissful euphoria of quiet in my mind unfolds placidly. Slowed down to unprecedented degrees, it rests without straining to find something to think about. With the volume turned right down, you can really listen to the silence within.

The journey through the story of my life was a deeply psychedelic experience – an intense, illuminating and calming journey. It also feels somewhat easier to digest these intense events when I’m not wiping vomit from my cheek, as with rollercoaster ride hallucinogens like ayahuasca.

Now, a year later when I think about it, I’m happy I went there, but I didn’t have the time after to integrate. I went straight to work a day after and it took me a while to get used to it. So if I could go back in time I would certainly take at least 2 days of after the Dark to spend it alone somewhere quiet.

The potential dangers of darkness retreats lie in how powerful their mind-altering effects can be. As we have seen, traditionally, dark retreats in Buddhism have been seen as part of an advanced spiritual practice. Entering a darkness retreat without adequate knowledge of the states of mind that can arise, or how to handle them, can result in emotional distress. There is the danger that some people will take the visions they experience as objectively real. People already in a vulnerable emotional state may feel their distress heightened. Those prone to psychosis or schizophrenia may experience a trigger or worsening of symptoms. Author Andrew Holecek writes in a blog post:

Nearly every opportunity and obstacle in the world of psychedelics applies to dark retreat. With the proper set and setting, one good trip can change your life. Without the proper set up, one bad trip can leave you bruised…. Despite the hype and hope with psychedelics or dark retreat, nothing is a panacea. Don’t turn to dark retreat to cure all your ails, or view it as the newest self-help method in the New Age supermarket.

There’s a reason the formal practice of long dark retreats (versus informal home use) is historically guarded. It’s not because dark retreat admits you into a secret club. It is because such an exotic practice tends to magnetize spiritual thrill-seekers, reckless psychonauts, and poorly motivated explorers that then suffer the consequences of a flippant attitude.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Signing Up for a Darkness Retreat