Dark Retreat

[wolfmanthe1st]

A dark retreat is a retreat where a person goes into a retreat room for an extended period of time, normally 7 to 14 days. The room is set up where absolutely no light enters so the person is light deprived. The room is perfect for an extended meditation because there are no real distractions. Being in the darkness the level of melatonin soars then a pinoline stage is reached then the 5-MeO-DMT stage. If one stays 9 days or more a DMT stage is reached.

I have only found dark retreats in Thailand, southern Mexico and Guatemala. The latter two I do not know how safe I will be in that part of the those countries. I am hoping for something closer.

Anybody know of any dark retreats in the U.S., Canada, or Europe?

[peteyzen]

why not just make a room dark and do it at home?

[wolfmanthe1st]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

why not just make a room dark and do it at home?

Distractions such as requests from family members or pets. Easy to let the negative ego end the process or make excuses to take breaks. It is a mental challenge to remain in the darkness for so many days. I cannot make the family members leave.

Besides the only bedroom in the house which has no windows allows light between the door and the door frame. I did block off the light coming through the bottom of the door.

It would be so much simpler going away.

I thought of what you are suggesting. It may work for some but not in my situation. Thanks for the thought.

[Unseelie Queen]

I googled for quite a while, but there does not seem to be any in the US or Canada. It seems like there may be some in Europe, in the Czech Republic that I found listed here: https://darknessretreats.wordpress.c...ss-facilities/
However there doesn't seem to be enough information anywhere to actually schedule or book anything (it doesn't help that the retreat websites will probably be written in Czech), however if you scroll through them all there are some links where you may be able to contact whoever owns and rents out the cabins. This is one of them: https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=trans late.google.com.au&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.terapie-tmou-u-brna.cz/

[wolfmanthe1st]

Originally Posted by Zulabelle

I googled for quite a while, but there does not seem to be any in the US or Canada. It seems like there may be some in Europe, in the Czech Republic that I found listed here: https://darknessretreats.wordpress.c...ss-facilities/
However there doesn't seem to be enough information anywhere to actually schedule or book anything (it doesn't help that the retreat websites will probably be written in Czech), however if you scroll through them all there are some links where you may be able to contact whoever owns and rents out the cabins. This is one of them: https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=trans late.google.com.au&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.terapie-tmou-u-brna.cz/

Thank you very much for doing a search. I had not seen that one. I will look into it. Thanks again.

[Adrienne]

I wouldn't think it is very healthy to be in the dark for so long.

Originally Posted by wolfmanthe1st

I have only found dark retreats in Thailand, southern Mexico and Guatemala

And I certainly wouldn't do so in any of those 3 countries .....

so tell us ....
did you actually go on a dark retreat somewhere ? and if so, how was it and what country ?

[Armadodecadron]

I can attest to the effectiveness of sensory deprivation during meditation, specifically pitch blackness. Although I can't comment on whatever neurochemical effects this might have.

I hadn't seriously considered doing it for such an extended period of time, though. What a wonderful idea!

Maybe you could rent a hotel room, load up on ready to eat food, buy some light blocking tape from a hardware store, hang up the do not disturb sign, and try it for a few days?

By the way, is there a particular meditation that you like to use in no/low-light conditions, wolf?