What is a darkness retreat?

Participants of darkness retreat stay for a specific time alone in a completely darkened hut. They usually spend from 3 days up to 2 weeks there. Dark retreats are becoming increasingly popular as a method of therapy to facilitate meditation and self-development. Darkness retreat centres are located in many places all over the world. Their offer may vary depending on whether the place is related to a specific spiritual tradition or therapy method (REST - Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy).
DarkShelter website contains information about dark retreats as a therapy, mental hygiene, and meditation practice. We offer darkness retreats in Poland, in our new centre near Wrocław.

If you are interested in dark retreats and want to know more, please write to us: [email protected]

Why are dark retreats beneficial?

Reducing the amount of sensory stimulation allows for deep and regenerating rest states. Dark retreats may help both body and mind to recover from stress and overload. In the dark, it is possible to have a better connection with one’s own body, which may lead to diminished anxiety, less exhaustion, and better psychosomatic functioning.
During longer retreats in the dark, people often report deep meditative experiences, heightened creativity and the ability to reflect and observe the workings of one’s mind.

History of darkness retreats.

Since prehistoric times, people have been using darkened spaces. They were deep interiors of caves or various huts explicitly built for that purpose. Several archaeologists have begun to study the crucial role of darkness in the lives of our ancestors.
Dark retreats are part of religious practices in several major schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon. In those traditions, practitioners undergo 49-day-long retreats in complete darkness. The transforming power of darkness is also confirmed by rites of passage in traditional societies.