Scott Berman - Are Darkness Retreats Worth It? (#259)
May 16, 2023
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Scott Berman, experienced darkness retreat participant, discusses the profound experiences and benefits of darkness retreats. Topics include exploring emotions and realizations in darkness retreats, the importance of working with a practitioner, and the concept of acceptance in relation to depression and negativity.
Darkness retreats create a space for individuals to deeply feel and explore buried emotions, leading to compassion and perspective shifts.
Unlike other spiritual practices, darkness retreats focus on subtracting and accepting rather than seeking transformative experiences, leading to awakenings and insights.
Darkness retreats offer a unique opportunity to disconnect from external stimuli, allowing for deep exploration of inner selves and questioning societal narratives of success.
Deep dives
The Power of Feeling and Accepting Emotions
In the darkness retreat, individuals are stripped of external distractions and have the opportunity to feel and explore their emotions deeply. One participant shared their experience of confronting feelings of guilt and shame that had been buried within them. By sitting with these emotions and tracing them back to their roots, they realized that the guilt and shame stemmed from experiences in their past that were out of their control. This realization brought about compassion for themselves and a shift in their perspective. The darkness retreat creates a space for individuals to feel and accept their emotions without judgment or the need to change or fix them.
Moving beyond Peak Experiences and Grappling with Negativity
Unlike many spiritual practices and plant medicine journeys that often focus on seeking peak experiences, the darkness retreat offers a different approach. In the darkness, there is no grasping for a peak experience, as individuals are left alone with their body and consciousness. This allows them to move beyond the need for transformative, healing, or fixing experiences and instead focus on the process of subtracting, shedding, and accepting. Participants are encouraged to confront discomfort, embrace negativity, and allow it to move through them, ultimately leading to profound awakenings and insights.
The Modern Relevance of Darkness Retreats
Darkness experiences have a long history and were practiced by mystics in various cultures. In the modern context, darkness retreats offer a unique opportunity for individuals to disconnect from external stimuli and enter the realm of the unknown. Unlike other practices like sensory deprivation tanks or intense meditation, darkness retreats provide a complete absence of sight and sound, allowing participants to deeply explore their inner selves and identity. The retreats also offer support and guidance, providing an opportunity for self-reflection and realization. The growing interest in darkness retreats showcases a shift towards seeking deeper experiences and questioning the narratives of material and spiritual success.
The Power of Darkness: Deepening Insights Through Sensory Deprivation
This episode explores the transformative potential of sensory deprivation in a dark environment. The hosts discuss the profound experiences people have in darkness retreats and the benefits they derive from disconnecting from external stimuli. They highlight the contrast between our culture's obsession with light and the value of embracing darkness for personal growth. The episode emphasizes the importance of feeling safe and vulnerable in darkness, especially for women who often feel constantly watched in our society. The darkness retreats provide a unique space for individuals to access deep insights, connect with their subconscious, and explore aspects of themselves that may be hidden in the light.
The Non-Quantifiable Nature of Darkness Retreats
This episode delves into the non-quantifiable aspects of darkness retreats and the liberation it offers from the constant need for measurement and comparison in our culture. The hosts reflect on how darkness reveals the aspects of ourselves that are seldom brought into the light, allowing for a deeper understanding of our emotions, vulnerabilities, and limitations. By letting go of hope and embracing acceptance, individuals are able to connect with the reality of their experiences and find meaning outside of external achievements or goals. The episode also explores the role of somatic therapy in enhancing the darkness retreat experience and helping individuals uncover and process subconscious patterns and wounds. Overall, darkness retreats provide a space for profound self-exploration and growth unhindered by external pressures and quantifiable metrics.
Scott Berman did his first darkness retreat in 2012 and has spent over 70 days in multiple darkness retreats. Over the last few years, he has supported hundreds of people in their dark retreats and has been trailblazing the darkness therapy movement at his center in Ashland, Oregon.
