Safety: who a dark retreat is not for

Some messages start with “I’m not sure I should come…”. Good. That is exactly the right question to ask before you travel across Europe to spend days alone in a dark cabin. A dark retreat is calm, simple and, for most people, easier than they expect. But darkness and solitude make whatever is already inside you louder, and for some people that is not a good idea right now.

Who a dark retreat is not for

Please don’t book if any of this applies to you. It isn’t about being strict; it is about not leaving you alone in the dark with something that needs other kinds of help.

• You are going through an acute mental health crisis.
• You have had a psychosis or a psychotic episode, now or at any time in the past.
• You live with severe depression, strong anxiety or panic attacks.
• You have thoughts of harming yourself or of ending your life.
• You suffer from serious insomnia or feel psychologically very unstable.
• You have epilepsy or another condition with seizures.
• You have an acute infection or a fever – in that case, simply come later.
• You have a serious heart condition or any other state that needs medical supervision.
• You want to combine the dark with alcohol or drugs.
• You are strongly claustrophobic.

When to write to us before booking

These are not an automatic no. But we want to talk with you first, and if you are unsure, ask your doctor too.

• You take psychiatric medication.
• You are in psychotherapy at the moment – it is worth asking your therapist what they think.
• Being alone is hard for you, even for a single evening.
• You are pregnant.
• You live with a chronic illness.
• You are older, or only just 18 – younger than that, a dark retreat is not possible.
• Something big has just happened in your life: a death, a break-up, burnout.

Five things we ask of everyone

1. Come sober. No alcohol and no drugs before or during the stay. The dark is intense enough on its own.
2. Tell us the truth about your health. We can only take into account what we know, and nobody will think less of you.
3. If in doubt, start shorter. One night or three nights is a perfectly good dark retreat. The week will still be here next time.
4. You can end it whenever you want. You switch the light off yourself and you can switch it on again. Nobody locks the door.
5. Expect strong emotions. Tears, anger, sudden joy, old memories. It happens, and it usually passes. What to do with it? Nothing much. Breathe and let it be.

What we are, and what we are not

We are not a medical facility, and a dark retreat is not medical care. We don’t diagnose anything, we don’t prescribe anything, and we don’t promise that the dark will fix anything. If you are in the care of a doctor or a therapist, a stay with us does not replace that.

What we do offer is a quiet, totally dark cabin, food brought to your door and two people who have accompanied more than 3,000 people into the dark since 2013. Tom has spent a week alone in the dark himself, so he knows it from the inside, not from a book. Lenka works in psychology and with people on their personal growth.

Someone is always 50 metres away

We live in a log house 50 metres from the cabins in Lomec, a small village near Kutná Hora. We come by with your food, and if you need us, you can let us know at any time. You are alone in the dark, but you are never on your own.

See you in the dark – Tom & Lenka

P.S. A bit of nervousness before your first night is not on either list. It just means you are taking it seriously 🙂