Word got around that a prolonged stay in darkness could be highly beneficial, and as such many of the facilities are booked up for months in advance. In 2014, news of this phenomena caught the attention of Czech television company ‘Česká televize’, who decided to send one of their reporters, Silvie Dymáková, to do a Darkness Retreat for herself, and record it all using a thermographic camera.

The video below starts on Silvie’s third day, because she pretty much slept for most of the first two. This is common for most Darkness Retreat participants. It is in Czech with English subtitles. (See video summary below)

To begin with, the programme introduces some of the history behind times spent in the dark, including where it all started in Tibet, when monks would spend up to 7 weeks in complete isolation and silence in darkness, to promote self-discovery and spiritual growth, as well as to prepare for their journey to the next world.

Dr. Andrew Urbiš then speaks about some of the physical benefits people might experience – he was the person who introduced this practice to the Czech Republic. It was with him, at his clinic in Celadna – the Beskydské Rehabilitation Center – that Silvie did her 7 day retreat. It begins with a series of tests to assess her mental wellbeing and exhaustion levels, which show her to be highly stressed.

The documentary highlights that it is important to be fully committed to your Darkness Retreat and to go into it with the intention to get the most from your stay, otherwise it can feel like you are a prisoner, and may not be a positive or beneficial experience.

Before Silvie’s retreat formally begins, she is shown all of the facilities with the light on, so that she can acquaint herself with where everything is and how it all works with regards to food, personal hygiene, daily support from Dr. Urbiš, what to do in an emergency etc.

Having spent most of the first 2 days sleeping, Silvie has lost any real sense of time, especially as her food is being brought at random times throughout her stay. By the third day, the darkness is starting its ‘repair’ and Silvie is beginning to experience lucid dreaming, and has stopped perceiving reality. It gives her a bit of a wobble, because she’s uncertain if what is happening is real or imagined, so feels a bit scary.

As her time in the darkness increases, Silvie starts to sense the presence of other beings in her room, though after a while this begins to feel the darkness getting friendlier, although still thinks she is not alone. Her subconscious is doing its work, giving her flashbacks from childhood,plus she is experiencing light phenomena, that is also quite common. Once she gets through the initial crisis of anxiety, she then feels like her stay in darkness is the best form of regeneration, which can awaken creativity and be a huge source of energy.

At the end of her ‘Week in the darkness’,Silvie is most looking forward to the sun, music and seeing the people she loves, as well as to having the best pasta in the world. She leaves her room at dawn, for a gentle reintroduction to the light. Many people have a highly emotional reaction to seeing the light again, and Silvie is no exception.

At the end, she says she has more energy, feels calmer and her digestion is better. Her dreams remain in her memory, as vivid as ever, but she’s still not sure if they were real or imagined…

Silvie later received the Czech Lion Award for Best Documentary Feature for this programme.

]]> https://darknessretreat.net/experiences/week-darkness-silvie-dymakova/feed/ 0 https://darknessretreat.net/information/dr-andrew-urbis-darkness-therapy-czech-republic/ https://darknessretreat.net/information/dr-andrew-urbis-darkness-therapy-czech-republic/#respond Fri, 14 Oct 2016 17:07:57 +0000 http://darknessretreat.net/?p=883 Dr. Andrew Urbiš – Darkness Therapy Expert, Czech Republic Read More »

Dr. Andrew Urbiš is a highly regarded psychologist from the Czech Republic, with a holistic therapy clinic based at the Beskydské Rehabilitation Center in Celadna. In addition to psychology, he has also extensively studied Chinese medicine, feng shui, Tao Yin exercise and homeopathy, with his theoretical foundation being in both the Tao and quantum physics.

However, of particular interest to us is Dr. Urbiš‘ research into Darkness Retreats, which he is very well known for, especially since authoring the book ‘Terapie Tmou’ (translated as ‘Darkness Therapy’), in 2012.

Part of his research involved Dr. Urbiš participating in 3 different Darkness Retreats himself, varying from 10 to 50 days. The reason for such an extended duration for the latter was because in Tibet, where he says Darkness Therapy (they call it yang-ti) is said to have originated from, the ancient monks regularly retreated into dark underground vaults for 49 days, and he wanted to put it to the test himself, and see what benefits it would bring.

Apparently it was Dr. Helmut Kalweit who introduced Darkness Therapy to the Europeans, initially in Germany, but he predominantly focused on the spiritual and sensory processes on the psyche, such as the subconscious and so on. However, despite Dr. Andrew Urbiš being a psychologist himself, much of his own work has also focused on the healing impact of a prolonged stay in darkness on physiological problems of the body, as well as the mind and soul.

He describes the body as being a universal energy system, whose components connect and interact. So in other words, anything affecting the psyche impacts the physical body and vice versa. He says that discord and disharmony in one part of the system causes a mismatch in all other part of the body, which is why you have to look at the whole person, not just one part of the system.

Some of the benefits Dr. Urbiš believes Darkness Therapy/Terapie-tmou has are:

• Production of the anti-oxidant hormone ‘melatonin’ which can help prevent some types of cancer;
• Bringing the body back in harmony with nature;
• Healing skin diseases;
• Space to realise what is most important in life;
• Reducing stress and calming the body, mind and soul, whilst slowing the pace of life.

According to the BRC clinic’s website Darkness Therapy/Terapie-tmou is also effective in:

• The prevention of lifestyle diseases – oncological diseases and metabolic disorders, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, vascular and cerebral incidents, burnout and fatigue syndrome (CFS);
• Regenerating the psyche, through releasing old stored trauma and soothing a disturbed, uncertain mind, helping to treat personal problems;
• Heightening the senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste);
• Allowing for the development of creativity, imagination, and various internal experiences that are under normal circumstances may have been subdued.

Below is a short documentary made by Czech television about Dr. Andrew Urbiš and his work in Darkness Therapy/Terapie-tmou (with English subtitles) if you would like to know more, as well a video diary of a Czech TV reporter and film director called Silvie Dymáková, who spent 7 days at Dr. Urbiš darkness facility at the Beskydské Rehabilitation Center in Celadna, called Vila Mátma (literally means ‘My Darkness’), who was also involved in the making of the follow up documentary. The video diary begins from her 3^rd day, after she slept for the first 2. (She won the Czech Lion Award for the documentary.)

Finally, to find out more about how to work with Dr. Andrew Alois Urbiš go to www.brc.cz/terapie-tmou-1

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So in this video I (Bharati), tell you a little bit more about how all of that can work and what is coming. You’ll also get a sneak peek into the renovation work that was carried out earlier in 2016 to create our Temple Room, which is now complete and we are delighted with it. If you have any inquiries about any of this, please have a browse through our website, and then get in touch. We are always happy to hear from you!

In this video Bharati answers many of the common questions that get asked. More information is also provided on our Procedure page, as well as our FAQ section.

However, if you still have additional things to ask, when making a decision whether this is the right place for you to come or what to expect, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to hear from you with any questions or concerns you might have!

Please note: Bharati speaks a lot about Darkness Retreats in India. Although it is still potentially possible to do a retreat with us in India, or anywhere else you choose, our primary base is now at our wonderful new retreat centre ‘Source of Power – Spiritbalance Sadhana Ashram’ in Sasbachwalden, a really beautiful natural part of the Black Forest in Southern Germany.

Bharati also mentioned about bringing your own eye mask. Whilst of course you are always welcome to bring your own if preferred, we do now supply an excellent mask for you to use whilst you are here, which enables you to comfortably have your eyes open or closed when wearing it.

At the end of one of my client’s Darkness Retreat, I (Bharati) guided him to the Temple Room. The light flashes that could be seen by my guest during his time in the darkness were still visible even in the light, and could be recorded too. When I started chanting the mantra “Arut perum jothi, arut perum jothi, thani perum karunai, arut perum jothi” the lights seemed to get even stronger.

(There are various interpretations of what the mantra means in English, but in essence it is saying “Vast Grace-Light, Vast Grace-Light, Supreme Compassion,Vast Grace-Light”. Indeed, it certainly seemed to have the desired effect!)

Here, we see a participant who actually spent a total of 49 days in the dark. In her case, visible soul energy (also called orbs) could very clearly be seen too – just see how many orbs there are and how fast they move. Incredible! Recording this energy of the soul was truly an extraordinary and moving moment.

We are proud to present a number of videos where some our clients talk about their personal experiences, and how Darkness Retreats have affected their lives. This is Francisco’s story. Enjoy!

(However, if you prefer, there is also a summary of what Francisco (not Javier) talks about below the video)

This is Francisco from Mexico, and he has just completed the Group Darkness Retreat in Columbia, South America. He says it has been an extraordinary and beautiful experience, for himself and all of his spiritual development. He had a lot of experiences during the 12 days of the retreat, saying the darkness is a great guru.

He thinks many things in his life will be changed, for the rest of his life.  The astral projection was a wonderful experience, amazing. He recommends doing a Dark Retreat for everyone.

We are proud to present a number of videos where some our clients talk about their personal experiences, and how Darkness Retreats have affected their lives. This is Maria’s story. Enjoy!

(However, if you prefer, there is also a summary of what Maria talks about below the video)

This is Maria from Monterey, Mexico and she attended the Group Darkness Retreat in Columbia. She said it was an amazing and beautiful experience for her. What she enjoyed most was when she came out of the retreat, as it was like a new world, a new life. She was filled with a lot of peace inside, and then in that beautiful place in nature she still felt very peaceful. Now she feels very grateful and invites everyone to try this unique and amazing experience.

We are proud to present a number of videos where some our clients talk about their personal experiences, and how Darkness Retreats have affected their lives. This is Sophie’s story. Enjoy!

(However, if you prefer, there is also a summary of what Sophie talks about below the video)

Sophie is from Mexico and she said it was a very, very fantastic experience for her because it was like being reborn for her. She has a lot of fears and she experienced a lot of transformation in relation to her “inner woman”. It’s like in the Darkness Retreat, you meet your soul and you can trust and let it go; now she feels like she has lost 13kg. She feels very light.

She ate a raw food diet in the retreat, which she doesn’t normally have, and she couldn’t believe how good she felt on it, so thinks she will change how she lives, she feels so great. It’s an experience she recommends for every one, because you really find the light inside you.

We are proud to present a number of videos where some our clients talk about their personal experiences, and how Darkness Retreats have affected their lives. This is Umberto’s story. Enjoy!

(However, if you prefer, there is also a summary of what Umberto talks about below the video)

Umberto is from Monterey, Mexico and he says that the first days of the retreat he felt drunk, then every day he started to feel more peace, peace, peace. The Darkness Retreat is like you get inside of you. It’s a test of you. Now he feels real peace inside of himself.

We are proud to present a number of videos where some our clients talk about their personal experiences, and how Darkness Retreats have affected their lives. This is Rachel’s story. Enjoy!

(However, if you prefer, there is also a summary of what Rachel talks about below the video)

This is Rachel from Mexico, she has just come out of the group Darkness Retreat in Columbia. She says it was a life-changing experience, and that the dark gave her the opportunity to get into deeper corners in her being, her soul, and she brought light and consciousness to those corners. At the same time, she faced her fears, which she thought were worse, but when she saw them, they were just illusions most of the time. She felt an enormous constant peace that she has never felt in her life, which was the greatest gift she could have, because she can return to that state again any time, and that to her is heaven.

Also, she said it was very nice because she was able to experience lucid dreams, hear messages, and do an astral projection, which opened a new gate for her which she knows is going to be really fun. She’s excited about that because it’s another world, and she wants to experience that. Also, she encountered beautiful souls inside of there (the other group members), she said they felt like a family and shared all of their fears, thoughts, emotions. They all opened their hearts in pure trust, surrender and gratitude. They sang mantras which gave joy and energy to the room. To Rachel, they were pure joy and liberated a lot of things she needed to get out of her body and her soul. She will always have this experience in her heart. She recommends it – take a shot, it’s really good.