Just spent 8 days living in a cave in isolation and darkness. Why would somebody do this? What benefits come from a complete stimulation reset? Check this thread to learn more about the Dark Retreat

I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately. Negative habits have built-up during Covid — gym closures, more twitter time, more zoom and less boundaries, more coffee, more Uber eats, checking my PHONE, working on weekends

1/28

A dark retreat means living in complete darkness and isolation.. so dark your eyes don't adjust. Food was passed through a cubby once per evening. The retreat was at Skycave, a beautiful space in nature, completely off grid. https://skycaveretreats.com/ 

2/28

There is a lot of fear wrapped up when you can’t see your environment. I wanted a reset from overstimulation and it was wild! Check out the full experience here or some favorite moments in this thread!

3/28 https://robbiebent.substack.com/p/building-the-othership-episode-1

After doing research on Dopamine Fasting, this idea stuck with me “over time users need more of a substance to elicit the same surge of dopamine and other rewards slowly lose their appeal” = Excess phone use means less daily satisfaction

4/28

If you are checking your phone every five minutes, searching for “that certain feeling that something is happening” ask yourself if you can spend an hour or so being bored. If not, it’s an indication there could be a lot of leverage here for personal happiness.

5/28

I’ve seen willpower increases from Vipassana retreats and psychedelic medicine retreats, so I expected with such minimal stimulation, I’d be able to reset the brains reward system, improve willpower and develop a better relationship with life

6/28

There was immediately a level of nervousness in the dark, that never really left, especially upon first waking. The intensity would dial up or down, but I started to realize how much we rely on sight to indicate safety

7/28

If you don’t dream much, the dream experience alone was magical. You are very aware of the colours, the images, thoughts - it feels real

8/28

Focus on relaxing, but be playful about it. Can you make it a game? Do a body scan and continuously relax, over and over. Find gaps in your awareness, and then in those gaps, start to cultivate a positive feeling in the body - perhaps bravery

9/28

If I could relax and bring to mind a powerful feeling, it helped to change my nervous system state, to overcome fear. I practiced this tool a thousand times and now feel like I have the capability to change my nervous system state on demand

10/28

As stimulation decreased, a lot of sexual power was evident. It felt more animalistic, a natural healthy human urge based on our survival instinct. It was interesting to know sexual desire without the shame that our culture relates to sexuality

11/28

Living in the past or daydreaming about the future is our normal state, and for the most part we cover with excess stimulation. In the dark, you can’t do that, and that’s part of it's power. Experiencing how craving and aversion create misery

12/28

I set the intention to try and convert thought loops into feelings of love and gratitude instead. In certain cases, I'd ask..But what has gone well here? Why are you actually lucky? Is this really true?

13/28

Focusing on “I” + achievement + external validation + caffeine + overstimulation = BLUNTED emotions

14/28

My mind has powerful energy bursts every morning. I used to think related to external stimulus (a new idea, a new problem). But it’s the opposite. The energy occurs naturally. With a super power like that, I realized the question is “how do I channel it”?

15/28

In a period of weakness, you move from the “I” to wanting help and love from others. Nothing else matters. The ego shrinks. Meditating on the reality of death has a lot of leverage in softening the ego

16/28

Doubling down on my own creative energy: keep expressing my true self and continue to learn who that really is. “When do I feel most like myself”. This is magic — what makes you feel the way you did when you were a kid. Do you know what inspires you?

17/28

External Validation: “Be good enough, be successful”. There is a feeling there I want, but it’s not related to success. I want to feel powerful and strong - and those feelings are already in my life, so spend more time remembering when I feel like a leader

18/28

Lightbulb: Ascetic practices and restriction are popular in all cultures and religions: fasting, prayer, meditation, etc. All of these help control impulses. Restriction provides the ability to actually enjoy your life in the normal moments

19/28

It’s pretty interesting to realize the power of boredom. It feels so good to be able to focus and think without non-stop incoming — life feels like a rapid rain fall of never ending tasks, you can’t avoid getting hit. I just opened an umbrella

20/28

With stillness and no input, it becomes quite easy to be free from overwhelm, to create from an open space for new ideas instead of standard task-based thinking

21/28

I made friends with fear. Fear is related to the unknown, especially when the brain perceives lack of safety — being in the dark for so long allows you to find comfort in the unknown and reforge that relationship. I started to crave the darkness

22/28

The more you can sit with discomfort, the less you care what people think, the more you can become closer to who you really are. If you can tolerate failure and tolerate rejection, you can just go for it, which means your window of opportunities becomes larger

23/28

I felt less engaged about life, and very scared to die.  I thought a lot about how life is so short, I’m possibly almost halfway through my life at 37. Especially my perceived life (life seems to move faster as you age, because you have a longer reference horizon)

24/28

All of these thoughts made me very excited for a family and for children, realizing that opening my heart is the most important thing I can do with the rest of my life.

25/28

Fresh air, so fresh, absolute ecstacy. Stars so bright, feel like I can breath…. ahhh. Literally felt like a first breath of a new life. It was cold and crisp at about 5am. It felt so crisp and clean it was like I was drinking it.

26/28

I’m greeted by a giant dog running towards me — looking like the Never Ending Story. Running after me barking. Putting out a paw. I look into her eyes and see a soul. Is this real? An emotional connection with my first being in 8 days

27/28

How much joy can be tucked into a half day — taking the first breath of life, stars, colours, feeling the ground, the sunrise, my heart beat, sunlight directly in my eyes, cuddling with a dog spirit, cold plunge in the creek, a wood burning sauna w essential oils, pure presence