DARK RETREAT

Dark retreats, also known as “darkness retreats” or “total darkness retreats,” are a spiritual and meditative practice where a person isolates themselves in a completely dark space for an extended period, which can range from a few days to several weeks.

This type of retreat has its roots in various spiritual traditions, including Tibetan Buddhism, The Egyptian preasts, and until today, the Kogi indigenous culture, from the Sierra Nevada Desert Santa Marta, including other mystical currents. The idea behind these retreats is that, by being deprived of visual and external stimuli, the person confronts their inner world, facilitating deep introspection, visionary experiences, and, in some cases, greater access to altered states of consciousness.

During the retreat, the person remains in total darkness 24 hours a day, with food and water delivered in a way that doesn’t interfere with their isolation. This kind of retreat aims to promote mental clarity, emotional healing, and in some cases, access to deeper spiritual dimensions.

Deep Rest and Cellular Repair:

Prolonged periods of darkness promote deep rest, essential for cellular repair and regeneration. This can enhance physical health, including muscle recovery and immune system strengthening.

Detoxification:

The body's natural detoxification processes are enhanced during deep rest and relaxation, potentially leading to toxin elimination and improved organ function.

Reduction of Physical Stress:

The absence of visual stimuli and consequent relaxation can lower cortisol levels, reducing physical stress and inflammation.

Nervous System Benefits

Parasympathetic Activation:

Prolonged darkness can activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" system), helping to reduce stress, lower heart rate, and promote a sense of calm and relaxation.

Reduction of Sympathetic Activity:

By minimizing external stimuli, the retreat can decrease the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (the "fight or flight" response), reducing adrenaline and noradrenaline levels.

Nerve Repair and Growth:

The deep rest experienced during a dark retreat can support nerve repair and growth, potentially aiding in the recovery from nervous system injuries or conditions.

Neurological Benefits

Improvement of Neuroplasticity:

Time in darkness can promote neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize by forming new neural connections. This can enhance learning, memory, and cognitive flexibility.

Increase in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF):

Stress reduction and increased melatonin production during a dark retreat can raise BDNF levels, supporting the growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses.

Enhanced Cognitive Function:

The absence of distractions can lead to better concentration, mental clarity, and problem-solving skills.

Hormonal Benefits

Melatonin Production:

Prolonged darkness stimulates the pineal gland to produce more melatonin, which regulates sleep-wake cycles. This can improve sleep quality and duration, leading to better overall health.

Serotonin Balance:

Melatonin regulation can also influence serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter that affects mood, appetite, and digestion. Better serotonin balance can enhance mood and emotional stability.

Cortisol Reduction:

Reduced exposure to stressors and deep relaxation can lower cortisol levels, decreasing stress and its negative health effects.

Regulation of Growth Hormones:

Better sleep and stress reduction can improve the production of growth hormones, crucial for growth, metabolism, and muscle repair.

Addressing these aspects, an 80-hour retreat in complete darkness can provide a comprehensive approach to improving physical health, nervous system function, neurological health, and hormonal balance.

Nutritional and Detox Support

Our dedicated team will support you with two delicious vegetarian meals delivered each day with care and love.

If you need more than two meals a day, this can be arranged.

If you have dietary restrictions, please inform us in advance so we can adjust your menu.

How Do We Support You?

We are the only place in the world that, in addition to being located at one of the seven sacred Muisca lagoons, offers a 200 m² house in the middle of a nature reserve, for one or a maximum of three people if they wish to do it in a group.

We have designed an experience that is so comfortable, it stands out from other places in terms of comfort and space. Throughout the retreat, you will have access to

Every day, the house is cleaned and tidied without the participants being disturbed or exposed to light. The same goes for meal service, with meals delivered to the table daily.

What’s included?

»All meals will be included during the retreat.
»You will have access to a private room with a fully equipped private bathroom for the experience.
»Three separate spaces in complete darkness.
» One audio guided meditation per day.
»Light mask for your entry and exit.
»One soundbath meditation before entering the retreat.
»You can choose to arrive and stay one day early and after the retreat. It is recommended to take time to calmly integrate everything you experienced. This is included.

Not Included?

»Transportation to the sanctuary. It takes one hour and a half from Bogotá, Colombia to arrive.

»The price from the airport and back is 200 us. Both trajectories included.
» Extra nights besides the ones that are included.

How many days?

We offer from 4 nights to 13. Depending on the level you wish to attend. As you do this, practice more and more in your life, everything becomes deeper and deeper.

PRICES

»4 nights 5 days + 1 day before and 1 day after.

2.500 us

»6 nights 7 days + 1 day before and 1 day after.

3.500 us

»12 nights 13 days + 1 day before and 1 day after.

5.000 us

Every rate corresponds to one person only.

Bookings

Dark Retreat

If you are interested in booking Arcobaque House to begin your dark retreat, we invite you to reach out to us. We would be delighted to provide you with all the necessary information, check available dates, and coordinate all the details to ensure that your experience is as fulfilling as possible. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any inquiries or to schedule your reservation.
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DARK RETREAT

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

 

1- To feel comfortable throughout the experience, bring comfortable clothing, two light jackets, and one for the cold. We do not have immediate laundry service for drying, so bring enough changes of clothes.
2- Bring your own water bottle with a secure lid to prevent spills if it falls.
3- You have three meals a day. If you need additional food, do not consume it in your room or any space other than the designated eating area. Request the portion you need from what you bring so we can have it ready for you in the dining area, minimizing disruption to your fellow participants. The goal is to keep all spaces as clean as possible.
4- Bring your own towel; quick-dry sports towels work best. We will provide an additional towel so you always have a clean one.
5- The entire menu for the experience is vegetarian. If you have any dietary restrictions or require a special diet, please let us know.
6- Transportation is not included in the price of the experience. If you need to arrange it, please let us know.

Frequently Asked Questions

Doing a dark retreat is a unique experience and very different from a retreat in the light. If you don’t have a consistent practice, it can be easy to become bored or waste time just thinking and daydreaming. However, if you have meditation experience and are looking to deepen your practice, the dark retreat is an incredible container for that. So far, we have received remarkable reports from almost everyone who has participated in our dark retreat, whether during 72 hours in a group or individually and exclusively in the entire space.
Sometimes you may feel the need to leave the Dark Retreat earlier than planned. This can happen because you feel the process is complete, the Dark Retreat is more intense than you imagined, you were too ambitious with your booking and reserved more days than you could complete, or for other reasons.

It’s not common for people to leave early, but it does happen. When you are inside the Dark Retreat, it is closed from the inside, and you can exit at any time. If you leave early, you may wish to stay in one of our other accommodations to complete your additional days at an extra cost, and we do not offer refunds or compensation for the days missed in the Dark Retreat.
There are two meals per day during the Dark Retreat. You will eat in complete darkness, and we will collect the dishes afterward. Special food requests should be arranged in advance. If you need additional food, you can request it, but it will incur an extra cost.
Visions are common during a Dark Retreat, though they should not be the primary reason for entering. The Dark Retreat should not be used as a way to seek a “natural high” or to experience DMT effects. Sometimes, DMT is naturally released during the dark retreat due to hormonal changes in the body, but it should be observed in the same way as thoughts that come and go. We have found that people with fewer expectations often have the deepest insights.
Two meals are served each day inside the Dark Retreat. Here’s an idea of what each meal includes:

Breakfast: Fresh fruit or whole grain oatmeal topped with nuts, seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, etc., served with a large thermos of herbal tea made from fresh garden herbs.

Lunch: Grains (such as brown rice, noodles, pasta, couscous, quinoa, etc.) with vegetables prepared with various spices and flavors (such as Asian-style stir-fries, Indian-style curries, Italian-style sauces, etc.), topped with nuts and seeds, and often fresh avocado from our garden.

Portion sizes are generous, but if you need additional snacks, we can provide a bag of toasted nuts and seeds or bananas (for a small additional cost).
While the Dark Retreat is open to meditators of all experience levels, it is a very intense practice. We highly recommend that you have some experience with group and/or solo retreats and a solid daily meditation practice before attempting a dark retreat.

If you wish to take the Dark Retreat individually, you must undergo an interview to be accepted beforehand. If you wish to be guided by Santiago Rojas, simply enroll.
The Dark Retreat is open to those who are drawn to deeply immerse themselves and rest in quiet meditation for many hours a day over several days. Although we do not exclude anyone from the opportunity for this deep immersion in solitude and darkness, we do not recommend entering the Dark Retreat if you have a long history of mental illness, addiction, or hospitalization, or if you are currently in a mentally unstable state, have a chronic physical illness, or are working through an addiction at this time.
The only rules Arcobaque asks you to follow while you are in the Dark Retreat are as follows:

The use of drugs, alcohol, or medicinal plants is not allowed inside the Dark Retreat.

Fasting for more than three days is not permitted inside the Dark Retreat.

Please leave the space as you found it and replace anything that may break or get damaged during your stay.

We recommend that you leave your phone with us to be stored in our safe upon arrival to avoid temptation while you are in the Dark Retreat.
To prepare for the Dark Retreat, you don’t need to do too much. Simply eat healthily, avoid alcohol, coffee, meat, and sugar for a few days before entering, and get plenty of sleep. Come with an open mind and heart, and be ready for a deep (and potentially challenging) journey.
The temperature in the dark retreat ranges between 20°C (68°F) and 25°C (78°F), with fresh air pumped in continuously. It’s a good idea to bring a pair of warm socks and a sweater.
Yes, there is a warm solar shower.
There is unlimited filtered tap water inside the Dark Retreat where you can fill your bottle or cup to drink.
At Arcobaque, we have designed the Dark Retreat so that couples can do a retreat together. There are two separate beds and a large space for practice between them. There is a shared bathroom.
We allow people to enter the darkness at sunset (around 5:00 p.m.) and exit at sunrise (around 5:30 a.m.) to give your eyes a chance to gradually readjust to the light. It’s a great idea to consider booking a few extra nights in one of our cabins or private rooms both before entering the dark retreat and afterward, to deepen your retreat and re-integrate into the light more smoothly.
Yes, the door is closed from the inside, so you can open it and leave at any time if necessary. We are always available to provide assistance if needed.
At Arcobaque, we require full payment in advance to confirm all Dark Retreat reservations. All payments are fully refundable, minus a processing fee of $200 USD. Payments are non-refundable if canceled three months or less before the start of your retreat. Once your retreat has started, Arcobaque cannot offer a refund if you decide to leave early or skip meals that were ordered in advance.

Copyright © 2024 Arcobaque

UBICACIÓN
Arcobaque Laguna de Ubaque, Cundinamarca, Colombia
CONTACTO
(+57) 301 6216846
E-MAIL
[email protected]