Beyond Floating: Unveiling the Power of Darkness

Stepping away from the familiar tranquility of our beloved float tanks, today we’ll survey another intriguing realm of sensory exploration. Imagine a therapy that, like floatation therapy, employs silence and solitude, but rather than the gentle touch of water, uses the enveloping cloak of total darkness to create a deeply introspective journey. A therapy that, instead of lasting 60-90 minutes like a typical float session, lasts for 3-7 days or

more. Intrigued? Welcome to the immersive world of Darkness Therapy!

Helping to guide us through this intriguing world is Dr. Marek Maluš, an expert in Darkness

Therapy doing his work and research out of the Czech Republic. Marek shared the history of

Darkness Therapy, along with some of his insights and experimental results, in his 2015 Float

Conference talk, and returned again for another conference talk in 2021 to elaborate and

update us on his findings. Let’s step out of the light for a moment and immerse ourselves in the

soothing realm of the unseen as we explore the genesis, evolution, and surprising benefits of

Darkness Therapy.

Lights Out: The History of Darkness Therapy

Darkness has always held a certain mystery. Long before the advent of scientific understanding or the idea of "Darkness Therapy", spending time in darkness or seclusion was not an uncommon practice. 

In many ancient cultures, spending time in complete darkness was seen as a spiritual journey, a voyage inward. Indian yogic traditions speak of darkness meditation, while some Buddhist monks have retreated into pitch-black caves for enlightenment. Ancient Egyptians recognized the power of darkness, seeming to make use of it in many of their mystical practices, as did certain Native American tribes.

Just as modern floatation therapy taps into sensory deprivation to awaken the mind's potential, these historic practices recognized that darkness had the power to reset, refresh, and renew the mind.

Darkness Therapy: From Caves to Chambers

Fast forward to the 1950s, where the roots of modern Darkness Therapy can be traced back to a practice known as REST or Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy. Before official research was ever published on Floatation Therapy (also known in the early days as Floatation REST / Wet REST), researchers were running experiments on reducing as much sensory input as possible in a regular room with a bed, developing what would come to be known as dry

REST (or chamber REST). Separate from this, but even more closely related to current Darkness Therapy, in the 1960s, the anthropologist Holger Kalweit introduced Dunkeltherapie (literally “Dark Therapy”) to Germany after taking part in a Tibetan tradition involving a 7 week long stay in a dark chamber.

This can be considered the beginning of modern Darkness Therapy. From here we continue our journey in the Czech Republic, where in 2006 the first Darkness Therapy chambers were introduced, and where it continues to thrive. In these, participants would spend between 3-7 days (or sometimes longer) in total darkness. By 2015, there were 15 providers of Darkness Therapy in the Czech Republic with between 1-3 chambers each, along with a few more in the neighboring country of Slovakia.

Shedding Light on Darkness

Let’s explore what these darkness retreats look like, and how they function. In his presentations, Dr. Maluš introduces two types of darkness therapy facilities, referred to as Type I and Type II, and all of these images belong to Dr. Maluš, from his presentations.

Type I facilities are larger and more comprehensive, often operated under medical supervision.

These facilities offer a comfortable environment with amenities such as a shower, air conditioning, a bed, and even exercise devices. The highlight of this type is the provision of daily psychological sessions in complete darkness – a guide therapist comes to check in guests once a day, reviewing your needs and providing psychological assistance. It's a full-service experience, giving the participant both the environment and professional support to navigate their journey in the dark.