Dark Room Retreat Report

[Infinite Tsukuyomi]

With my 5-MEO DMT trip coming up in just over a week, I figured I would go ahead and start posting here about other work I've done late 2023 and 2024. Here I'll write what I can remember about a 24 HR Dark Room Retreat. I went to stay with a friend in Texas in his spare bedroom and let him know I would be locking myself in the room and not coming out for 24 hours. He honored that, and it was difficult leaving his cat alone while he was work. I started consciousness work December 2023. This took place January 2024

The rules were: I couldn't leave the room and I couldn't speak (out loud) 

Some context: At the start I had already fasted for 12 hours to avoid the need to leave the room for #2, I brought green tea and water into the room ahead of time and a large container for #1. I covered up the windows obviously and the slit under the door to prevent light from coming in. I set an alarm to let me know when it was over. I interspersed: Meditation, Do nothing meditation, Holotropic Breathwork, Concentration and Self Inquiry. 

Some of the observations I made included:

1.) How bad monkey mind was for me, as I drifted off often into sexual fantasies, arguments that have never happened, old jobs etc. Hunger didn't play a role unless one of my daydreams also involved food. This attempt helped me appreciate the seductive nature of thought, and how easily seduced I was. 

2.) Plenty of pretending to be nothing as a mental recording of Leo was saying "don't pretend to be nothing". Plenty of trying to "figure it out", once again as already advised against.

Since sleep was allowed, once it had been dark for awhile, I assumed it was late enough to sleep. About 1 hour in to the sleep I felt slightly ill. Then I tossed and turned for the next 2 hours (I'm guessing the timeframes). I sat up with excruciating pain in the left half of my face. Using my tongue I noticed my gums on that side at the bottom were inflamed and swelling a bit. I laid back down, and continued to toss and turn for probably another hour and a half without being able to get back to sleep. Finally I break at the pain and leave the room, and go to the kitchen to see that it nearly 6am on the clock. I had done 17 hours of the 24. It was a wisdom tooth that decided to grow on the retreat. I went to walmart and bought pain meds. It was Sunday, and more dread came over me that there were no dentists open, I searched and searched online and couldn't find anything. Then I noticed an expensive "emergency dentist" office pop up after looking again that would open at 8am. I left them a voicemail and they called at 7:50 ish to get me in. 

Some personal insights about authenticity and confidence came up that I wrote in my journal. At the time it didn't occur to me but looking back months later, perhaps even the tooth issue was a way for the false self to break the retreat. Nothing ego dissolving so early in my journey. I'm way more advanced now, and will aim to complete 24 hrs and longer stretches in the upcoming year. 

 

Edited Monday at 04:27 AM by Infinite Tsukuyomi
Image too big, large and obnoxious at second glance.

[gettoefl]

Great job. Definitely something to do again. A top-line cathartic process. Glad you sorted out your tooth. Thanks for sharing this. I need to do another of these soon.

[Leo Gura]

Well, it's a start. At least you made the effort, which 99% of people will never do.

But 24hr in a dark room is not going to do anything other than piss you off. If you are trying to reach a mystical state via this method you would need to stay in that room for 3-7 days.

But it is good that you are learning the depth of the ego and all its games. This is not easy work.

Edited Monday at 11:34 AM by Leo Gura

[M A J I]

25 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Well, it's a start. At least you made the effort, which 99% of people will never do.

But 24hr in a dark room is not going to do anything other than piss you off. If you are trying to reach a mystical state via this method you would need to stay in that room for 3-7 days.

But it is good that you are learning the depth of the ego and all its games. This is not easy work.

 

[Infinite Tsukuyomi]

15 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Well, it's a start. At least you made the effort, which 99% of people will never do.

But 24hr in a dark room is not going to do anything other than piss you off. If you are trying to reach a mystical state via this method you would need to stay in that room for 3-7 days.

But it is good that you are learning the depth of the ego and all its games. This is not easy work.

Thank you Leo, I will aim for that range.