Where ancient wisdom meets modern revelation
When you surrender to complete Darkness, your body begins an extraordinary metamorphosis that science is only beginning to understand.
Darkness can change our brain chemistry, physiology and perceptions over time.
Physically it has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve sleep quality, reduce stress and inflammation, balance the circadian rhythms, balance hormones and reduce cognitive decline.
Emotionallyand cognitively it can help regulate emotions, alleviate depression or anxiety, enhance focus and memory and enhance neuroplasticity.
Spiritually it can help open up to the Source for inspiration, creating the perfect brain environment for meditation, lucid dreaming, shamanic journeying and connecting to higher sense perceptions.
Experiments on the brain have shown that in the absence of light the amino acid tryptophan evolves into a sequence of indoleamines (indole derivatives) in the pineal gland over time. Whilst the timeline isn’t quite the same for everyone, and the changes aren’t sudden, they can be summarised as following:
Days 1-3 - Melatonin
Days 4-6 - Pinoline
Days 7-9 - 5meo DMT (dimethyltryptamine)
Days 10 onwards - N-N DMT (dimethyltryptamine)
This may influence your decision about how long in Darkness you choose to stay.
Function - Regulates circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles
Effects - Promotes sleepiness, helps synchronize the body’s internal clock with day-night cycles, has antioxidant properties, and influences seasonal behavioral changes. Levels naturally rise in darkness and fall in light.
Function - Less well understood, but appears to act as a neuromodulator in the brain
Effects - Influences consciousness and altered states of awareness - and is known as a visionary neurotransmitter. It potentially has neuroprotective properties, and might play a role in meditation or dream states. Some research suggests it could affect dopamine regulation.
Function - the function is unknown, but it has been made famous in recent years by the growing popularity of Bufo alvarius Sonoran toad medicine. Both types of DMT are released in large amounts at birth and at death. Rick Strassman in his book ‘DMT: The Spirit Molecule’ explores the function of DMT in depth.
Effects: Produces altered states of consciousness affecting the sense of self, mystical experiences, and shifts in perception.
Function: This is debated. See above for further reading. It is naturally produced in small amounts in the human brain and many plants.
Effects - Deeper levels of visual hallucinations. Sometimes the externalisation of internal energies is perceived as encountering entities.
Both types of DMT are being studied for potential therapeutic applications in treating depression, PTSD, and addiction.
Note: the effects will not be like smoking DMT. It will be nowhere near as intense, or sudden. There is a big range of effects between individuals. Some people have no, or almost no visions at all. It can be said that the longer you stay in Darkness, the more likely you are to feel disorientation and experience hallucinations.
The hypnagogic state is the state of mind which occurs during the transition from wakefulness to sleep - that drowsy, drifting period just before falling asleep. The hypnopompic state is the reverse transition from sleep to wakefulness, those moments of emerging consciousness upon waking.
During these states, brain waves shift from the faster beta waves (13-30 Hz) of normal waking consciousness down through alpha waves (8-13 Hz) toward the slower theta waves (4-8 Hz). This theta range is particularly significant - it’s associated with deep meditation, creativity, and altered states of consciousness. The brain is essentially “between frequencies,” creating a unique neurological window.
Serotonin is produced by light and speeds up your brain to the higher alpha waves and beta waves. Melatonin slows your brain down into these states. Darkness extends the brain speed in these states - which might be why so many religious practices around the world use Darkness. In these states you might experience:
- Vivid imagery, often surreal or symbolic
- A dreamy state, somewhere between the conscious and unconscious mind
- Spontaneous insights or creative breakthroughs
- Sometimes auditory or tactile hallucinations
When the liminal states are accessed, the usual filters of rational, beta-wave consciousness are relaxed, allowing access to deeper layers of awareness, unconscious material, spiritual insights or revelations.
Every spiritual tradition that ever existed discovered this same profound truth: Darkness is the ultimate catalyst for transformation. From the meditation caves of Tibet to the sacred chambers of Egyptian temples, from Christian mystics in mountain monasteries to Sufi masters in desert retreats—they all sought the same alchemical darkness that science now validates.
The molecules of transcendence. The neurochemistry of awakening. The physiology of profound peace.