EvoDARK: Seven-Day Darkness Retreat in the Black Forest
A carefully screened seven-day retreat in the Black Forest, including four days in complete darkness, preparation, daily one-to-one support and guided integration.
Why it caught our eye
The programme explains its unusually intensive practice in concrete terms and pairs it with medical-psychological screening, preparation, experienced facilitation, daily check-ins and integration rather than presenting darkness as a casual wellness experience.
About this experience
Enter a structured retreat that uses prolonged darkness for quiet, focused self-observation. EvoDARK begins with online preparation, then brings a small group to a private Black Forest retreat centre for four days and five nights in complete darkness within a seven-day stay. Daily one-to-one check-ins, continuous facilitator availability, breathwork, meditation, journaling and a final integration phase help participants orient themselves before, during and after the experience.
What you can expect
Before the residential week, you join a part-time online preparation phase and complete the admission and health-screening process. At the retreat centre, the group moves gradually into four days and five nights of complete darkness, with daily individual sessions and 24/7 support. The final part of the stay returns to light and begins integration; a further part-time online week follows afterwards.
Good to know before you go
This is an advanced, substance-free practice, not therapy or clinical treatment. Admission requires a personal fit conversation plus written and verbal physical and mental-health screening. The organiser says it does not admit people with diagnoses such as depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or anxiety disorders, and advises applicants to make safety decisions with their own doctor or qualified professional. The organiser lists a sliding scale of €2,890, €3,390 or €3,890 for the full three-week hybrid programme; Retreat Guru currently shows the €3,390 tier for 21–27 November 2026. The main group language is usually English, while individual conversations may be possible in German, French, Dutch, Italian, Russian or Spanish. Private accommodation, organic vegetarian food, four or more one-to-one sessions and the preparation and integration calls are included; travel is not.
People holding the space
Dr. Dmitrij Achelrod
Facilitator
Dmitrij Achelrod is an EvoDARK facilitator, breathwork facilitator and co-founder of Evolute Institute. His background includes health-services research and meditation practice.
Robert Jørgensen
Facilitator
Robert Jørgensen is a licensed clinical psychologist, mindfulness teacher and darkness-retreat facilitator with long experience in contemplative and body-based approaches.
Hosted by
Evolute Institute
https://evolute-institute.com/