In the Depths of My Soul

In 2003 and 2005, the author experienced two dark therapy retreats. For a period of 12 and 24 days, respectively, in the confines of a completely darkened room, and in the absence of any external distractions, Saskia John was confronted exclusively with herself for 24 hours of every day. The only interruption was a one-hour daily debriefing session with her facilitator. Both journeys into the depths of her soul served to expand her consciousness, as well as presenting experiences of an exploratory, integrational and adventurous nature. She was able to investigate hitherto unknown territory, which often took her to her personal limits, and at times, even beyond. The account presents a cross section of the experiential spectrum of the human psyche and is aimed at readers interested in the subject areas of psychology, transformation, spirituality, mysticism, healing of the Inner Child, lucid dreaming, dream analysis, deep meditation, Tai Chi, fasting and Beingness experiences. Based on the longitudinal expansion in terms of its contents and evaluation period, extending from 2003 to 2011, this book may be of interest to scientists and researchers in some specialized areas of mainstream medicine, including in the context of extended hospital stays, near-death experiences during operations, extended isolation and quarantine periods in conjunction with infectious diseases, processes of disease inception, and an improved understanding of how soul processes impact on the physical body; emergency spiritual care, correctional services (including solitary confinement and spiritual care to prisoners), terminal patient spiritual care, hospice work, psychiatry, psychology, parapsychology, dream research, and space research (long distance flights under altered conditions), and provide valuable insights into the way the psyche functions, the effects from spending extended time periods in darkness in solitude and in conjunction with fasting, and the complex interplay between bo