Sensory deprivation via natural or manmade caves has now become, if not routine, certainly more commonplace. In recent months Outside and National Geographic have run stories on the practice, which usually involves a stay lasting days or even weeks in the pitch-black confines of a cave retreat. The goal is to eliminate the sensory stimuli [...]

Would you be willing to immerse yourself in a manmade cave without light for a day, a week, or longer, with the hope of accessing some mysterious and potentially life-changing aspect of your self? That's the idea behind 'dark retreats,' a modern approach to an ancient and advanced Buddhist practice during which participants spend extended [...]