Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about the darkness retreat that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently completed? We’re here to help.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ darkness retreat has been the point of absolute fascination (and skepticism) for NFL fans this month.
With Rodgers reportedly using the intense meditation practice to help determine his NFL future, many have wondered just what exactly goes into one of these darkness retreats in the first place.
Now that he’s reportedly emerged from the darkness retreat, let’s dive into exactly what a darkness retreat is and Rodgers’ involvement in the process.
So what is a darkness retreat, exactly?
A darkness retreat is a meditational experience where one immerses themselves in darkness for a prolonged stretch of time for whatever purposes they may need.
It is considered an alternate form of therapy and goes back to ancient traditions.
When talking with Pat McAfee, Rodgers described why he was undertaking such a process to help make decisions for his career.
“It’s four nights of complete darkness,” Rodgers said. “It’s a darkness retreat. I’ve had a number of friends who have done it and have had some profound experiences and it’s been something that’s been on my radar for a few years now.”
The ESPN report from Xuan Thai shed light on the history of darkness retreats and whether or not there are proven medical benefits to the practice.
Retreating into darkness is a spiritual practice thousands of years old, with origins throughout India, China and Tibet. The Sky Cave website traces the roots of darkness retreats to various ancient practices and rituals. Some medical benefits are possible, yet it states that those benefits are not scientifically proven. When discussing origins of the retreats, [Sky Cave facility owner Scott] Berman acknowledged the different cultures who he says have practices related to darkness, such as the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and the Kogi, an indigenous people of Colombia who Berman explains select certain children at birth to live in darkness with their mothers.
Where did Aaron Rodgers do his darkness retreat?
Rodgers completed his darkness retreat at Sky Cave Retreats in Ashland, Oregon.
Speaking with Sky Cave facility owner Scott Berman, Thai described the type of room that Rodgers used for his darkness retreat, which we now know concluded at Sky Cave this past Wednesday.
Berman said the room in which Rodgers spent his time is a partially underground, Hobbit-like structure with 300 square feet of space, devoid of light, with a queen bed, a bathroom and a meditation-like mat on the floor. It is fully powered, so at any point, the lights can be turned on from inside the room.
You can get a glimpse at what that Sky Cave’s facilities look like below.
A look inside Sky Cave Retreats in Oregon — where Aaron Rodgers just finished his darkness retreat: pic.twitter.com/u84nTvjMjP
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 23, 2023
Are there drawbacks to darkness retreats?
Thai’s ESPN report featured insight from a healthcare professional who added that darkness retreats may not be the most beneficial practice for everyone.
Sarah Meyer Tapia, associate director of Health & Human Performance and the head of the wellness program at Stanford University, said questions about safety and support should be asked before entering any practice, especially one as solitary as a darkness retreat.
“How [do] they support the psychological safety when somebody’s in there and completely in the dark alone with themselves,” she asked. “How do they feel supported in processing it and not further damage processes that might not be healthy inside themselves.”
Tapai added that some people may need more focused health treatment rather than just basic meditation practice.
“Meditation is not a panacea for anyone and everyone in any situation,” Tapia said. “There are moments when it’s contraindicated, somebody’s spiraling in a psychotic episode or even a depressive or anxious episode to go inward and sit in that, is kind of to reinforce it.”
How skeptical should I be about all of this since Aaron Rodgers is involved?
While alternative therapy methods like darkness retreats can be beneficial for general practice, Rodgers has attracted some flak for using such an unorthodox method to make career decisions.
Rodgers’ health decisions deserve some skepticism with his recent COVID antics, but that’s not to say alternative therapy should be dismissed as a form of treatment. Unlike refusing to get a safe and effective vaccine, the decision to participate in a darkness retreat is entirely personal and doesn’t put others at risk of severe illness.
Darkness retreats may work for him, but as the expert from Stanford says above, they’re not for everyone. And Rodgers isn’t a medical professional.
Will anything come of this?
It’s possible that Rodgers could retire after emerging from his darkness retreat. He could also push for a trade a new NFL team like the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins or Las Vegas Raiders.
All the speculation may all be for naught, as a report has emerged that the Rodgers saga might end with him just going back to Green Bay.
Whether he’s in Wisconsin or at Sky Cave Retreats, Rodgers’ methods of attempted enlightenment will remain some of the NFL’s premiere objects of fascination.
With the Packers quarterback possibly filming the experience, we might get an idea of just how this whole process went for him before long.
