PLEASE NOTE: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where you can enjoy early, ad-free access to episodes of Insights at the Edge. Sounds True One is our premium membership platform built around live classes, online events, award-winning specials, intimate learning experiences and Q&A sessions with the world's leading wisdom teachers. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn What if the most transformative practice available to you requires no teacher, no technique, and no substance—only darkness? In this interview, Tami Simon speaks with Andrew Holecek—interdisciplinary scholar, Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, and author of the new Sounds True book Total Eclipse of the Mind: Unleashing the Power of Darkness for Creativity, Healing, and Transformation—about the ancient practice of dark retreat: full immersion in complete, sealed darkness used by yogis for centuries to accelerate awakening, healing, and creative breakthrough. After fifty years of meditation, psychedelic exploration, and completing a traditional three-year Tibetan retreat, Holecek calls dark retreat easily the most transformative practice he has ever done. This interview was recorded with both Tami and Andrew wearing blackout eye masks—making it one of the most experientially immersive episodes in Insights at the Edge history. Together, they explore: • What actually happens to the mind in extended darkness—and the neurological science behind why it's so transformative • The descent of the mind through conscious, subconscious, and collective unconscious layers—and what waits at the bottom • Dark retreat as a "sober psychedelic": how the brain generates its own endogenous DMT in extended darkness • The principle of enantiodromia—when extreme contraction suddenly flips into extraordinary openness • How to work with panic, trauma, and unwanted experience using the reverse meditation principle: feel it, but don't feed it • Why appearances don't matter in the dark—and why so many people emerge in tears, feeling safe and held for the first time • How to bring the power of darkness into daily life: from sleep masks and gray retreat to dedicated dark rooms Whether or not a full dark retreat is in your future, this interview offers a profound reframe of darkness—within and around you—that changes everything. Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d