UNLIKELY COLLABORATORS
(December 18, 2024 – Los Angeles, CA) – Unlikely Collaborators has awarded a Spark grant to fund an innovative research collaboration between The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS), Andrew Holecek, and Sky Cave Retreats. This groundbreaking and cutting-edge project aims to explore the intersection of consciousness, mental well-being, and deep retreat experiences, reimagining the narratives surrounding inner transformation and human potential.
The Spark grants, launched in 2024, support bold, collaborative projects that integrate the Perception Box lens to reimagine narratives and create meaningful change. Each grant prioritizes 501(c)(3) partnerships between organizations and individuals who have not worked together before, fostering innovation and unexpected synergy.
Unlikely Collaborators is a mission-driven nonprofit committed to transforming narratives that limit individuals, communities, and societies. The organization promotes self-awareness and mutual understanding by helping individuals gain insight into and agency over their Perception Box™—a concept developed by Elizabeth R. Koch. Perception Box represents the internal beliefs, experiences, and biases that shape how individuals view the world and engage with others. Through grants, partnerships, and transformative initiatives, Unlikely Collaborators supports organizations that help individuals and communities untangle limiting stories and foster meaningful change.
The research project funded by this Spark grant will focus on the monumental potential of dark retreats, an ancient contemplative practice gaining modern attention. Dark retreats involve spending time in complete darkness to facilitate profound shifts in perception and consciousness. NBA star Rudy Gobert described his experience as "meditation times a thousand" The practice places participants in a dark environment that intentionally disrupts routine habits and perceptions, creating a unique contrast medium that allows practitioners to see and feel things normally lost in the light and busyness of daily life.
“Deep retreat experiences like those at Sky Cave offer a rare opportunity to dismantle the stories within our Perception Box that keep us stuck,” said Andrew Holecek, an expert on lucid dreaming and meditative practices. “This project brings together cutting-edge consciousness research and timeless contemplative practices to inspire significant shifts in participants.”
The research will be conducted at Sky Cave Retreats, known for its immersive and isolated environments designed to facilitate profound introspection. By combining the expertise of IACS, Andrew Holecek, and the unique setting of Sky Cave, the project promises to break new ground in characterizing deep states of consciousness induced by prolonged dark exposure and how such non-pharmacological experiences can drive personal and societal transformation. The study will utilize EEG and peripheral measurements to provide the first comprehensive scientific characterization of the rapid psychospiritual shifts brought about by dark retreats. By analyzing participants' phenomenology, impacts on well-being, and the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms, the research aims to establish dark retreats as a distinct landmark on the landscape of non-ordinary experiences.
"At a time when psychedelic research dominates discussions of consciousness exploration, the Spark grant initiative affords us a unique path to investigate non-pharmacological routes to transformative states," said Nicco Reggente, founder and Research Director of IACS. "What particularly excites us is studying the heart-brain dialogue in these contemplative states. By mapping this terrain where ancient wisdom meets modern science, we're working to democratize profound experiences."
The research hypothesizes that the disproportionate healing benefits of dark retreats stems from a return to a fundamental state of unaltered consciousness, termed the 'reduction base of innate wholeness" — a core condition of human experience free from external stimuli and learned patterns. While over 17,000 studies exist on mindfulness and diurnal meditations, dark retreats remain largely unexplored scientifically, despite their emergence from secrecy as public figures discover and share their remarkable benefits.
“By removing all stimuli, all distractions, and all of our habitual ways of checking out, Dark Retreats put us in contact with the Perception Box Seed Story upon which our entire identity structure was built,” said Elizabeth R. Koch, founder of Unlikely Collaborators. “They offer an opportunity to fully transcend our perceived limitations and learn who we really are. We’re thrilled that one of our first Spark grants will support this incredible collaboration.”
For more information about the project and its collaborators, visit the The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Andrew Holecek’s work, and Sky Cave Retreats.
