34°03'28.7"N 118°25'48.8"W
DARK THERAPY
The only way out
is in.
SUUVI
Multidisciplinary Artist and Mental Health Advocate
AN AWAKENING
'Dark Therapy was born from a deeply personal journey of healing and transformation. After experiencing a profound mental health crisis and being diagnosed with C-PTSD, I turned to a neuroscience-based approach to recovery. Through studying the brain, trauma, and ancient meditation practices—including extended dark exposure—I discovered the transformative power of introspection and altered states of consciousness in fostering emotional clarity and inner growth. That experience became a turning point, awakening a passion to create tools that bridge art and science to support healing, self-awareness, and transformation in others.'
ART + SCIENCE
Dark Therapy is a groundbreaking interdisciplinary neuroarts project that explores the healing potential of darkness, sound, and stillness as pathways to emotional restoration and self-discovery. Born at the intersection of neuroscience, ancient contemplative practice, and personal transformation, the project invites us to step beyond distraction and into deep presence.
In a world saturated with noise and overstimulation, Dark Therapy responds to the growing need for meaningful introspection by offering immersive soundscapes and narrative experiences designed to recalibrate the nervous system, heighten interoceptive awareness, and guide listeners inward. Drawing inspiration from dark retreats — ancient practices now supported by cutting-edge research on altered states and the “reduction base of innate wholeness” — the project reimagines healing not as a quick fix, but as a nonlinear, self-directed return to wholeness.
Developed in collaboration with leading neuroscientists and consciousness researchers, Dark Therapy merges spatial sound, psychological insight, and embodied stillness into an accessible model for deep inner work — restoring our connection to silence, presence, and the self.
MUSIC
An eight-part immersive album, informed by neuroscience, composed and performed by SUUVI. Designed to be experienced in complete darkness, the work serves as a sonic companion for introspection, meditation, and shadow work.
Blending ambient cello, electronic textures, and contemplative sound design, the album is crafted to deepen interoceptive awareness — the brain’s ability to sense internal bodily signals — by mirroring natural physiological rhythms.
Drawing on research around sensory prioritization, Dark Therapy removes visual stimuli to heighten auditory perception and bodily resonance, guiding listeners into a profound state of inner stillness, emotional processing, and self-exploration.
This album was developed in part at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Technology and Applied Composition Department, where SUUVI was previously artist-inresidence, through support from Barbara Walkowski.
NEUROSCIENCE
Created in collaboration with neuroscientists from UCLA and The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, the music serves as the foundation for a pioneering study investigating how darkness-enhanced listening influences brain function and enhances interoceptive awareness. The research aims to establish a neuroscience-backed listening protocol for deep, meditative journeys that support mental health and emotional regulation—ultimately contributing to a democratized model of care by making tools for inner healing and wellbeing more accessible to all.
FILM
A narrative-change documentary tracing the making of the album and the scientific study while following the story of SUUVI’s personal journey through mental health crisis, misdiagnosis, and healing — ultimately leading her to become a mental health advocate.
Told through the lens of music, identity, and inner stillness, the film explores universal themes: the stigma surrounding mental health, the hidden cost of high achievement, the complexities of belonging, and the alchemy of art and science. The film seeks to dismantle the silence and shame that often surround mental illness by fostering a more compassionate, honest, and human-centered conversation.
Reclaiming silence, darkness, and shadow work as radical tools for transformation, Dark Therapy offers a new vision of healing — one that is nonlinear, self-directed, and grounded in both ancient wisdom and emerging neuroscience.
Featuring commentary from neuroscientists and psychologists at Harvard, UCLA, and the University of San Francisco, as well as professors from Juilliard and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the film bridges disciplines to amplify a richer understanding of the human mind and spirit. At its core, it is a story of reinvention and the courage to rebuild — an ode to those who have walked through darkness to discover their own light.
PARTNERS + ADVISORS
NICCO REGGENTE, Ph.D.
Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA)
BARBARA WALKOWSKI
Board Trustee at San Francisco Conservatory of Music
+ The Metropolitan Opera
SANDY PARAKILAS
PAVAN PANT
Peregrine Falcon Labs
BRIAN LITTEN
StationMD
FRANK FITZPATRICK
Amplified Future
Step into the healing power of darkness.
Support Dark Therapy — a revolutionary neuroarts project transforming overstimulation into stillness, and silence into self-restoration. Donate today and help bring forth this new modality for healing to those who need it most.
Dark Therapy is a fiscally-sponsored project by Opus 1 Foundation.
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