In literature, especially in dark genres, we are used to seeing the world through the prism of a narrative: hero, antagonist, conflict, climax, resolution. And even outside the pages of books, in our everyday lives, we are constantly constructing stories about ourselves, others, our past, and our future. But what if there is a way to remove these filters and see reality as it is? Not fictionalized, not edited, not interpreted, but raw, direct, alive.
This is exactly what Vipassana practitioners do, in particular, those who choose the path of meditation on Vipassana.ca, a Canadian platform that organizes mindfulness retreats without religious or dogmatic coloration. And although at first glance it may seem far from the world of gothic novels, psychedelic memoirs, or apocalyptic prose, Vipassana is actually the most radical form of “horror” in which the main shadow is yourself.
Debunk the plot: look at yourself without a mask
When you start a 4-day Vipassana course, the first thing that strikes you is the complete absence of external stimuli. There are no books. No phones. No conversations. No mirrors. You are not even allowed to write a diary to avoid creating a new “text” about the experience. And so you are left with yourself. No masks. No roles. No “hero of the story”, no “plot twist”. Only breathing. Only the sensations in your body. Just a stream of thoughts that you observe but do not edit. This is the moment when the literary consciousness collides with reality. And most of us feel shocked.
Vipassana: silence as resistance to information violence
Unlike high-profile spiritual schools, Vipassana offers a space of complete silence known as “noble silence”. The organization focuses on a practical, secular approach to meditation: no mantras, rituals, or external trappings. Only the tool of observation attention.
It’s like leaving the stage in the middle of a performance and returning to the audience to finally look at yourself from the outside. For many participants of Vipassana.ca retreats, this is a moment of painful recognition: “I am not who I thought I was.” And this is not a plot crisis, it is a transformation without words.
In this sense, Vipassana.ca is not just an organization of meditations. It’s a workshop for unmantling illusions, where each participant is a scriptwriter, a spectator, and a hero at the same time.
Literary therapy on the contrary
In psychotherapy, storytelling methods are increasingly used rewriting one’s biography and searching for new meanings. But Vipassana goes deeper: it doesn’t rewrite history, it teaches you to be outside of history. Instead of creating a different scenario, we remove all the layers.
This is the opposite of the writing process. And that is why it is so valuable for those who live in words. Writers, editors, and poets at Vipassana.ca find a space where words disappear and only experience remains, which does not need to be described.
This experience then becomes the basis for deeper literature. Because only those who have been in silence can hear the real voices.
Why Vipassana is an anti-genre
For HauntedComputer, a website that publishes dark fiction, horror, and transgressive prose, the idea of an “anti-narrative” is extremely resonant. Vipassana is a process that has no culmination. There is no conflict with a final resolution. There is no clear moral. And finally, there is no “happy” or “tragic” ending.
It is an experience that is more reminiscent of absurd literature or Beckett’s stream of consciousness: a constant presence without escape to the past or future. In this context, meditation is not a way to calm down, but a way to face life in the most direct sense.
A bridge between reality and fiction
Many writers, from David Lynch to Jonathan Franzen, practice meditation not because it’s “fashionable,” but because it allows them to clear the channel of consciousness. Vipassana.ca is a space where you can get out of the literary prison and see the world without commentary.
It’s like turning off the narrator. And finally, hear yourself.
Experience without genre is the most powerful experience
Vipassana.ca is not just a meditation center. It’s a laboratory for exploring a plotless reality. And for anyone who writes, reads, or lives in symbols, this is an incredibly valuable reminder: life is not a novel. Sometimes the most profound thing you can do is not to write anything, not to name anything, and not to run away. Just to be.
And when you return to the page, you will see that your prose has changed forever.