Controversy Surrounds Secretive Practices at Baravara Retreat Amid Calls for Transparency

The Baravara retreat in Dalarna, Sweden, has come under critical scrutiny for its secretive and potentially harmful methods, despite praise from celebrities such as Bianca Ingrosso and Måns Zelmerlöw, as well as ambitious entrepreneurs. Nina Svanberg from Expressen attended the retreat undercover and reported that the owner, Gayan, insists on strict confidentiality about the retreat’s activities, stating, “Whatever you do, don't tell anyone what we do here at Baravara. It just scares them.” This secrecy fuels suspicion around its practices (125969).

Critics highlight the retreat’s intense program, which isolates participants from the outside world, enforces poor sleeping conditions, unusual diets, and extensive physical exercises. Long meditation sessions reportedly induce trance-like states, while expressions of doubt or dissent are dismissed as a lack of openness. Helena Löfgren, a psychotherapist with personal experience in cults, condemns the ethical implications, warning that such methods "can trigger psychoses" and describes the environment as deeply problematic and ethically irresponsible (125968).

These contrasting views reveal a troubling dynamic: while Baravara markets itself as a transformative wellness destination favored by high-profile individuals, its opaque and rigorous practices raise serious psychological risks and ethical concerns. The insistence on secrecy compounds these issues, preventing transparent assessment and public understanding of the retreat’s true impact. As the debate continues, calls for greater scrutiny of Baravara’s methods grow louder within Sweden’s health and wellness discourse.