'Stuck in black hole': Ellen Adarna goes through mental training in Bali

MANILA – Ellen Adarna is not one who usually opens up on social media about her personal life.

Thus, it came as a surprise to some of her followers when she candidly talked about the retreat she signed up for in Bali, Indonesia recently after she realized she’s “getting weaker mentally and emotionally.”

In a series of Instagram Stories, Adarna revealed that she did a 14-day mental training in Bali because she felt “stuck in this black hole for almost 3 years.”

“My antidepressants didn’t do me any good, it made me immobile and numb. I was getting weaker mentally and emotionally—something had to be done,” she said.

@maria.elena.adarna’s Instagram

@maria.elena.adarna’s Instagram

@maria.elena.adarna’s Instagram

@maria.elena.adarna’s Instagram

@maria.elena.adarna’s Instagram

While showing her training, Adarna said her mentor took videos and photos of the whole process for her to see her progress and achievements and how “I dealt with my demons.”

“He documented some of the exercises so I can look back be reminded and say I did it. I was isolated for one week no phone, no contact with the outside world. This is a one-on-one training. 14 days straight. 14 days vegetarian," she said.

One of the things she did was meditate by standing inside a circle for five straight hours. She also had to jump for five kilometers while her feet were tied up “for my sanity.”

Furthermore, there was an exercise where she had to cut Bermuda grass one by one and arrange them harmoniously for four hours.

Now that she’s completed all the exercises, Adarna said she can finally claim that she is “no longer a prisoner in my own mind.”