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Solitary Confinement and Sensory Deprivation

Gamine

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Regarded as a form of control, torture or an underlying theme of torture, solitary confinement has the potential to change the way we think and behave. National Geographic has found volunteers to undergo solitary confinement, they began their participation on the second of April. They are being video taped throughout their experience:

Solitary Confinement - National Geographic Channel

Interview with expert on solitary confinement

In another realm, deprivation of another sort is sought and sold as a form of meditation and therapy, sensory deprivation.

Hallucinations and sensory dep tank

These people want to sell it to you

They are interesting topics individually, however I am looking for opinions and thoughts on them together.

1) Initial thoughts on using solitary confinement as torture or corrective measure
2) Would you ever volunteer for an investigation like the one National Geographic is conducting?
3) Would you ever be interested in experiencing a sensory deprivation tank?
4) Have you ever experienced periods of time without social interaction that left you in a state similar to the one described in the interview?

Some "what if" statements for you to play with if you'd like...

5) What if sensory deprivation tanks were used as punishment or torture....?
6) What if the effects of sensory dep were never formally explored...?
 

JocktheMotie

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1) For some, it can probably be pretty debilitating. He didn't really seem to be able to give much in terms of data, but this is partly because of the difficulty in gathering it.

2) Definitely. I wonder what it'd be like. How long I could last. No books would suck though :(

3)Yes.

4)No, can't say that I have. If anything they've been peaceful. Couple days here and there and I've always come out of them very refreshed, if not a bit disheveled.
 

Walking Tourist

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Um. Yuck. I've been in the segregation unit in prison... fortunately for only one night at a time. It's very unpleasant, like being in a bad, unenlightened zoo. I wouldn't relish a rerun of that experience and, for sure, I wouldn't do it voluntarily...
 

jenocyde

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I'll write more on this later, but I would totally volunteer for that experiment.

I wonder if they would give me a pen and some paper...
 
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Phantonym

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1) Initial thoughts on using solitary confinement as torture or corrective measure

I think that for some people, experiencing something like this only for a short while can really work wonders. As a corrective measure, it might knock some sense into them. For some, it could only worsen their "defiance" or whatever, even if it lasts for longer periods.

I'm not that keen on torturing people, but obviously it can be used effectively for that. Ugh, I feel sick even thinking about it because in my mind using something like this for torture would involve some seriously drastic measures and very long periods of exposure to solitary confinement. But, again, I guess this varies individually, some can crack in a heartbeat.

2) Would you ever volunteer for an investigation like the one National Geographic is conducting?

Oh, yes, definitely. I would love to know how I could manage in extreme situations psychologically, physically. This interests me very much.

3) Would you ever be interested in experiencing a sensory deprivation tank?

Yes. Absolutely.

4) Have you ever experienced periods of time without social interaction that left you in a state similar to the one described in the interview?

I can't say that I have. I'm already on the extreme introversion side, so long periods without social interaction (this includes the Internet) are not foreign to me. However, there's always plenty of stuff to occupy my mind with. That is so much different than solitary confinement. I can always change things when I choose to in real life even when there's no social interaction, I can take a walk and feel the freedom through that whereas in solitary confinement I would only have my mind. If there was a possibility to get out of the cell when I choose to and just walk around without having no social interaction, I think I would do just fine, but the physical confinement starts to affect the mind to such an extent that you start to feel trapped in your mind as well. That's when things start to go wrong.

5) What if sensory deprivation tanks were used as punishment or torture....?

It's the same thing with solitary confinement. It definitely works. Deprive people from something they need long enough and you can see negative results.

6) What if the effects of sensory dep were never formally explored...?

Can anything be really explored to the minute detail? People are all different and respond differently to a number of things, so you can never really know what will happen.
 

NightSkyGirl

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1) Initial thoughts on using solitary confinement as torture or corrective measure

I'm currently reading a book called The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism which actually goes in depth about this type of torture(including sensory deprivations and others) and how it has been used through out time. I'm actually against all types of torture and I'm very much pro-human rights so the idea of any form of torturing a person is just incomprehensible to me.

2) Would you ever volunteer for an investigation like the one National Geographic is conducting?

Definitely not. I dont think I would like the idea not so much of being alone but being constanlty observed.

3) Would you ever be interested in experiencing a sensory deprivation tank?

Eeep, it sounds sort of scary. I've done things like walk in complete darkness to know what it would feel like not to know where I'm going. But complete sensory deprivation is very extreme.

4) Have you ever experienced periods of time without social interaction that left you in a state similar to the one described in the interview?

Well I became agoraphobic for 3 years but I still had interaction with my family at home so I dont think it would count as extreme. Still, it is definitely not fun. I enjoy being by myself but the idea of not being able to have the opposite should I wish it is very depressive.
 

simulatedworld

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I'm afraid I would devolve into an early ape-like predecessor to humans, run to the zoo and eat a small sheep.
 
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Ginkgo

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I'm afraid I would devolve into an early ape-like predecessor to humans, run to the zoo and eat a small sheep.

I would mount a gorilla and run amuck in the zoo with two revolvers and an integrated rocket launcher of the head of the gorilla. It would be like the battle of Los Angeles, but with crusty haired apes.
 

simulatedworld

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I would mount a gorilla and run amuck in the zoo with two revolvers and an integrated rocket launcher of the head of the gorilla. It would be like the battle of Los Angeles, but with crusty haired apes.

You sound like you've had some experience with isolation tanks already, hmm?
 

Saslou

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1) Initial thoughts on using solitary confinement as torture or corrective measure

Possibly short term may be OK on adults only .. Never children.

2) Would you ever volunteer for an investigation like the one National Geographic is conducting?

I'd give it a go ..

3) Would you ever be interested in experiencing a sensory deprivation tank?

Sure, for the experience.

4) Have you ever experienced periods of time without social interaction that left you in a state similar to the one described in the interview?

Years ago when living out in the sticks and on anti-depressants, i didn't interact with anyone .. It didn't help my mental state at all.
 
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Epiphany

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Solitary Confinement

[YOUTUBE="8ZIeLw31dsg"]Solitary Confinement[/YOUTUBE]
 

Walking Tourist

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When I was in prison, I was placed in segregation a few times. Fortunately, I was never in there for very long. It was a most unpleasant experience. But after I got out of the cage, I realized that I was stronger than I thought that I was and that I had survived the worst that the prison could do to me.
But I still don't like being alone for long periods of time.
 
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