The CIA’s Favorite Form of Torture
June 7th, 2007Via: Salon:
Sensory deprivation, as CIA research and other agency interrogation materials demonstrate, is a remarkably simple concept. It can be inflicted by immobilizing individuals in small, soundproof rooms and fitting them with blacked-out goggles and earmuffs. “The first thing that happens is extraordinary hallucinations akin to mescaline,” explained McCoy. “I mean extreme hallucinations” of sight and sound. It is followed, in some cases within just two days, by what McCoy called a “breakdown akin to psychosis.”
It is therefore as insidious as some forms of obviously abusive coercion that are likely to be forbidden under the new CIA rules, like waterboarding, the technique of strapping a subject to a board with his feet raised and pouring water on his face to produce a sensation of imminent death. Legally, however, sensory deprivation is more nebulous than physical abuse, and that is what worries human rights advocates.
I’ve always wondered how a person practised in meditation would be able to cope with that.
Man!!!!
I gotta pay $50 for an hour in floatation tank
and the CIA’s givin it away fo’ free!
This is why we must all come to terms with the fact that we are much more than human bodies. Within the paradigm of human body = self the human soul is disregarded. This type of torture is the microcosmic inversion of the need for silence and self reflection. If one could develop the ability to leave the physical vehicle with the soul (what’s been referred to as astral travel) this type of treatment would be useless, as with most forms of torture, one would simply choose to leave the body with full self awareness intact.
Strange perhaps to some, but true nonetheless. We need only consider the ability of those near death or those elderly individuals who choose to leave, after a word, meeting or understanding, to depart for the ‘other side’.
Astral travel with full awareness need not mean death either, it would be a temporary departure until (if) the physical conditions become more conducive to consciousness.
“I’ve always wondered how a person practised in meditation would be able to cope with that.”
I’ve spent long periods of time, up to 6 hours, in meditation staring at a single point. Once you get into the right frame of mind, time doesn’t really matter
Truth is, I doubt most people could stand to be alone with themselves and be unable to move for more than a 10 minutes before they start to feel like ants are crawling on their skin.
Most people are living inside their heads, sort of in a fantasy auto-pilot already, so taking away the physical senses makes them lose their point of reference. If you can calm your mind and slow it down the effects of solitary are lessened.
Also known as solitary confinement, or “The Hole.”
They used to sell, maybe still do, those floatation tanks where you wore your goggles and float in a solution. From what I heard you could flip out if someone wasn’t watching out for you. Like JL was saying… the CIA gives it to you for free, but of course, its and exclusive membership.