Here is a concise summary of the provided text:
**Title:** The Effects of Sensory Deprivation
**Summary:**
* The text explores the extreme effects of sensory deprivation through historical examples:
1. **Blanche Monier**: A French noblewoman locked in her attic for 25 years by her mother, resulting in severe physical and mental deterioration.
2. **Genie (Pseudonym)**: A girl isolated in her room for 13 years, discovered with stunted physical and mental development.
* Contrasts with voluntary sensory deprivation practices:
1. **Thai darkness retreats**: Participants pay to meditate in total darkness for 9 days, reporting spiritual and mental benefits.
2. **Indian Monk, Amar Bharati**: Held his hand up for 45+ years as a devotion, adapting to the condition over time.
* Discusses the scientific study of sensory deprivation by **John Peter Zubeck**, whose research was later used for interrogation techniques, but also inspired:
1. **Flotation therapy**: Invented by **John Lilly**, now used for relaxation and physical/mental recovery.
**Key Takeaway:** Sensory deprivation can have devastating effects when imposed forcibly, but some individuals voluntarily undertake it for spiritual or therapeutic benefits, highlighting the complex nature of human sensory needs.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, each with a number and in short sentence form, excluding opinions:
**Historical Torture Method**
1. The Tuleanum prison in Ancient Rome used a torture method combining darkness and silence.
2. Prisoners were locked in tightly sealed cells with minimal food and no light.
3. Guards entered barefoot to maintain absolute silence.
**Blanche Monier's Case**
4. Blanche Monier, a noblewoman, was locked in her attic by her mother, Louise, in 19th century France.
5. Blanche was imprisoned for 25 years, surviving on leftovers, without bathing or human interaction.
6. She was found in 1901, aged around 50, weighing 26 kg, and suffering from malnutrition, scurvy, and mental health issues.
7. Blanche developed coprophagia, exhibitionism, schizophrenia, and hallucinations due to prolonged darkness.
8. She died 12 years after her rescue in a psychiatric hospital.
**Genie's Case (Isolated Child)**
9. Genie, a girl, was isolated from society for 13 years (1957-1970), mostly in a basement, tied to a chamber pot.
10. She was discovered at age 13, wearing a diaper, unable to speak, with the intellect of a one-year-old.
11. Genie had severe physical and cognitive impairments due to her isolation.
**Sensory Deprivation Experiments**
12. John Peter Zubeck, a Canadian psychologist, studied sensory deprivation's effects on healthy individuals from the 1950s.
13. Zubeck created a "coffin-like" box for experiments, immobilizing participants for 24 hours or more.
14. Gordon Winokur, a staff member, participated but left after 90 minutes due to extreme discomfort.
15. Zubeck himself spent 10 days in complete darkness and silence, experiencing hallucinations afterward.
**Modern Applications and Cases**
16. In the 1970s, some individuals in Thailand practiced retreats involving 9 days of total darkness for meditation.
17. Sadhu Amar Bharati, an Indian monk, raised his hand in devotion in 1973 and has maintained this position since.
18. Albert Woodfox spent approximately 15,000 days (about 41 years) in solitary confinement, using mental exercises to cope.
19. John Lilly invented the first flotation saline bath in 1954 for studying human consciousness, now used for relaxation therapy.