4 ms·

It really depends on the size of the cell. I was in a cell at one point that had just enough room for my mat, and room for me to place my foot on either side of

It really depends on the size of the cell. I was in a cell at one point that had just enough room for my mat, and room for me to place my foot on either side of the mat. The floor was filthy, so my mat was like my island. I suppose you could do push ups on your mat, but the lack of space is very psychologically oppressive. I did meditate, and it relieved the stress of being confined alone in that small space, but it was pretty rough. The worst part was trying to fall asleep with all of the ambient noise and light. It's not like sitting at home in your bedroom, I do that now and have no problem being alone for long periods of time (hours and days). Solitary confinement is pretty rough.

wolfgke 9y ago
Thanks for your personal perspective. So slowly some picture arises in my mind that not being alone for a really long time per se is the real problem in solitary confinement (which I am still really sure that it by tself would not be a problem for me - which does not imply that this holds for other people, too), but rather the other additional circumstances of the "solitary jail life" which are mitigated for "ordinary prisoners".
- graeme 9y ago
  >but rather the other additional circumstances of the "solitary jail life" which are mitigated for "ordinary prisoners". In my own comment, I wasn't clear enough that I also had this in mind. There's a lot you can do to make your own environment comfortable. In prison solitary, nothing at all. Coincidentally, I just finished reading this book. It gives an incredible view into the mind of a hostage kept in similar conditions: https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Guy-Delisle/dp/1770462791/ https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Guy-Delisle/dp/1770462791/ (On the off chance you read French, it's originally in that language, and probably better to read that way if you can) I picked it up for bedtime reading and couldn't put it down. I read the entire thing, into the middle of the night.
- adaptivecells 9y ago
  Yes, I'm happy on my own. I work at home, I like spending long periods of time on my own without much social interaction (though I'm not against socializing). It's a very oppressive environment with a lot of factors feeding into it. The deprivation of sensory input and things to distract yourself with really kicks you into a weird mental space after a few hours. I was staring at marks on the wall for long periods of time. I would make repetitive movements with my arm, slapping it against my chest, doing that until I got bored and moving onto something else. Having no sense of time, how much time is passing, and not being able to get a break from it, it just becomes a really deep churning that can suck you in like a vortex and you can't really escape it.
- adaptivecells 9y ago
  As I mentioned in a post on this thread, I was just doing weekends, so it only lasted for 52 hours. It would take a lot of mental fortitude to survive days or weeks (or god forbid, years) of it. It breaks people and they don't just magically get better once their sentence is finished. It's quite horrible.

wolfgke 9y ago

Thanks for your personal perspective. So slowly some picture arises in my mind that not being alone for a really long time per se is the real problem in solitary confinement (which I am still really sure that it by tself would not be a problem for me - which does not imply that this holds for other people, too), but rather the other additional circumstances of the "solitary jail life" which are mitigated for "ordinary prisoners".

graeme 9y ago
>but rather the other additional circumstances of the "solitary jail life" which are mitigated for "ordinary prisoners". In my own comment, I wasn't clear enough that I also had this in mind. There's a lot you can do to make your own environment comfortable. In prison solitary, nothing at all. Coincidentally, I just finished reading this book. It gives an incredible view into the mind of a hostage kept in similar conditions: https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Guy-Delisle/dp/1770462791/ https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Guy-Delisle/dp/1770462791/ (On the off chance you read French, it's originally in that language, and probably better to read that way if you can) I picked it up for bedtime reading and couldn't put it down. I read the entire thing, into the middle of the night.
adaptivecells 9y ago
Yes, I'm happy on my own. I work at home, I like spending long periods of time on my own without much social interaction (though I'm not against socializing). It's a very oppressive environment with a lot of factors feeding into it. The deprivation of sensory input and things to distract yourself with really kicks you into a weird mental space after a few hours. I was staring at marks on the wall for long periods of time. I would make repetitive movements with my arm, slapping it against my chest, doing that until I got bored and moving onto something else. Having no sense of time, how much time is passing, and not being able to get a break from it, it just becomes a really deep churning that can suck you in like a vortex and you can't really escape it.
adaptivecells 9y ago
As I mentioned in a post on this thread, I was just doing weekends, so it only lasted for 52 hours. It would take a lot of mental fortitude to survive days or weeks (or god forbid, years) of it. It breaks people and they don't just magically get better once their sentence is finished. It's quite horrible.