The Black Room

The Black Room ~ (silent in solitary)

By Len Morgan

    During the Korean War the Chinese developed a method of interrogation that made prisoners susceptible to suggestion, and more willing to communicate generally. They called it ‘HSI NAO’ (wash brain). They discovered that just 5% of prisoners had leadership qualities.   If they could be identified and segregated, from the other 95%, the latter could be left unguarded, and would be unlikely to attempt escape. If the selected 5% were then placed in a room that was permanently lit, and soundproofed day and night. In just a few days they could be softened up sufficiently to become co-operative, and susceptible to indoctrination.

   During the 1960’s, the Canadian defence board set up a ‘Black Room' at McGill University in Montreal.   It was soundproofed, and kept in permanent darkness, with the object of investigating the phenomenon of sensory deprivation.  Princeton University, USA, also built a ‘Black Room’, it containing a bed, toilet, and food store.   It was found that most volunteers who entered the room quickly fell asleep; forty to fifty hours of sleep was not uncommon.

  When they were released, minor illnesses, coughs, colds, and rashes were found to have cleared up.   Smokers, alcoholics, and drug users found that they experienced no cravings during their stay.   This was attributed to the alien environment, and sensory deprivation; conditions that do not exist anywhere else, except perhaps in space, conditions so strange that old habits simply failed to register. 

Although the room was soundproofed, many subjects found they could hear a high pitched whine and a low rumbling sound.  On further investigation, the whine was found to emanate from their nervous system, and the rumble was the sound of blood pulsing around their body.

  Apparently, less intelligent people could stay in the room far longer than those with higher IQ’s.  Intelligent people were far more likely to hit the panic button, sometimes in as little as ten minutes, after waking up.   Student volunteers described their experiences as follows:  For the first few hours you could think clearer, without distractions, the mind goes into overdrive running wild with ideas.   But, then you find it grinds on and on and cannot be switched off.   You’re not physically tired, you’ve just slept for forty-plus hours, at which stage panic sets in, you have acute insomnia, you start to itch, you scratch and it moves to another location, the room seems to be getting warmer…   You can understand that after a few hours without cessation anybody would become susceptible to a few carefully scripted words, from a friendly voice.   A kindly interrogator, soothing and assuring, would make you eager to talk, and share your secrets; you might want to share just to maintain contact with, somebody, anybody.   Conversely, you would become a sponge, ready and eager to soak up any information or new ideas fed to you.  Students reported that a spell in that room prior to exams concentrated the mind wonderfully.

  Curiously animals don’t seem to mind the ‘Black Room’ they will stay in there indefinitely, without ill effect; they just eat, sleep, and defecate.

Further investigation of the ‘Black Room’ revealed the following conclusions:

It had the ability to accelerate the cure of minor ailments; illnesses that normally take days to clear up were cured in a matter of hours in that room.   It has been suggested that it could prove an effective means of treating and curing neuroses.  In responsible hands, it could prove to be a wonderful tool for good.

   I heard of the ‘Black Room’ in the 1980’s but I’ve heard nothing since, suggesting it was either a blind alley or proved very effective; I’ll let you ponder on that. 

  In the meantime, if anybody can shed any further light on its demise I would be very interested.

 

Len Morgan 22/11/2005