What if you could talk to God? Not through prayer, but through thought? Where you would be able to converse directly, and receive direct answers. One group of scientists believed it was possible and set out to do just that. They were going to open the gateway of the mind.
In 1983 a team of scientists theorized that a human, denied access to any of their senses, would be able to perceive the presence of God. They believed that the senses clouded the awareness of eternity, and without them a human could actually establish communication with God by thought. All they had to do was test their theory.
They sought out volunteers for their experiment, and an elderly man stepped up. The scientists performed a complex operation on the man, severing every sensory nerve connection to the brain, leaving him unable to see, hear, taste, smell, or feel. All he had left was muscle function and the ability to speak, though he could not hear anything.
Scientists monitored the man, and at first all he spoke about was the state of his mind in jumbled, slurred sentences. After about four days, he reported that he was hearing what sounded like hushed, unintelligible voices in his head. The scientists believed it was merely the onset of psychosis and dismissed the man’s concerns.
It should be noted that sensory deprivation has been known to have psychedelic effects, including hallucinations and hearing things, which began as early as 15-minutes into the deprivation. In those cases, the test subjects were merely placed in pitch-black, soundproof booths for different durations of time.
Just two days later, the man claimed he could hear his dead wife speaking to him, and he was able to communicate back to her with just his mind. Though they were intrigued, the scientists gave it little thought until the man started naming off the scientist’s dead relatives. He had information, personal information that only they would know.
Scared, a large number of the scientists left the study.
After about a week of conversing with the dead, the man became overwhelmed and distressed. He was constantly being bombarded by the numerous voices, anxious to speak with him. He began to throw himself against the wall, willing himself to feel something, gain back at least that sense, but it was useless.
The man begged the scientists to sedate him, quieting his mind so he could escape, if even for a little while.
It worked – for a time, but then he began having horrible nightmares. Not only could he hear the voices, but he could see the dead now as well. The voices of the dead became increasingly hostile, speaking of hell and the end of the world. At one point scientists recorded him yelling, “No heaven, no forgiveness” for five hours straight.
He begged to be killed, but was refused yet again. The scientists were sure he was on the brink of establishing contact with God.
Another day went by and the man could no longer form coherent sentences. He began biting chunks of flesh from his arm. To stop him, the scientists restrained him on a table.
After a few hours of struggling and screaming, he fell silent. He stared blankly at the ceiling, tears silently spilling from his eyes. The man lay there for two weeks, crying constantly.
As if out of nowhere, the man turned his head and, despite being blind, made focused eye contact with one of the scientists. He whispered, “I have spoken with God, and he has abandoned us.” The man died then, with no apparent cause of death.
If this sounds like fiction, then you are absolutely correct. The story, titled “The Gateway of the Mind” is a creepypasta and can be found in its entirety here, or at Creepypasta.com.
Although the story isn’t real, it does make you wonder. What would happen if a person were cut off from all of their senses? It is said that when a person loses a sense, such as sight, their other senses become heightened. They can hear better, have a better sense of touch. Does that amplify when two senses are taken away?
Is it illogical to believe that the mind would be highly elevated without the distraction of any senses, or would it simply lead to madness?
Did the elderly man really speak to the dead, and God, or had he simply gone mad?
Sensory deprivation has been used by the military for purposes of interrogation. In particular, the five techniques of wall-standing, hooding, subjection to noise, sleep deprivation, and food/drink deprivation.
In the civilian world, sensory deprivation is used as a tool to reduce stress and encourage relaxation. This is achieved through the use of sensory deprivation tanks and chambers where the subject is monitored for safety.
Religion is often a controversial subject. For some, it is a belief system. For others, it’s a tool used for control. While some people claim they can “talk to God,” others focus on the end of the world. One example, is the story of Revelation 12 and the Tribulation. A prediction that never came to fruition.
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