Passage (2010-2018)

Part I. Subject

Beginning in the 1950s, the CIA became very interested in psychological research being conducted on the effects of sensory deprivation on humans. The research, that suggested rapid regression in those tested, provided a framework for sections of what would later be known as the KUBARK manual, the first in a series of US-government documents that provided techniques for interrogating detainees. These methods involved radically altering a detainee’s sense of time and environment.

Among these techniques, some developed independently of the manuals by interrogators, were the manipulation of light and sound. In order to weaken the resolve of a detainee and prolong “capture shock,” complete sensory deprivation followed by blasts of light or noise, or very loud music, proved effective. So much so that variations and combinations of these techniques were widely used by the United States as well as both its allies and enemies in Vietnam, Latin America, Northern Ireland, and the Middle East.

Though the idea of sound as a weapon is at least as old as the account of Joshua’s siege of Jericho, it was only recently deemed “inhuman and degrading” for the purposes of interrogation by the European Court of Human Rights in the 1978 case  “Ireland v. the United Kingdom.”

Part II. Ascension

Following traumatic experiences, it is not unusual for survivors to experience frightening flashbacks and dreams; an urge to avoid places, events, or objects that might remind them of the trauma; uncontrollable anxiety, nervousness, and emotional volatility; gaps in memory; and distorted feelings of guilt, blame, and one’s place in the world. Despite these debilitating afflictions, a remarkable number of survivors significantly decrease or eliminate their symptoms with proper treatment.

Part III. Testify

Both publicly and privately, many survivors seek justice and raise awareness through word and action. Not motivated only by retribution, they offer first-person evidence as well as pathways to empathy and reconciliation.

Whether addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or the United States Congress, too often survivors’ testimony is met with inaction. Institutional apathy, lack of international cooperation, and limited or absent public outrage allow the cycle to continue.

Nevertheless, the conviction and courage of these survivors are powerful inspirations for all of us to confront and combat oppression, subjugation, and injustice.