"How extreme isolation warps the mind"

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How extreme isolation warps the mind, Michael Bond, 14 May 2014, www.BBC.com

My own theory goes something like this...

All that we perceive is the result of our imagination.

All raw sensory input is interpreted by our imagination.

If there is little or no sensory input, such as while sleeping or in extreme isolation, our imagination proceeds to rummage around through our memories for "input" to re-interpret.

This extrapolating and recombining and juxtapositioning is the process by which we solve problems and think creatively. The process by which we "imagine."


What if however, we have little or no experience in inputless-creative thinking? What if all of our experiences have been entirely reactive to our senses, primarily from interactions with others?

We could find ourselves unequipped to organize this rather chaotic free-association of sensory-deprived imagination.

Some people, by aptitude or experience, even come to depend on some amount of sensory-deprivation in order to think more creatively.

Writers seek isolation when working on a novel. Programmers require lots of uninterrupted solitude. Scientific theorists like Einstein and Hawking spend vast amounts of time in solitude to imagine new angles from which to examine ideas.

Perhaps a "warped mind" is a terrible thing to waste?