The Psychological Impact: Fear and Isolation
It is rather interesting how the environment affected me psychologically during my 24 hours in the asylum. The isolation aspect is a bit creeping on you slowly, but mostly, at first, you have that throng of excitement about exploring, that adrenaline rush that keeps you on edge. But with time, excitement becomes wearing, and quietness deafening. Every groan of the building, every gust of wind through broken windows is suddenly relevant. Your mind begins playing tricks on you, and before you know it, you’re questioning whether what you are experiencing is real or something concocted.
As I continued deeper into the night, my grip on reality began to slide. But such an oppressive atmosphere of the asylum soon bore upon me in ways I hadn’t quite anticipated. Being totally alone in this place heightens every feeling—you become hyper-sentient of your surroundings, constantly alert, but at the same time, you feel utterly vulnerable to what could come into your life at any moment. It was as if the long stretches of silence between strange happenings made those moments all the more frightful.
