Experiments in Isolation

Intelligence agencies such as the CIA developed new and disturbing methods of interrogation based on the findings of researchers like the University of Manitoba's Dr. John Zubek.  

Created by Nelle Oosterom

 — Posted July 20, 2010
A volunteer undergoes an experiment in sensory isolation at a lab at the University of Manitoba, circa 1960s.
David Portigal and Co./Courtesy University of Manitoba Archives

When a professor at the University of Manitoba started doing experiments in sensory deprivation in the 1960s, few people thought anything of it.

No one then realized that intelligence agencies such as the CIA would use the findings of researchers like Dr. John Zubek to develop new and disturbing methods of interrogation.

Award-winning journalist Cecil Rosner has followed this story over the years.

Here is Cecil Rosner being interviewed by Canada’s History Associate Editor Nelle Oosterom (11 mins, 12 secs):

Cecil Rosner’s article, “Isolation,” appeared in the August-September 2010 issue of Canada’s History magazine.

Themes associated with this article

Related to Science & Technology

Shut Away

Fiction Feature: Lily doesn’t like the school she was sent to just because she learned things more slowly. But she’s happier now because she has a new friend.

Article

Peacetime Killer

The 1918 flu epidemic felled nearly as many Canadians as the preceding war.

Article

Going the Distance

Key moments when technology brought Canadians—and the world—closer.

Article

After the Pandemic

Following a tumultuous year of lockdowns and loss, Canadians are wondering, what comes next? Canada’s experience of past disease outbreaks may provide clues to the post-pandemic future.

Article