Coping with Solitary Confinement and the Power of Community

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Robert King shares his personal experience of 31 years in prison, with 29 years in solitary confinement and explains how the brain conserves energy and focuses on necessary functions in isolation. The chapter also discusses Dr. Stephanie Casiopeau's research on loneliness and highlights the importance of belonging to a community to fight the adverse physical health effects of loneliness.

Over the past few weeks many of us have been living more isolated lives than we’re used to. We might not be in government-mandated quarantine but there’s no doubt that COVID-19 has upended our social lives. Yet isolation can be deeply troubling for humans because we’re social animals; and that’s just as true in our current circumstances as it is in very extreme forms of isolation.