Imagine being confined to a small, dark room, with no social interaction whatsoever for 30 days. Not many people would jump at this opportunity. But sometime in mid-September of 2018, a professional US poker player Rich Alati sat down to a poker table with fellow poker pro Rory Young, who he had met a week before. The two engaged in a conversation that ended up in a very interesting place.
Young asked Alati how long he thought he could survive in complete darkness in a confined space. When Alati responded a month, Young wanted to make a bet. Within an hour, they had it. If Alati could stay in a room for a month with no lights and almost no human interaction, he would win $100,000. Anything short of that, Young would be declared the winner and Alati would owe Young.
After the bet was agreed upon Young explained the rules. “The conditions are complete darkness, so no electronics, no light-emitting devices, no drugs of any kind,” Young said. “He is allowed any type of food that he wants. He has a bed in there, he has a shower and a bathtub. He has pretty lavish toiletries like Epsom salts, sugar scrubs, that kind of stuff.”
Alati was confident. He had practiced meditation and yoga, and was certain his experiences at silent retreats would help him. On November 21, a crowd of families and friends gathered at the house where the challenge would take place. Alati and Young’s lawyers were there as well as cameramen from a production company interested in buying television rights to the story. For that reason, as well as safety, the entire bet would be recorded. Alati’s father was given the power to pull Alati out at any time should he show signs of not being “in the right headspace,” as Alati puts it.
Alati was kept in a small, completely dark room with nothing but a bed, fridge and bathroom. The bathroom mirrors were covered to prevent any reflection, and the doors, though unlocked, were sealed to block out any light. A mattress was wedged between the sink and a countertop. In front of the sink and next to the mattress was Alati’s yoga mat. And across from that was the bathtub.
In order to further warp the mind of Alati over his month-long stint, Young made sure he got his food delivered on an irregular schedule to make it harder for him to figure out how much time has passed.
Even with all the resources he needed to survive, Alati couldn’t last the month. After 20 days he negotiated his release, taking a payout of US$62,400.
There are countless negative effects that social isolation and extreme isolation can have on our minds and bodies. Alati was no exception, reporting that he experienced a range of side effects, including changes to his sleep cycle, and hallucinations.
.
“There had to be another path” – Lisel in Utah shares her son’s success
Now, after working with Susan and the Edublox program for the last 5 months, Carsten is reading 6 and 7 letter words and the most amazing part is he is spelling them as well! AMAZING! I never would have thought he would be spelling words that large so quickly. I asked his school teacher about what she has seen and she told me she’s seen a big difference... Continue Reading
March 12, 2020
Video gallery: Parents and children sharing real stories on overcoming learning disabilities
Watch videos and listen to interviews, covering Edublox clients of all age groups and from all over the world, at various stages of implementation and for various needs: from overcoming reading difficulties to severe dyslexia, dyscalculia, low IQ, et cetera. Continue Reading
December 22, 2019
Life-changing: Dyslexic’s reading improves from the 1st to the 55th percentile!
Meet Maddie, a 10-year-old who had been diagnosed with severe dyslexia, moderate dyscalculia, ADHD and low IQ (low 80s). People who had evaluated her said that they had never seen dyslexia as severe as this before. Her parents had been told by more than one professional that Maddie would probably never read... Continue Reading
May 23, 2019
“I would not have thought it possible four years ago” – Beth in Fullerton shares her daughter’s success
As for my daughter, I thought you would like to know that she is in her first year of high school and is in honors English and geometry and AP History. Her elective reading for English was Hemingway and now Homer's Iliad. She got a very good report card this term too. Continue Reading
November 13, 2017
“Handwriting is no longer an issue” – Jennifer Gilliland
After thirty hours, I can honestly say his handwriting is no longer an issue. It has become automatic for him to write neatly and legibly, whereas before, his writing varied depending on the day and the amount of effort he was willing to put in to be neat. This has also positively affected his ability to compose a written paragraph... Continue Reading
February 26, 2017
“Now he reads with ease and confidence” – Sheri Browning
As a matter of fact, he enjoys reading so much that it isn’t unusual to see him reading for pleasure now. The first time I heard him say he was “going to bed a little early so he could read before going to sleep” was music to my ears!! Continue Reading
December 19, 2016
“I feel as if part of my daughter’s mind was trapped, and Edublox set her free” – The Adams household
She is now almost an intuitive speller. Really, it's a miracle. Six months ago, her spelling tested at a Kindergarten level, and is now at a 6th grade level. This is just still so amazing to all of us who have struggled with her. Continue Reading
December 15, 2016
Reading and Spelling Greatly Improved
Phonics just did not work. Last year they did not improve in their reading level all year. We started Edublox in June and already in the first 9 weeks of school they have increased over 2 1/2 years.... Their spelling has greatly improved and learning new words has become a game, not the dreaded chore it once was. Continue Reading
Nita Brist, Washington State, US
December 11, 2016
“He finished the school year on a real high, his reading age went up by 2 years in less than 6 months”
His spelling age improved as well and he also did really well in the end of year exams with his best results in most subjects. Continue Reading
December 6, 2016
“After six weeks the improvements were very obvious” – Cindy in Michigan
The most noticeable improvement came with Math, because we were struggling trying to do his math at grade level (3rd grade), but then around six weeks into Edublox he could do his math at grade level (with the exception of telling time on a face clock and counting money). Continue Reading
December 1, 2016
