What is the longest period of time you have spent alone?

Question

What were the psychological effects of thi? How long was it? When?

Answer 1

the efects of lonliness dose not always effect one that much it can drive some a bit mad, but the effects of continuess lonelyness can be seen by looking at the british transport driver, in the old days these men used to go in transoport digs when away from home, in these places they met and made freinds with men from all over the country, they would chat and laugh go out dancing or a movie perhaps even bingo, the government but sleeper cabs on the trucks so they could sleep in the cab. and gave them a tachogragh wich dictated to them like a paper nazi, splitting them from their comrades, if one went in a transport cafe in the 60s one would see them flocking together very easy and it was good now if you see them on motorway service station they are alone and seperate from each outher and have lost ability to communicate like they used to,one can go for weeks and all the words that pass your lips are hello, goodby, sign here . where do yer want yer goods, bacon butty pleas and a few outher centenses. It creeps up on one, and after about ten years on the road it begins to have an auful effect.

Answer 2

So far 4 series of 10 day meditations. Just finished one a week ago. The others were spaced out over 2 years. Totally alone, no one around, no speaking and very little to stimulate the senses.

Because I had to be with my own thoughts and try for stillness and no thoughts, emotions came up. I let them and cried etc. The first one was fantastic and I loved the solitude. The second more difficult cause I was more emotional. 3rd one was great until I stopped then I fell into a hole of agitation. So far this fourth one has been good. Today I went down a little, but answering this is good therapy, ie keep active!

Then on another occasion 5 weeks. House sitting. I would walk though to get exercise. In that time I would have spoken about 5 sentences but wouldn't have spoken had people not said hello as I was passing.

I loved the peacefulness of it. BUT I am more of a involuted type person anyway and I love solitude.

Meditation by the way, unless you start out doing it in small measures, ie 2 days to begin, then 3, then 5, you can go nuts. I mean seriously lose it.

I have a spiritual teacher who monitors my meditations, knows where I am, what I am doing......so basically I have been trained to do them through other practices.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Not long enough. The affects (effects - do'h) are that I never have enough time to do what I want to do and to be in my own head for long enough. The longest I have physically spent alone is about 2 days on a retreat on Mull about 7 years ago when I was 33 - I dearly wish I could have been 2 years!

Answer 4

one day. It was heaven. I didn't realise i could enjoy my own company so much. The psychological effects were nothing except for the realisation that i would like to give myself those days where i don't have to have people around me. I still wish for a day or 2 where i wouldn't encounter anyone and i could do it for longer. It was over 5 years ago by the way. It's quite difficult to spend time on your own when all your friends and family know where you live and have all your telephone/mobile numbers etc

Answer 5

my boyfriend was alone for 3 months when he had physics..he,s better now 5years later.he said it was like being between awake and asleep. on a trip of confusion in a paradox world couldn't sleep didn't have a direction .the only help he had was is drive and determination and soul and heart..and he put a jigsaw together to escape the hell he was trapped in.every emotion and feeling a human posses was felt on the journey joy fear total oneness.he said after losing his fear and pain the Budda in him was noticed.he said the world he was in seamed a bit like a second chance if you made the right decisions.George Orwell's 1984 came to mind ..the flashbacks the daydreams staring into space .questions the governments ideas .how slow they are at acting .theres problems in every country famine. murder rape .and my boyfriend says he spent 3months trying to get out of hell to live in this shite.that's all what confuses him.but he said if you live by the ten commandments.and be nice natured forget about material things .you go to heaven .so this must be the waiting room.hes got his own bussiness loves work and people.and he said when the kids get abit older and he can have abit of spare time to himself.he will right the book he,s craving to right.how to get off heroin and stay off it. why it got planted by demonds. the trick of the devil.and so on and so on..

Answer 6

5 Days. Trust me, in a place where you have several younger sisters and a brother constantly pushing and pulling you to the edge and two insufferable parents putting bouts of pressure on you, 5 whole days to just unwind and enjoy some peace and quite are nothing less then pure bliss.

I was less stressful, found time to read, enjoyed some tv programs I have not seen in a while and by the end of the 5 days was in a state of surprising optimissim. What broke that? When they came home the first thing my mother asked me was if I watered her plants. Fine thanks and how are you?

Answer 7

Vision quest that lasted 4 days was the longest intentional time. It was a long meditation. I was homeless for a year and a half and seldom spoke to anyone. I did not feel human from the isolation.

Answer 8

Eight hours on a Saturday when it was my day off an i thought i needed a break then i realized i actually did not want to be alone i missed all the noise my kids made and my husband asking me to do something.

Answer 9

ALone how? NO contact, no significant other, no dates?? I've done months, probably over a year. There is no psycological affect to being alone. Alone and lonely are very different.

It's great. No BS from other people, peace, quiet, less hustle and bustle, no pushy friends.

Answer 10

I would say two or three days, got pretty lonely, I just did a lot of cleaning and stuff around the house that I never want to do when people were around and watched a ton of movies!