Erik Buckingham approximately 180 words
INTD 105: Science Writing
Thoughts on Postcards from the Edge of Consciousness”
By: Erik Buckingham
In “Postcards from the Edge of Consciousness,” Meehan Christ uses sensory deprivation to heighten her senses and allow herself to relax. Sensory deprivation involves laying in a dark room with a tub that resembles a large shower room. The tub is filled with salt water that is more concentrated than the dead sea, and there is a button to the right of where the person lays that shuts off all of the lights in the tub room if it is clicked. After the lights are shut off and the person is laying in the tub, they begin to hear their heart beat, blood circulation, nervous system, and organs.
This reading speaks to the relationship between arts and sciences through the rich details that Megan Christ gives in her description of the sounds that she hears. She states that an air bubble coming up behind her ear feels like a “truck coming around” the curve of her head. I found that this was an excellent example of creative writing while helping us better understand how heightened our hearing is during sensory deprivation.