The darkness didn't just affect his sleep.
黑暗的环境不仅影响他的睡眠。
It deeply troubled his waking hours as well.
同时也影响着他清醒时的意识。
The nothingness was extremely hard because the question in your head is,
那种空虚感非常难熬，因为头脑中会反复问自己，
how am I going to get through the next ten minutes?
下一个十分钟怎么捱？
Or, months later, how am I going to get through the next day, if there is another day?
这样过了几个月后，我又开始想明天该怎么办，如果还有明天的话？
Is there enough left in my head?
我脑子里还有能想的东西吗？

Until eventually the sensory deprivation became all-consuming.
直到最后，感官剥夺开始耗尽全部身心。
The blackness was palpable.
黑暗如此的真实。
There was nothing there to confirm to me that there was human existence outside me or even in me.
我没有办法让自己相信世界还有人存在，甚至不知道我是否还存在。
I remember on one occasion waking up and having to squeeze my face and my chest
记得有一次我醒过来，然后去掐自己的脸和前胸，
and thinking to myself, "Am I still alive? How do I know I'm alive?"
问自己：我是否还活着？我要怎么才知道我是否还活着？