Prisoner's cinema
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The Prisoner's Cinema is a phenomenon reported by prisoners confined to dark cells and others kept in darkness, voluntarily or not, for long periods of time. It has also been reported by truck drivers, pilots, and practitioners of intense meditation.
The "Cinema" consists of a "light show" of various colors that appear out of the darkness. The light has a form but those that have seen it find it difficult to describe. Sometimes, the Cinema lights resolve into human or other figures.
Scientists believe that the Cinema is a result of phosphenes combined with the psychological effects of prolonged exposure to darkness. Oster (1970) hypothesized that some reports of ghosts can be attributed to this phenomenon. Others have noted a connection between the form the lights take on and neolithic cave paintings (see References).
