Being 'blind' lowers stress levels
- 7 Jun 05, 12:00 AM
Remember the entry from a few days ago about the 'blind' restaurant that's coming to London, where diners sit around in complete darkness in order to really 'appreciate' the food? Well, it seems that this isn't the only entertainment that can be had out of pretending to be visually impaired.
If you're a stressed-out young professional feeling overwhelmed by the frantic pace of modern life, you can now pay £425 to spend a weekend at a countryside retreat, where you are blindfolded for the entire time. The aim of this exercise is to open the "inner eye", and activate the "dream part of the brain, encouraging visions". Honestly, I'm not making this stuff up.
Of course, how quickly you get to this higher level of consciousness is another matter, 'cos the poor sighties have to get used to things like staircases, finding the way to their rooms, bumping into furniture, walking to the end of the garden, and making cups of tea without spilling the hot water and burning their fingers. Bless 'em, eh?
Crippled Monkey spots a potential market here - disability-themed adventure breaks. Be deaf for a weekend! Enjoy a tropical island break with autism! Spend a few days sightseeing in a wheelchair! (Oh, I forgot, Gaby Roslin's already done that, hasn't she?)
But back to the story, which you can find in last weekend's . At the end of the weekend, you get to take the blindfold off and 'see' again. The writer, Katy Weitz, describes it as: "the sight of nature in all its majesty was overwhelming. I could see everything. From the tiniest hair on the outside of a leaf to the iridescent sequins on the inside of a petal and the minuscule contours on the body of a dragonfly." Blimey. We're back to Gaby's "I feel so lucky" moment as she stood up from her wheelchair, aren't we?
I'm going to suggest to the Ouch team that we produce some Ouch-branded blindfolds, in order to offer our sighted readers that authentic 'blind experience' in the comfort of your own home. And we won't charge £425 for them, either.
Comments
Over £400 to be blind for a week? I got my blindness for free!