Some people find themselves stranded on mountains, deep inside forests or even in war zones. If Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore were stranded in space for nine months, then a group of Mucutuy siblings, four of them, were lost in the dense Amazon jungles for 40 days. Recently, a Peruvian fisherman got lost at sea and was found 95 days later. While stories like these and many more display resilience, they also change the outlook people (in those situations) have towards life. What does being stranded for long periods of time in extreme environments do to the human mind and body?
‘DREAMS AREN’T SIMPLE TO ACHIEVE’
Entrepreneur Kavitha Kanaparthi, founder and CEO of Soulverse Inc. and ultra running race director, found herself in quite the pickle, as she likes to describe it, stranded in Pooh, Himachal Pradesh, during the Uttarakhand floods for a whole week, before being airlifted amidst a whirlwind of pressure and uncertainty in 2013. “We were asked to leave at 5 am. I woke up to the ring of the landline phone. The caller asked me to look out of the window. I pulled the curtains to see what looked like stalagmites,” says Kavitha.
Everything outside had washed away — the roads, buildings, and people — and there was no way out. “It was seven days of counting down minutes and seconds before being airlifted. ‘Is the universe telling me something?’ I asked myself then. I craved hearing my mom’s voice, my dad’s wise words, and hugging my sisters tight. I wanted to promise them that I would not venture into uncharted lands again,” recalls Kavitha.
“It was a surreal experience for me. My passion for running has put me into the life-threatening situations several times before.”
In that moment, Kavitha wanted to promise her family that she would not venture into uncharted lands again. By the day I left the place, though, there was a certain peace and calm that came about. In the immediate days of the turmoil, I felt as equipped to handle any situation and also did not like being in the city surrounded by people. I felt a sense of wisdom taking root, much like what yogis experience after years of meditation. Accepting life as it is and resilience came naturally in the years after this,” says Kavitha.
HOW EXTREME ISOLATION WARPS THE MIND
Human beings, if left isolated for long periods of time, can sense a feeling of deprivation, says Dr Era Dutta, MD psychiatry, consultant psychiatrist and founder Mind Wellness.
“After all, it is our evolutionary need to be in a group. Man is a social animal,” she says.
● Social isolation: Prolonged isolation leads to intense feelings of loneliness, which can trigger or exacerbate depression and anxiety.
● Sensory deprivation: In extreme environments, there may be a lack of familiar sensory stimuli. This can lead to hallucinations, disorientation, and cognitive decline.
• Disrupted circadian rhythms: Without normal day-night cues, sleep patterns can become erratic, leading to fatigue, cognitive impairment, and mood disturbances.
A similar story is that of mountaineer Anurag Maloo. Having survived three days and nights trapped in a crevasse on Mount Annapurna – one of the deadliest mountains on Earth – he was presumed dead. But he was miraculously rescued and later revived after four hours of CPR. “I’ve experienced firsthand what
extreme environments do to the human mind and body.
Prolonged isolation in lifethreatening conditions pushes the mind and psyche to its limits — oscillating
between clarity and surrender, where hope becomes both a burden and a lifeline,” says Anurag. Physically, the
body breaks down, conserving energy and shutting down non-essential functions, often leaving lasting damage. “Yet, the greatest transformation is in perspective. Surviving such an ordeal strips life down to its essence, instilling a deep sense of gratitude and a renewed purpose,” smiles Anurag, who fell into a crevasse at the most dangerous section of Annapurna, the most dangerous mountain in Nepal in 2023.
TURNING TRAUMA INTO “POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH”
Trapped in the ice of Mt. Annapurna in Nepal, the 10thhighest peak in the world, in April 2023, he shares, whether stranded in space, deep forests, or vast seas, these stories of survival remind us of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope in the face of uncertainty. “If I can transform this traumatic experience (PTSD) into a post-traumatic growth experience, you can also do it,” adds Anurag.
