Beatriz Flamini, an elite athlete and climber from Madrid, has emerged after 500 days in a dark cave 70 meters below the surface of the earth outside Granada, Spain. Beatriz entered the cave on November 20, 2021, three months before Russia invaded Ukraine, to study how the human mind and body cope with extreme loneliness.
Monitored by a team of scientists from the universities of Almería, Granada and Murcia, who kept in touch with her through special and limited technology, via text messages, Beatriz is believed to have broken the world record for the longest a person has only passed through a cave.
She emerged from the underground lair on Friday and, after a quick check-up with a doctor and a psychologist, held a 50-minute press conference where she spoke about her experiences and insights.
During her stay in the cave, she faced many challenges. However, he managed to maintain reason and focus by using long experience for mental preparation. She talked to herself, but never out loud and focused on thoughts, feelings and actions.
Beatriz spent her time reading, writing, drawing and knitting. She managed to stay in good physical shape, read 60 books and used two cameras to document the experience for an upcoming documentary.
Some of the problems? For example, many flies appeared in the cave and laid their larvae there. Flies swarmed him. Or the times when Beatriz had constant cravings for chicken and potatoes. Loneliness was less of a problem.
Before entering the cave, she told her team that she didn't want to be told what was happening outside, even if it involved losing a loved one.
When it was time to leave the cave, Beatriz was upset because she hadn't finished reading her book. She came out of the cave happy, having fulfilled her dream of staying in the cave for 500 days.
Someone asked him: "Why did you look so happy when you came out of the cave?"
"How would you feel if you made a dream come true?" Will you cry?" she replied.
