<\/span><\/h2>\nSurprisingly no. Studies dating as far back as World War I and World War II show that for some detainees, no amount of torture works to get verifiable information, while with some detainees practically anything will work.<\/p>\n
So the particular individual strength of an individual is the telling factor.<\/p>\n
Never the less even experienced CIA operatives report that they don’t waterboard that often, and that may be a part of why some people are able to resist.<\/p>\n
For example, reports that Kahilid Shiek Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9\/11 plot was waterboarded 183 times are greatly exaggerated.<\/p>\n
Shiek Mohammed was waterboarded 15 different times, and the 183 number refers to the times when water was poured at him, not the number of different times he was strapped on a gurney.<\/p>\n
Knowing that there was a possible limitation on the number of times the CIA could do it was possibly a reason for his resilience, and finally, the CIA gave up after realizing he told them mostly lies.<\/p>\n
What about holding your breath?<\/p>\n
Naturally, it seems to make sense that if people are waterboarded for 20 seconds at a time, and the average man can hold their breath for about 45 seconds to one minute<\/a>, then holding your breath would be the ideal solution.<\/p>\nFirst, it doesn’t work because your jaw is tilted violently open, making the water easy to go through your throat.<\/p>\n
Secondly, waterboarding can proceed for several rounds. You may hold your breath the first time, but then after that, your next breath will come with a bigger gulp of water.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Can people be trained to resist waterboarding?<\/span><\/h2>\nPossibly, but it is extremely unlikely. First of all, relatively few people would volunteer to be waterboarded.<\/p>\n
In addition, even if they did, they would have the knowledge factor that it was only just temporary. Certainly, nobody would volunteer to be waterboarded for a solid 10 minutes. And too many amateur “torturers” would cause a rash of drownings and heart attacks.<\/p>\n
Finally, very few “big fish” in Al Queda or other organizations ever believes they would be captured by the enemy. Past military history shows that almost all of them were caught in “total surprise.”<\/p>\n
<\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/span>What does waterboarding feel like?<\/span><\/h3>\nUnlucky people who have been waterboarded report that your throat immediately begins to gag, and you literally feel like you are drowning in a matter of seconds. You literally feel like you are drowning and the shock you feel is overwhelming.<\/p>\n
<\/span>How Does Waterboarding Not Drown Someone?<\/span><\/h3>\nWaterboarding created the sensation of drowning without actually drowning. Water never fills up your lungs like it does if you were submerged underwater trying to breathe.<\/p>\n
<\/span>What about just submitting?<\/span><\/h3>\nWell, submission is always an option, and if you add crying, wetting your pants and other actions, it’s possible your tortures may simply decide you don’t have enough credible information to be believable.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Can people be trained to resist waterboarding?<\/span><\/h3>\nPossibly, but it is extremely unlikely. First of all, relatively few people would volunteer to be waterboarded.
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