Waterboarding has been a controversial topic ever since the fall of 2007, when it was widely reported that the CIA was using waterboarding on extrajudicial prisoners and that the Justice Department authorized the procedure as an “enhanced interrogation technique.” Many consider waterboarding torture and a violation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

I’m in no way trying to diminish the implications waterboarding with this personal experiment. I wanted to experience waterboarding first-hand in order to better understand the context surrounding the debate. I never truly feared for my life because my trusted friends administered the waterboarding and I held a wooden block which I would drop when I couldn’t take anymore. But I can say that when done right, I felt like I was drowning. I had no control over my spasms and gags.