Goatslayer, I'm going to pass this one on to you, but please - keep it privvy. It's a trade secret, but I'm sure the inventor would be happy to have me share it with you.
I used to know a guy named Fred Rexor. Fred is pretty well known for his series of books HOW TO SCREW YOUR ENEMY and HOW TO DESTROY ANYBODY'S LIFE for Paladin Press. (I'm not sure what name he wrote the books under.)
Fred had a very interesting and colorful career. Among otehr things he did 10 years in MI in Vietnam. I hate to ascribe the word "torturer" to Fred. I think a better description is "mind bender." It was Fred's job to expedite the desire of North VC to want to cooperate. He orginated teh technique of taking a guy blindfolded up in a helicopter... and kicking him out the door with a 200' bungee cord tied to his ankle... and other fun stuff. It was always guaranteed to get them to cooperate.
One day I asked Fred what the most effective "torture" technique he ever saw was.
He told me it was the ping pong ball trick. (Take notes here - SG. This is what might help you in the future.) He found that beatings and terror didn't work nearly as well as a simple mundane little ping pong ball for bending the minds of captives to make them want to talk.
Fred would bind the guy hand and foot... then put a ping pong ball in his mouth... then tape his mouth shut. They'd leave the guy in a dark locked room and not come back for several hours. Hours later when they came back and took the tape off... the guy was always ready to spill the beans on anything... do whatever you wanted... etc... just don't put that ping pong ball back in my mouth.
Fred said that for a minute... a ping pong ball in your mouth isn't so bad... but you can never quite get comfortable... you are always just about to choke... gagging on your own drool. It's about the most psychologically miserable afternoon a guy can spend... and Fred quarantees it as the best technique he has ever found for breaking a man.
I hope this helps.
