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4[[quoteright:330:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/psychological_torment_zone.png]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:330:This is ''not'' your happy place.]]
6
7->'''Yoda:''' That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.\
8'''Luke:''' What's in there?\
9'''Yoda:''' Only what you take with you.
10-->-- ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''
11
12Whether it's TheLostWoods, a {{swamp|sAreEvil}}, the room at the heart of a HauntedHouse, or an {{eldritch|Location}} DarkWorld reflection of our own, this place likes messing with your head. It will conjure up phantoms from your past to [[MindRape taunt and torment]], force you to [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf face your worst flaws]] and [[MyGreatestFailure greatest failures]], all while it [[MobileMaze moves walls and landmarks]] to keep you [[ClosedCircle lost and trapped]] until you die... or ''[[FateWorseThanDeath forever]].''
13
14The place could be tainted with the DarkSide, beckoning [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghosts]] or causing [[YourMindMakesItReal too-real hallucinations]]. It might be a malicious GeniusLoci that [[EmotionEater feeds on anguish]]. Whoever or ''whatever'' is behind the emotional onslaught won't outright kill anyone... at least not at first. It usually [[DrivenToSuicide drives those it torments to suicide]], uses {{Fright Deathtrap}}s, or directly pits you against lethal physical enemies such as the EnemyWithout. Sometimes, however, it can be stopped the moment the victim says "ImNotAfraidOfYou!" and/or reaches an emotional epiphany.
15
16In fact, the purpose of the place could even be as a center of emotional confrontation and ''healing.'' [[TrainingFromHell Healing with a high burnout rate]], but healing nonetheless. It's also worth noting that individuals may create these places or similar effects themselves. {{Telepath|y}}s and [[MasterOfIllusion Masters of Illusion]] absolutely ''love'' to use this on enemies, and the ArtifactOfDoom may use it as a defense.
17
18See also EpiphanicPrison, which can overlap, and VisionQuest. Compare Room101 (which is this trope as a small part of a larger, more general-purpose location) and BlackBugRoom (the MentalWorld equivalent). Contrast HappyPlace, and LotusEaterMachine. See also MentalMonster for examples in which the MonsterOfTheWeek is based off the characters' mental or emotional struggles.
19
20----
21!!Examples:
22
23[[foldercontrol]]
24
25[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26* “{{Hell}}” in ''Anime/DeathParade'' is described as this. It is actually called “[[CessationOfExistence The Void]]”, where you are cursed for all eternity to fall into darkness, and the only things that remain of you are your deepest fears, regrets, and worst memories. The details are unknown, but there is no escape from it. What’s worse, [[{{Psychopomp}} the beings who decide who gets to go the void]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero are incredibly biased]] and [[LackOfEmpathy lack empathy]].
27* Matt's and Sora's self-doubt and inner demons cause them to wander/fall into a cave of this nature in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure.'' It makes the victim's sense of despair and helplessness grow worse and worse, symbolized by a black mist that surrounds them that they can't see unless they break free of it. Both our heroes, naturally, escape through ThePowerOfFriendship.
28* The cave Yoh has to pass through in ''Manga/ShamanKing.'' Not actually evil, but as you go through the cave, it starts to steal your senses.
29* ''Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica:''
30** ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica's'' barriers tend to invoke this when the character and moment is just right. It is usually a way for [[spoiler: the witch to feed]]. For example, when Madoka gets caught up in H.N Elly's barrier, [[spoiler: Elly torments her with memories of the death of Mami]], until [[BigDamnHeroes Sayaka storms in]].
31** In ''Manga/PuellaMagiSuzuneMagica'', a witch's barrier becomes this for [[spoiler: Haruka Kanade]], leading to [[spoiler: herself becoming a witch]].
32* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' has Master Roshi send Krillin and Goku to an island to retrieve a magic flower. The island manifests visions of their pasts foes to haunt them. It doesn't bother Goku much, who just treats it like another challenge and works through it, but Krillin died by the hands of several of them and has a much harder time adapting.
33* In the final episodes of ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', Naraku does this to Sango and Miroku while they're inside his body, showing them visions of the death of Miroku's father, who was consumed by the Wind Tunnel curse. In a twist, this is not meant to hurt Miroku, who was there and is well aware he could suffer the same fate, but to show Sango the horror of it and drive her to prevent it at all costs.
34[[/folder]]
35
36[[folder:AudioPlay]]
37* AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho. In "The Heavenly Paradigm", the Time Lords have a Mindspike guarding their secret weapons facility, which torments Cole Jarnish with the worst of his past actions. He's rescued by The Master, who by [[SchmuckBait letting Cole go first]] was forewarned and able to put up mental blocks; plus it had less effect on The Master as being reminded of his past evil actions [[EvilFeelsGood was rather invigorating]].
38[[/folder]]
39
40[[folder:Comic Books]]
41* The Diabloverde jungle in the final mission of the original run of the ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad''. Notable in that it's implied that it's either a malevolent GeniusLoci... or a normal jungle which happens to have a free-floating biological agent capable of doing this (Deadshot, who was wearing a mask, and Poison Ivy, who's immune to toxins, were left unaffected).
42* [[DespairEventHorizon D'Spayre]] catches Comicbook/DoctorStrange in one of these after [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Clea returns to her home dimension]]. Rather creepily the entirety of Stephen Strange's life is shown being taken away by stagehands. Strange is nearly DrivenToSuicide and is shaken afterward by how close he came to taking his own life.
43* In the second story-arc of ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' the moon itself is this, as it's tied to the Nightmare Dreamscape, home of the Nightmare forces.
44* The fiftieth-anniversary strip in ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' had the Doctor consigned by an alien EmotionEater to his worst-imaginable fate - not some kind of Hell, but a ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour[=/=]Film/{{Brazil}}'' hybrid world where he was a cowardly, treacherous, ObstructiveBureaucrat PunchClockVillain.
45* ''Franchise/WonderWoman''
46** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Hippolyta and [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Donna]] are subjected to a local that makes them face their fears, insecurities and personal guilt. Polly is faced with a dying and then deceased Diana who accuses her of killing her due to Polly's manipulation of ComicBook/TheContest, while Donna faces herself disappointed at her current state in her many different guises over the years, accusations of abandonment by her ComicBook/TeenTitans friends and Dark Angel laughing at the mess she's made of Donna's life.
47** ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'': The Duke of Deception uses his illusion powers to make his victims see things which horrify them and bring them to despair.
48* ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk:'' One of the features of the Below Place is those who visit it encounter husks of friends, loved ones and the occasional enemy, only with black pits where their eyes would be, and which are apparently capable of nothing more than repeating things they said in life. Even the titular Hulk, normally stoic about everything, soon loses his temper after a few minutes of this.
49[[/folder]]
50
51[[folder:Fan Works]]
52* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'': the sequel has the Fallen Fortress, being an EldritchLocation infested by a spiritual entity specialising in MindRape, functions as this. Sirius and Harry manage to deal with it relatively easily, thanks to their experience of being on the wrong end of MindRape. Harry's a bit shaken (thanks to facing a far too realistic illusion of Yelena Belova who [[spoiler: sexually abused him while he was under the Red Room's control]]), while Sirius is more or less unfazed, and both find it somewhat cathartic. Since Ron and Hermione ''don't'' have that experience, they're not so fortunate.
53* In ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsParanormalitiesTrilogy Star Wars: Paranormalities: Episode II]]'', Zolph is lured into the cave on Dagobah by a Valkoran probe droid as part of a very sadistic trap on Valkor's part. He encounters a hallucination of Dynn Manthis - whom Zolph was forced to kill six months earlier. Zolph knows she isn't real and tries to make her go away, but then Dynn rips his prosthetic arm (nerve connections included) and cuts his eye-lids open to make him see her as a Forceless-possessed monstrosity before almost getting disemboweled. Thankfully, Zolph's injuries weren't real, but because of Zolph's guilt surrounding Dynn's death, [[YourMindMakesItReal his own hallucinations would have killed him]] had Juganak not hit him in the back of the head. He goes through the experience again a few more times throughout the story with ancient Sith tombs on Korriban and Dxun and a Rakatan temple inhabited by a [[BrownNote madness-inducing]] EldritchAbomination.
54* In the ''WebAnimation/{{Eddsworld}}'' fan blog [[https://nighted-doors-au.tumblr.com/tagged/ew%20nighted%20au%20plot/chrono Nighted Doors]], the realm beyond the titular door is one of these, combining the trope with a DeadlyGame. Though sometimes it’s just a straight up ''physical'' torment zone too. The door’s [[BigBad shadowy mastermind]] even lampshades this at one point, stating that not all the doors are meant to make the boys bleed—some are just meant to make them ''fear''.
55[[/folder]]
56
57[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
58* In ''[[Film/FourteenOhEight 1408]]'', the... ''whatever'' is messing with the lead throws an apparition of his deceased daughter and father at him. Though it says it can't kill him since it has to respect free will. It just [[DrivenToSuicide makes suicide the only sane option.]] Ironically, bringing up his deceased daughter is what ultimately what makes him mad and caused him to [[spoiler:[[TakeAThirdOption incinerate the room]] [[TakingYouWithMe despite still being trapped inside]].]]
59* The quote is from ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', where Luke has to enter a cave on Dagobah and face his fears. Yoda tells Luke that he won’t need his weapons but Luke refuses and enters the cave. Inside, Luke sees Darth Vader and beheads him; the helmet splits open, revealing Luke’s own face. Taken at face value, this is a warning to Luke that by ignoring the Jedi teachings, he will become just like Darth Vader. Which becomes beautifully ironic and even more symbolic [[LukeIAmYourFather after the big reveal.]]
60** Rey goes through one of these in ''Film/TheLastJedi'' as an intentional parallel to ''Empire''. The circumstances are a bit different though. She is tempted to, and intentionally seeks out a dark side cave on Ahch-To, hoping to find answers about her absentee parents. She is subjected to trippy visions, and admits that she should have felt trapped or panicked, but her determination to find answers wins through. However, when the cave doesn't give her the answers she was looking for (or so she thought at the time), she is left broken and feeling alone.
61* The titular mountain of ''Film/TheHolyMountain'', which defends the immortals that live atop its peak with [[SurrealHorror nightmarish hallucinations.]]
62* The ''Film/EventHorizon'' is an evil ship that particularly loves messing with people's heads, most often through hallucinations, as a result of [[spoiler:slingshotting through [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace a Cosmic Horror dimension comparable in many ways to Hell]].]]
63* The [[GeniusLoci oceans]] of ''Film/{{Solaris}}'', a sentient planet that can read the minds of the human astronauts sent to study it. It creates illusions of their dead loved ones, although ''why'' exactly it does is uncertain.
64* Just as in its equivalent below, ''Film/TheShining'' has the Overlook Hotel, which shows the Torrance family visions of the hotel's opulent and depraved past. It mostly affects Jack, whose alcoholic and abusive tendencies render him the most easily susceptible, but by the end of the movie even the relatively normal Wendy is being bombarded with psychic images of the bloody halls.
65* A ''very'' common premise for low-budget horror films in the 2010s, such as ''After'' or ''Kingdom Come''.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Literature]]
69* In the first ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' trilogy, the cave of the ''thetalos'' ritual would seem to qualify. It's not evil -- quite the opposite, it's sacred to [[MotherNature Mother Earth]] -- and you go there to atone for JustForFun/{{egregious}} deeds, but the experience is unpleasant and it's implied that many do not survive.
70* The Chamber of the Ordeal in Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/TortallUniverse'' books works this way. The idea is to weed out people who aren't tough and morally courageous enough to be knights by "hammering" their weak points. People sometimes die in the chamber, commit suicide when released or GoMadFromTheRevelation. Keladry of Mindelan's Ordeal is notable in that she [[StaringDownCthulhu called it out for needlessly torturing her]], and actually got its respect.
71%%* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'': ''The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.''
72* In ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' (the third installment published in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', and the fifth in terms of InUniverse chronology), one of the [[LivingMacguffin seven lost lords of Narnia]], Lord Rhoop, is found barely clinging to sanity near an island surrounded by thick black fog. He explains that it is "the island where dreams come true," and at first the crew of the ''Dawn Treader'' is excited--until Rhoop tells them to BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor, as the place manifests the worst nightmares of anyone who enters. The panicking sailors try to escape as each of them begins hearing or sensing their bad dreams coming to life, only to discover that the fog is so disorienting that they can't leave. Notably, it takes a rather literal DeusExMachina in the form of Aslan, the PhysicalGod of Narnia, to get the ''Dawn Treader'' out.
73* The Crystal Maze from ''Literature/TheLookingGlassWars'' psychologically torments new queens to test their courage and determination.
74* [=AesSedai=] in Literature/TheWheelOfTime have to go through not one, but two of these at certain points in their training: specialized devices are used to force them to face their fears, weaknesses, and hangups. It's mentioned that some never come out of the tests.
75* In ''Literature/CounselorsAndKings'', the [[TheFairFolk Unseelie Fairies]] MindRape anyone unfortunate enough to stumble into their world- and said world itself reacts strongly to thoughts and emotions, so you may summon your worst fears by mistake even if the fairies are currently leaving you alone. [[spoiler: Tzigone spends most of the third book stuck there, and her friend and fellow protagonist Matteo spends a much briefer time there trying to get her out. Both learn important things about themselves in the process, though]].
76* The story "Ghost V" by Creator/RobertSheckley provides a semi-hard science example: a planet whose atmosphere contains a hallucinogenic gas causing all-too-real hallucinations and animating long-suppressed fears of those who breathe it.
77* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'':
78** A story in the ''Junior Jedi Knights'' series had Anakin Solo, Tahiri Veila, and Uldir Lochett enter the Dagobah cave. Anakin saw himself turning into Darth Vader, based on his fears that he would eventually turn evil like his famous ancestor Anakin Skywalker. Tahiri saw visions of her family. However, since Uldir wasn't Force Sensitive, he only perceived it as an ordinary cave.
79** Luke Skywalker later revisited the Dagobah cave. He was shown an AlternateTimeline where Mara Jade interfered in the battle aboard Jabba the Hutt's barge, resulting in Luke's demise.
80** In ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'':
81*** This is combined with IKnowWhatYouFear in the Nightmare Machine, a theme park attraction bringing to life visitor's worst fears. A character wonders why anyone would go in to such a thing and is told that some people like being scared. Of course, when they try it out, things go wrong--there's a FailsafeFailure, and they have to WinToExit, experiencing worse and worse fears until they've survived the one thing they dread most.
82*** The Dagobah cave which gave Luke so much trouble shows up, late in the series -- [[spoiler:it forces some pitiable [[ImAHumanitarian cannibals]] to realize that their parents feeding them human bodies was a regrettable thing, not a tradition they should carry on.]] The experience makes them better people.
83* Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/WarlockSeries''
84** In ''Storm Over Warlock'', the Wyverns' test of Shann is his ability to reject "dreams" that are his memories by holding in mind that they are dead. One was of a time when a bully tormented him with an AgonyBeam; the other was seeing his beloved pet as if alive, and having to summon to memory its death in order to end it.
85** In ''Ordeal In Otherwhere'', the Wyverns use a stronger one, which they think will keep Shann imprisoned. Charis, with the help of Tsste and Thog, breaks him out. Later, he voluntarily throws himself into it to avoid questioning.
86* The [[HauntedHouse Overlook Hotel]] in ''Literature/TheShining'' is a relatively low-grade one of these, tempting Jack Torrance to give in to his predilection for drink and child and spousal abuse.
87* The Forest of Gebaddon in the ''Literature/{{Wraeththu}}'' series was created as a prison for the bad guys from the first three books, where they would be kept indefinitely (or ostensibly until they somehow redeemed themselves) to suffer from hallucinations and other such insanity-inducing bad juju. Thankfully, this never comes back to haunt our heroes, except for when they escape in the fifth book and declare war out of revenge, having been horrible warped by their nightmare prison. To say nothing of [[WildChild their children]].
88* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
89** Azkaban, TheAlcatraz for WitchesAndWizards, is guarded by [[EmotionEater joy-sucking]] {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that leave inmates with nothing but their most horrible memories.
90** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Harry and Dumbledore traverse a cave where Dumbledore has to consume a "Drink of Despair" to acquire [[spoiler:a locket containing part of Voldemort's soul]]--and it turns out [[spoiler:somebody else already swiped it]]. Then in [[Literature/HarryPotter the next book]], when the heroes finally [[spoiler:get their hands on the locket, it inflicts some psychological torment of its own on Ron Weasley before he manages to destroy it]].
91* The Twilight Woods of ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' is this. The twilight haze that gives the woods its name causes hallucinations in its victims, causing them to lose track of time and direction while simultaneously preventing them from dying even as their body decays around them. Even worse, if they did ever manage to escape, they would ''remain'' in this state even after leaving the Woods, becoming known as 'death-cheaters'.
92* ''Literature/RedDwarf:'' The "Better than Life" game becomes one of these, thanks to Rimmer. It's not ''supposed'' to be, instead trapping gamers in their heart's desire, but Rimmer is so pathologically screwed-up his brain can't accept nice things happening to him, and rewires everything to utterly destroy Rimmer. Which, ironically, helps break everyone else out, because his resentment runs so deep it sabotages everyone else's fantasies in the process.
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
96* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' has a few of these, including the suburban prison Wolfram & Hart sends wayward employees to late in the show's run.
97* ''Series/AvatarTheLastAirbender2024:'' The Fog of Lost Souls in the Spirit World, which forces people to relive their worst memories. Then Koh the Face-Stealer eats them.
98* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has Buffy willingly entering one in ''Helpless'' to save Joyce's life. While depowered.
99* In ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'', Mrs Peel is imprisoned in a house that is specifically designed to drive her insane as part of a revenge plot.
100* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Matt's father Maury uses his telepathy to turn people's minds into this. Matt eventually deals with him the same way, trapping Maury in an empty replica of their house on the day he abandoned Matt and Matt's mother. He does it again to Sylar in Volume Five.
101* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
102** "Amy's Choice" is about the Doctor, Amy and Rory being trapped in one. [[spoiler:The end reveals it was generated by the Doctor's internalised self-loathing reacting to some psychic pollen. Had it just bumped into Amy and Rory alone, nothing would've happened, but with the Doctor involved it makes him worst thoughts come to life and try to kill him.]]
103** "The God Complex" is all about this trope, a mobile maze which forces people to face their individualised worse fear. [[spoiler:Which triggers a faith response, which soon turns them into food for the minotaur-like alien kept prisoner in it.]]
104** The TARDIS is turned into one in "The Doctor's Wife" when her body is taken over by [[EldritchAbomination House]], who decides to toy with Amy and Rory for fun.
105** The Twelfth Doctor is trapped in a very personalized one in "Heaven Sent", essentially a giant torture chamber designed to make him confess to his darkest secrets. [[spoiler:Making it worse, it was designed by the Time Lords, and he never even knew the thing they were trying to get out of him.]]
106* This is much of the premise of ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'', where Alex Drake is tormented constantly by her parent's death, The Clown of Death and by her thinning grasp of reality (including other torments) while she is in [[spoiler: purgatory]].
107%%* To a lesser extent, Sam Tyler in ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}'' also undergoes Psychological Torment.
108* The Dark Tower from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}''. As Queen Mab puts it, "You must beware, Emrys. The Tower is not a real place. It is the heart’s rest, the mind’s deepest fear, the stillness in the hummingbird’s eye."
109* ''Series/RedDwarf:'' The false reality generated by the Despair Squid is designed to break the Dwarfers by making them believe they are people who are the exact opposite of their actual nature.
110** The Cat is made to believe he's a colossal dork named Duane Dibley.
111** Rimmer is Billy Doyle, the pathetic, homeless half-brother of a rich, successful government worker, removing his ability to blame his parents for his various screw-ups.
112** Lister is Sebastian Doyle, the mass-murdering head of the Department of Alterations, in charge of "purifying" the fascistic government of undesirables.
113** And Kryten is Jake Bullet, a macho-named man working in Cybernautics (I.E. Traffic Control). He's fine up until he's forced to take a life to defend a child.
114* The House in ''Series/BeyondTheWalls'' acts like this to everyone who enters. Lisa [[spoiler: sees the ghost of her little sister]] and Julien has do deal with [[spoiler: a fallen comrade from the first world war]]. It is implied that the House latches onto the feelings of [[spoiler: guilt or even survivor's guilt]] and makes the people inside deal with them in a rather direct way.
115* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has The Empty, affectionately known to fans as Superturbohell, where angels go when they die and sleep for all eternity, dreaming of their failures and regrets. When Castiel has the misfortunate of waking up in The Empty, it enranges the Eldritch Monster that is The Empty and they have words, with The Empty taking Cas's form.
116* ''Series/VanHelsing2016'':
117** A non-paranormal example ([[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane probably]]) in "Outside World". Vanessa, stuck impaled on a hook and chain, spends the whole episode being visited by visions of loved ones and enemies playing GoodAngelBadAngel, either reminding her of the good she's done, or mocking her that the horrible things she's also done have left her no better than the vampires.
118** A definite supernatural one appears in "The Doorway", where Vanessa is trapped in a part of the [[PrisonDimension Dark Realm]] where she's forced to relive the memories of all the loved ones she failed to save. [[spoiler: It ultimately turns out to be an EpiphanicPrison that she's only able to leave after learning to accept her own inner darkness.]]
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
122* ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'' is fond of this trope.
123** In the 20th anniversary edition of ''Umbra: The Velvet Shadow'', Erebus is described in these terms. Garou who wish to be rid of extreme Wyrm taint are submerged in the silver lake of Erebus, where the realm's guardians compel them to come to terms with their sins.
124** In ''Rage Across the Heavens'', Umbral travelers visiting Vulcan must tread the Path of Ashes, where they must master their greatest weaknesses and fears.
125** All circles of the Black Spiral Labyrinth inflict psychological torment on those who enter. One's innermost secrets, fears, and pain are laid bare before the Wyrm.
126%%* The Rooms of Renunciation from ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies''.
127[[/folder]]
128
129[[folder:Video Games]]
130%%* The main setting of the ''VideoGame/{{Luna Game}}s''.
131* Carnate Island from ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'' involves personifications of a person's flaws or worst nightmares that ''definitely'' can kill you.
132* The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' franchise has dabbled in this trope many times.
133** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' has dungeons based on the seven deadly sins, with each dungeon meant to punish each sin.
134** Sector Grus in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' is transformed into this by [[MasterOfIllusion Mother Maya]], which answers the eternal question - what happens when a master of MindRape designs one of these? In physical appearance, it's made up of pieces of the first four Sectors, which, appropriately enough, mark probably the single worst moments of the Investigation Team.
135** The TV World in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' involves personifications of a person's flaws or worst nightmares that ''definitely'' can kill you.
136** In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', Futaba's room itself counts as one, as she considers it as her tomb, where she thinks that she would die here as a "punishment" for "causing her mother's death."
137** The main setting in ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'' is literally such a thing; [[spoiler:The Cinema is in reality, a LotusEaterMachine set up by Nagi for Hikari to relieve her suffering of being [[TraumaCongaLine emotionally abused]] throughout her childhood, but the movies broadcasted in the Cinema is actually a series of documentaries that are purely consisted of negative thoughts and ''inversely'' makes her feel much worse than she already is. It's not only Hikari that was trapped either; There are a bunch of people residing in other Cinemas in Nagi's domain.]]
138* Tolna's rift from the "A Soul's Bane" quest and Iban's lair from "Underground Pass" in ''VideoGame/{{RuneScape}}''.
139* This is the premise behind ''Franchise/SilentHill''. As evident in all the games [[spoiler:except maybe ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories Shattered Memories]]'']], Silent Hill in general seems to be fond of doing this to almost everyone who ends up trapped there. And it tends to draw...troubled people, creating twisted monsters out of the deepest corners of their psyches.
140* VideoGame/AlanWake [[spoiler: finds himself trapped in one after the events of the first game. Every time he tries to find a way out, he loses his mental stability and goes crazy. The DLC ends with him focusing his escape on something else: his writing...which he uses to escape in American Nightmare.]]
141* {{VideoGame/Celeste}}'s eponymous mountain is known for revealing the true selves of those who climb it. Madeline hopes to find inner peace in reaching the summit, while her evil reflection sabotages her journey every step, jump, and air dash along the way. The game explores anxiety, depression, and coming to terms with one's flaws.
142* The Punga trip sequence of the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' add-on, ''Point Lookout,'' qualifies. The [[PlayerCharacter Lone Wanderer]] stumbles through the Sacred Bog, seeing hallucinations of corpses of people he's met, fake bobbleheads, and a skeleton labelled "Mom." This culminates with a bobblehead proclaiming "Dead mother, life in a post-nuclear Wasteland and not a friend in it. Yeah, you aren’t exactly blessed" before a hallucinated Megaton bomb explodes.
143* During the sequel, Starkiller from ''Videogame/TheForceUnleashed'' visits the same cave on Dagobah as Luke Skywalker did in Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack. He is assaulted by clones moaning in pain before receiving a vision of Juno Eclipse being captured. He also enters an area on Kamino where he is repeatedly attacked by a silent Darth Vader and tormented by voices of his friends calling him a freak.
144* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', there is [[spoiler:the Tomb of Ludo Kressh]], where the [[PlayerCharacter Exile]] is forced to relive some of their traumatic memories from the Mandalorian Wars, as well as [[spoiler:having to face the conflicting loyalties of their teammates.]]
145* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Old Gods and their spawn tend to create these wherever they appear. This is most prevalent in Northrend and Pandaria; Yogg-Saron's presence has driven many of his watchers and unwary mortals insane, while the Sha feed on darker emotions and cause them to overwhelm their victims.
146* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has the revamped Dark Astoria when Mot, the God of Despair, breaks through the seals protecting the world from him and devours the various ghostly remnants in the area. The story arcs continuously feature heroes and villains driven to suicidal despair, their deaths feeding Mot and making him so powerful that it takes the biggest team-up of villains and heroes in the entirety of the game to beat him. And all that does is seal him in the zone.
147* In ''VideoGame/PromDreams'', [[spoiler:the entirety of the game is spent in one of these, created by the antagonist]], although it doesn't appear to at first. Manifesting as [[spoiler:an alternate version of St. Giles Academy and its surrounding city, complete with false copies of its students and faculty]], it grows more horrific as the game progresses, often tormenting the protagonist with taunts and [[spoiler:reminders of his guilt over what happened to each of his love interests]].
148* ''VideoGame/NeverendingNightmares'': The whole game is this for Thomas, taking place inside of his nightmares and all.
149* ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice'' has the titular Senua travelling to Helheim to save her love Dillion. The only problem is that Senua already suffers from psychosis. The underworld combined with her own madness turns the entire game into this, with only brief instances of light piercing through the ever bleaker darkness, both for her ''and'' [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou for the player]].
150* ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'': [[OminousOwl Noctua Rex]] traps Kyrie and co inside her dimension where she uses her powers to reopen old wounds, forcing the group to face past regrets. Then it was revealed that Morte proved to be immune to the effects. Everyone pretty much arrive to the conclusion that she exactly the kind of unapologetic person who has lived her life without regrets or remorse. She obviously wouldn't be affected by the illusion.
151* House Beneviento in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' stands out from the rest of the game due to this aspect. Indeed, it broadcasts its nature as a mental torture area from the get-go by being preceded with apparations of protagonist Ethan Winters' wife, who had been brutally shot, and then requiring him to give up a photo of his family through the mail slot to enter. Things get worse from there, with a combat-free, unsettling gameplay style in the house as Ethan continues to be presented with creepy dolls, symbols of his married life, haunting-style imagery, and information that suggests something was deeply wrong with his baby, culminating in [[spoiler:a harrowing hide-and-seek segment against a horrible giant fetus]]. It turns out that Donna Beneviento, the lord of the house, is able to [[spoiler: control hallucinogenic plants as well as the parasites within her dolls]], so the psychological torture against Ethan was completely deliberate.
152* [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Morgan]] in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' has a series of various charms called "Gardens", which she uses to entrap her enemies in for various purposes. The one the faerie Baobhan Sith uses against Altria Caster and Ritsuka Fujimaru is "Lost Will", a spell designed to create a personal hell for whomever is imprisoned inside and bombard them with their worst fears and memories until they break down in despair. [[spoiler:Altria figures out that she can simply cut herself off from the spell in exchange for being trapped inside, since Baobhan Sith does not have the magical capacity to keep them in there forever and does that after watching traumatic childhood memories of Tintagel. Meanwhile Fujimaru experiences hallucinations of people they know telling them about their worst fears like justifying their impostor syndrome and telling them to give up on the fight because they can't fix things. However, remembering Dr. Roman's words eventually gives them the fortitude to avoid DespairEventHorizon and giving into their worst impulses. Mash then breaks the cage spell and frees both of them.]]
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156* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', the guardian of Chorus puts potential "warriors" through this. Note that the test isn't one of morality, but rather of the person's inner strength, resulting in more than a few characters failing, including [[spoiler: Locus]]. The one who succeeds in the test is [[TheFool Caboose]], because he's a FearlessFool.
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160* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', the White House uses one called the Negazone as a security system. Since most of its victims are super villains or the mentally disturbed, they succumb and lose their sense of self rather quickly. This also has the consequence that the visions used by the keeper of the Negazone are less than effective against a heroic character, at least beyond freaking him out briefly.
161* A villain puts Arthur through one of these in the space arc of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace''. However, Arthur is ''so'' well-balanced and laid-back that the worst things it can find in his mind don't actually bother him that much.
162* ''Webcomic/{{Flipside}}'': The hallway into Dark Cell is guarded, sequentially, by an EmotionBomb of fear, an overwhelming AgonyBeam, and a zone that manifests the trespasser's deepest insecurities to MindRape them into absolute despair. [[spoiler:Even a {{Determinator}} like Maytag can only overcome the third zone by [[EyeScream gouging out her eyes]] so she can't see the manifestations.]]
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166* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
167** The Foggy Swamp in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' shows those who visit it images of people who meant something to them, or who will be important in their future. This can be horribly upsetting when the person you see just so happens to have died.
168** The Fog Of Lost Souls from the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''; essentially the Spirit World's prison for humans, it's a giant cloud of fog that plays upon the insecurities and past failures of those wandering around in it, slowly driving them insane. From the condition [[spoiler: Zhao]] is in when Tenzin and his siblings find him, it's likely that humans don't age in the Spirit World. Luckily, there is one way out. The Fog is an EpiphanicPrison, and by accepting yourself, flaws and all, you can drive it back and regain your senses. This is no easy matter, though, particularly since the Fog makes rational thought increasingly difficult.
169* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' has The Valley of Echoes. Unlucky travelers can get lost in it forever, following false sounds and voices that prey on their inner fears.
170* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
171** In the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 "Return of Harmony"]] episodes, the [[{{Pun}} mane]] characters are lured into a MobileMaze in which the villain approaches them individually in the form of their respective cutie marks. He then exploits their deepest fears, insecurities, and flaws to the point they abandon the element they represent, and [[CorruptTheCutie become shadows of their former selves]].
172** The Door to Darkness in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 "The Crystal Empire pt.2,"]] which forces Twilight and then Spike to live their worst fears.
173* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' season 7 finale "Fear No Mort'', where the duo willfully enter one of these and treat it like a haunted house attraction. They're told that "The Fear Hole" would [[EpiphanicPrison force them to face their greatest fear]], and they think that they escaped getting killed by monsters only to return home and be confronted by [[TheLostLenore Rick's dead wife]]. Being GenreSavvy to a fault, they instantly realize they're still in the Hole and try to figure out exactly what the TwistEnding will be so they can escape. [[spoiler:TheReveal ended up being that Rick was never there; the Hole only accepted one person at a time and forced Morty to confront his fear of abandonment by Rick.]]
174* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' parodies the ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' example above with the Tree of Insight. The relatively well-adjusted (in this episode, anyway) Ms. Choksondik sees nothing, but the closeted Mr. Garrison is tormented by his gay side until he gives and admits to being gay.
175* One of the many functions of the First Ones' Beacon in ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' is to become one of these, as it does when Adora and Catra are exploring it. While wandering through it, they're hit with visions of their shared abusive childhood under Shadow Weaver, which basically amounts to smacking Catra's {{Trauma Button}}s over and over again...and Catra responds to that by lashing out.
176* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E08PathOfTheJedi , "Path of the Jedi"]]: The cave in the Jedi Temple on Lothal shows Ezra visions of his friends first pitying or not caring for him and being murdered.
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180* Your own nightmares and bad dreams. Particularly considering that according to a lot of theories about dreams every character you encounter in your dreams is in fact a facet of yourself.
181* Solitary confinement, often used in prisons, has several demonstrated negative psychological effects, and is frequently criticized by human rights activists for this.
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