History Main / EpiphanicPrison

* The WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain serves as one in ''FanFic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' and ''FanFic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily''. The latter opens with a [[FairytaleMotif Fairy Tale-like Prologue]] wherein the protagonist discovers an AwfulTruth -- that his quest for greatness [[spoiler:led to his demise]] -- but rejects it, trapping himself in one of these. [[PlotParallel This parallels Gladion's situation]], as he angrily denies the negative impact of his own 'grand quest'.

* In the season 4.5 premiere of ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'', Artie puts himself in one of these[[spoiler: after Claudia banishes the Artifact-induced dark presence within him that made him kill Leena.]] Subverted in that Claudia ''forces'' him out even after his epiphany because he [[DespairEventHorizon wants to stay there]] with his memory of [[spoiler: Leena]] rather than live with the guilt.

* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain: Defiance''. At the climax of the game, one of the main characters realizes that Nosgoth itself is essentially one giant epiphanic prison, the wheel of fate ruled by the elder god. "All the conflict and strife throughout history, all the fear and hatred, served but one purpose - to keep my master's Wheel turning. All souls were prisoners, trapped in the pointless round of existence, leading distracted, blunted lives until death returned them - always in ignorance - to the Wheel." And having made that epiphany, Raziel knows he alone has the means to correct it...
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' uses this as a major theme, with you recruiting new party members by convincing them to leave the questionable social situations that have imprisoned them, but that they could also leave if they were willing to stand up for themselves.

*** [[FridgeBrilliance Wait]], is this what [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Wooloo]] is based on?

%%* Hell ''itself'' in Niven and Pournelle's ''Literature/{{Inferno}}''.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Life}}'' dealt with a murder in a college where an experiment about prison was being conducted. [[spoiler:The professor told the guards to do whatever it takes to break the prisoners so they resorted to physical and psychological torture. The object is to get the students to act like prisoners. There's no need for locks, bars or even guards. When one of the students killed one of the guards, you could say it worked]].[[note]]Actually an adaptation of a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment real-life psychological experiment]]. Except in this one, the "guards" aren't ''told'' to be cruel. They just become that way because they're playing the role of guards. Much scarier. The Stanford Experiment has been roundly criticized NOT because it was unethical, but because the experimenteer contaminated the data by encouraging the "guards" to misbehave. Since the whole point was to see if they would do so WITHOUT encouragement (and many of them didn't, in spite of encouragement) the data gathered was worthless and no conclusions drawn from it. A complete waste of time.[[/note]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/OverTheMoon'', Chang'e has one called the "Chamber of Exquisite Sadness" where she retreats into whenever her grief about Houyi peaks. It's a pocket dimension full of distant stars that only one can enter if they are experiencing their own feelings of grief. People outside of Chang'e run the risk of being trapped forever because they can see and experience visions of their saddest moments. [[spoiler: As it would turn on, Chin was able to enter due to his determination to rescue his sister. Both Chang'e and Fei Fei would finally leave when they resolve to move on and love once more.]]

* In ''[[Literature/TheCatWhoSeries The Cat Who Sniffed Glue]]'', wealthy parents Nigel and Margret Finch have their twin sons David and Harvey in one of these. They addicted the boys to a life of luxury, then give them just enough of an allowance to let them keep living the good life -- as long as they do everything that their parents tell them to do.

* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}'': This is how Hell works. Everyone there is trapped by their own guilt, essentially punishing themselves for all eternity. They could leave any time by breaking the cycle and letting go of their guilt, but only one person ever has.

* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Any human on the train has a number on their hand [[spoiler: measuring their emotional turmoil, and can't go back home until it's lowered enough to take the number to zero]]. Tulip [[LampshadeHanging mocks]] the idea of an inanimate object trying to help people, but eventually comes to accept it. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it can go up as well as down, and in Amelia's case can go very, '''[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale very]]''' high.]] The second book starts to [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruct]] this concept, as it's shown some passengers [[{{Unishment}} actually prefer to live on the train]], and thus their numbers ''encourage'' them to raise hell for everyone else living there.

* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Any human on the train has a number on their hand measuring their emotional turmoil, and can't go back home until it's lowered enough to take the number to zero. Tulip [[LampshadeHanging mocks]] the idea of an inanimate object trying to help people, but eventually comes to accept it. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it can go up as well as down, and in Amelia's case can go very, '''[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale very]]''' high.]] The second book starts to [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruct]] this concept, as it's shown some passengers [[{{Unishment}} actually prefer to live on the train]], and thus their numbers ''encourage'' them to raise hell for everyone else living there.

%% Due to the nature of this trope, finding an image will be very difficult.
%% DO NOT add an image to this page without discussion in Image Pickin'.
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* The anime ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'' is a beautiful example of self enlightenment to find the way out of an OntologicalMystery.
-->''To know your sin is to have no sin.''

* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'': The cardboard world that Ikari is trapped in near the end.
* ''Anime/AngelBeats'': Purgatory is only a prison if you let it become one. You have to just let it go if you want to move on.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' features Izanami, a genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan and a complement to [[RealityWarper Izanagi.]] Izanami was originally created to punish Uchiha who used Izanagi to escape the consequences of their own actions in battle. Its victims are trapped in an unalterable chain of events. The only way to escape is by accepting that what has already occurred cannot be changed. [[spoiler:Kabuto]] was trapped in Izanami to remove him from battle, [[spoiler:eventually emerging at peace with himself and having made a HeelFaceTurn.]]
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': For Shinji, this is the "dark spotlight chair room" that he's often depicted sitting in during the show's navel-gazing moments. [[spoiler: At the end, the room literally cracks apart and disintegrates when he finally realizes that he can learn to love himself.]]
* Kaguya from ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' is in one created by her family, supported by the weight of the family name and the role she's supposed to fulfill for them. She was conditioned to be an accessory to their family plans, and this left Kaguya as an IceQueen, perfect, immovable and uncaring. It's later that she realizes that [[spoiler:her love for Shirogane is a way out of the prison.]]

* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'': In a philosophical rather than physical/literal sense, this happens to [[spoiler:both Evey Hammond and Eric Finch]], [[spoiler:in Evey's case due to her long imprisonment by V, and in Finch's, after an acid trip]].
* Inverted in the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' when Reed is trapped in Doctor Doom's armor. To get out, he has to learn to think like Doom, thus trapping himself much more profoundly.

* One issue of ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'' centers around a spy working in a city called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The City]] for some shadowy ill-defined government agency. They give her missions to relay information to other agents, who are identified using elaborate [[SpySpeak sign/countersign]] codes. She's also a double agent for another shadowy, ill-defined government agency who she leaks information to. Eventually she goes AWOL and decides to leave the city, at which point it's revealed that [[spoiler:after Miracle Man appointed himself ruler of the entire world and united it under a one-world government, there was no more need for international espionage, and since a lot of ex-spies couldn't function unless they were spying and being secretive, he just stuck them all in one city, wiped their memories of him taking over, and hired 4 people as the leaders of various "agencies". Literally everyone in the city is spying on everyone else while pretending to have regular jobs. And since they technically do have regular jobs, The City still has a viable economy and can contribute to the world without threatening the stability of his government.]]
* During ''The Killing Dream'' arc of ComicBook/{{X 23}}'s solo series, Laura is trapped in a hellish dreamscape by Hellverine, who wants to seduce her to his service to command his armies by claiming that as a [[CloningBlues clone she has no soul]], and because of all the death she has caused. A manifestation of her true self, [[spoiler:which ''may'' actually be the [[ComicBook/CaptainUniverse Enigma Force]]]] shows her that, despite all of the killing, she never succumbed to the Facility's attempts to break her, and was ultimately as much an innocent victim as those she killed. This, along with her decision to escape what she was made and choose a path and life for herself proves Hellverine wrong, and allows her to permanently throw off his influence and escape. After waking from the dream, Laura ''does'' continue to be troubled by the encounter, though, and a substantial arc for the remainder of the series is her questioning whether or not she has a soul.
* Invoked in the mildest possible manner in a Creator/JohnByrne story from around 2000 about the Golden Age Flash. The Fiddler has trapped the Flash inside a ring of violins which vibrate to counter his speed. No matter how fast he runs, or what frequency he vibrates at, they throw him back into the center of the ring. Someone who has been trapped in there before eventually shouts the solution to him: [[spoiler: He can ''walk'' out just fine.]]

* Subverted in ''Film/TheCube''. The protagonist suffers an hour of pure MindScrew, trying to leave the Cube, but finally seems to be released when he simply decides that he's had enough and won't fall for any more tricks. He is let out, but then cuts himself and bleeds strawberry jam, and finds himself right back in The Cube again.

* In the Music/JanelleMonae song "Many Moons", the singer seems to suggest that the audience is in such a trap ("You're free but in your mind, your freedom's in a bind...").

* The Darklords of ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' are trapped in their IronicHell as punishment for their monstrous deeds. The term for such deeds in Ravenloft is an [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Act of Ultimate Darkness"]], a near-perfect blend of hypocrisy, [[ThisIsUnforgivable depravity]], [[KickTheDog cruelty]], and [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]]. The clincher, though, is [[ObliviouslyEvil absolute refusal to acknowledge that what they did was wrong]]. Indeed, that's part of ThePunishment for darklords: if they worked up the moral strength to admit that what they have done is inexcusable and that they reaped what they sowed, their curse would be [[CursedWithAwesome moot]]. But the thing is, if they were ''capable'' of admitting they were wrong, they wouldn't be here in the first place. And, surprise, surprise! While originally a Creator/{{TSR}} setting and currently in the hands of Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast, due to an apparent desire to own every example of this trope in gaming, Creator/WhiteWolf had the Ravenloft license for most of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'''s Third Edition era (under their Sword & Sorcery imprint).
** The one darklord who did eventually escape, Lord Soth, was a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot since White Wolf no longer had the rights to the character. In-universe, Lord Soth apparently finally realized how everything bad that happened to him was ultimately his own fault and he became totally apathetic as a result. The Dark Powers grew bored with him and let him go.
* The ''Armies of the Abyss'' supplement of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' mentions Samora, a resort-like area in the Abyssal realm of Azzagrat, the kingdom ruled by Graz'zt. At first, the place seems like the RedLightDistrict of Azzagrat, and it basically is; mortals can gain ''any'' fantasy they desire, for a price, from the [[HornyDevils succubi]] under Graz'zt's employ. But there is a risk. Mortals who take too much advantage of the services are drawn in too deep, until they lose the desire to leave, becoming {{Sex Slave}}s of the succubi - and new customers as well - without even knowing it.
** At the other end of the Lower Planes, ''Tyrants of the Nine Hells'' mentions a location in Dis, the second layer of Hell, called the Garden of Delights, that appears to be a paradise to mortals who enter; it's a beautiful garden where lovely nymphs welcome visitors and lavish affection, along with food and drink of the finest quality on visitors - all for free, no less. The fact that this place is in Hell should [[TooDumbToLive tip people off that it's a trap]]. Dispater, the ruler of the layer, employs efreet sorcerers to maintain the place, and the "nymphs" are [[HornyDevils erinyes]]. The purpose of the Garden is to enspell its visitors with its intoxicating nature to prevent them from wanting to leave, and eventually tempt them to evil. (If the erinyes can't do that because a mortal is incorruptible, they just let the visitor starve; the food is an illusion, and visitors will eventually die of thirst or starvation trying to live on it.)

* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain: Defiance''. At the climax of the game, one of the main characters realizes that Nosgoth itself is essentially one giant epiphanic prison, the wheel of fate ruled by the elder god. "All the conflict and strife throughout history, all the fear and hatred, served but one purpose - to keep my master's Wheel turning. All souls were prisoners, trapped in the pointless round of existence, leading distracted, blunted lives until death returned them - always in ignorance - to the Wheel." And having made that epiphany, Raziel knows he alone has the means to correct it...

* The Airship in ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' is very much one of these, as it mixes together Jennifer's most traumatic experiences and memories together, while forcing her to face them to move forward.
* In the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' games, the town of Silent Hill acts as a prison for the tormented souls it attracts, creating monsters from their personal demons. People can only escape the town by overcoming the problems that drew them to it in the first place (see [[VideoGame/SilentHill2 James]] and [[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour Murphy]]). Once they succeed in doing so, the town no longer has any power over them and they are free to leave. Things get more complicated if someone is trapped in ''another'' person's dark world. The only way to escape in those cases is either to help that person face their demons (see [[VideoGame/SilentHill1 Alessa]]), or put them out of their misery if they are beyond saving (see [[VideoGame/SilentHill4 Walter]]).

* In ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', the first group Eddie recruits into the new army are prisoners toiling in a mine. Lars explains that there is no gate or restraints on the men because they have no knowledge of life outside of the mine, the only thing they know how to do is hit things with their heads, so they stay underground. Eddie introduces the Headbangers to heavy metal to inspire them to reject their slavery.
* Hagatha's tower in the third chapter of ''VideoGame/KingsQuest2015'' requires an ActOfTrueLove to escape, and even Hagatha herself (a princess who turned herself into an ugly lizard-creature through overuse of beauty potions) is trapped there... until the epiphany that it doesn't need to be ''romantic'' love: simply loving yourself is enough.

* The [[spoiler: Holiday Star]] in ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' turns out to be like this. At first it seems like a pleasing dream or an interesting place to visit. Its inhabitants urge visitors to stay, [[YouCanNeverLeave they are not permitted to leave]], their lives are portrayed as hopeless struggles, and to begin to escape they must decide to face difficult lives anyway.

* In ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'', [[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-13-page-37 Sarin's analysis]] suggests that [[spoiler:the seed]] is one: both victims we see caught by it escape after [[spoiler:they let go of the violent, dysfunctional people they used to be]].

* A repeated motif of ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' is that all of the [[BigBadEnsemble Seven]] are [[TrappedInVillainy trapped]], to one degree of another, in a prison of their own making. [[{{Pride}} Solomon]] is too arrogant to give any autonomy to his empire for fear of eventual anarchy, Mottom is too afraid of the balance of power shifting and her own DecadentCourt to take agency in her own life beyond bleeding her worlds dry, Mammon is bound by his obsession with counting his wealth and the guilt of murdering his family, Gog-Agog is imprisoned by her inability to accept her own existence as a hive mind of worms, Jadis is imprisoned by her own CosmicHorrorStory knowledge, Incubus is imprisoned by his need for praise and affirmation, and Jagganoth seeks to [[ViciousCycle violently destroy his prison of violence]] [[OmnicidalManiac even if it means killing everyone else]]. Even Zoss, the TopGod, admits he has turned the multiverse itself into his prison from his selfish arrogance.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMidnightGospel'', Clancy visits a prison for wayward simulation beings and spends time with a prisoner named Bob. Bob is killed and brought back to life in the prison over and over again until he learns to control his anger, refrain from killing others, and pay attention to his surroundings so he can escape. Once he does so, he becomes part of [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Indra's Net]].

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "Frame Of Mind", [[{{Gaslighting}} the Tilonians are trying to get Riker to reject the]] ''[[{{Gaslighting}} Enterprise]]'' [[{{Gaslighting}} as real]]. It works for a time, as Riker admits that [[CuckooNest the hospital]] is where reality makes the most sense, but he eventually realizes that neither world makes sense. Once he accepts this, he is able to wake up from his drug-induced sleep and escape his captors.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "Frame Of Mind", [[{{Gaslighting}} the Tilonians are trying to get Riker to reject the]] ''[[{{Gaslighting}} Enterprise]]'' [[{{Gaslighting}} as real]]. It works for a time, as Riker admits that [[CuckoosNest the hospital]] is where reality makes the most sense, but he eventually realizes that neither world makes sense. Once he accepts this, he is able to wake up from his drug-induced sleep and escape his captors.

* A repeated motif of ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' is that all of the [[BigBadEnsemble Seven]] are [[TrappedInVillainy trapped]], to one degree of another, in a prison of their own making. [[{{Pride}} Solomon]] is too arrogant to give any autonomy to his empire for fear of eventual anarchy, Mottom is too afraid of the balance of power shifting and her own DeadlyDecadentCourt to take agency in her own life beyond bleeding her worlds dry, Mammon is bound by his obsession with counting his wealth and the guilt of murdering his family, Gog-Agog is imprisoned by her inability to accept her own existence as a hive mind of worms, Jadis is imprisoned by her own CosmicHorrorStory knowledge, Incubus is imprisoned by his need for praise and affirmation, and Jagganoth seeks to [[ViciousCycle violently destroy his prison of violence]] [[OmnicidalManiac even if it means killing everyone else]]. Even Zoss, the TopGod, admits he has turned the multiverse itself into his prison from his selfish arrogance.

* In ''Fanfic/AeonNatumEngel'', one of the first thing the therapists teach you on how to do deal with the nightmare caused by witnessing the unspeakable horrors is to employ this belief to your own nightmares.

This often overlaps with LotusEaterMachine, when the prison is made to feel like paradise so you won't want to leave, PsychologicalTormentZone, when you desperately wish you could, and TailorMadePrison. Not uncommon as a form of [[PurgatoryAndLimbo Purgatory or Limbo]]. Also see: ArmorPiercingQuestion and OrpheanRescue.

%% Page determined to not be picturable at this time per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1296261256051702800
%% Any image that could work for this trope will HAVE to lampshade the trope or note the actual discovery of the prison, which is a potential spoiler.
%% Please do not put up an image without starting a new IP thread.

* In ''Anime/TheTatamiGalaxy'', [[spoiler: the narrator is trapped in one]].

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* Invoked interestingly in ''Fanfic/{{Bird}}'', a long-running theme of inversion of the source material's motif of physical and authoritive threats means that ultimately most patients at Alchemilla are kept there by their own fears and insecurities. As superpowered humans that are mostly voluntarily institutionalised, the majority can leave at any time they choose. Part of Taylor's journey is realizing she has to, both to protect her friends who ''can't'' leave voluntarily and to grow herself.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', Masters Ox and Croc are captured by Lord Shen and put into a prison. When the heroes come to rescue them, it quickly becomes apparent that they could've easily broken out any time they wanted, but didn't out of fear that Shen would turn his new weapon on the city if they resisted. This fear is so strong that they outright ''refuse'' to escape [[spoiler: until Shifu somehow persuades them off-screen.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'': Nothing was actually physically keeping Rapunzel in the tower, as she later proves by descending on her own hair. Mother Gothel built a staircase to the tower, but Rapunzel never knew about it. Her ''real'' prison was her messed-up psyche and lack of mental strength to stand up to her emotionally abusive WickedStepmother. Rapunzel trip shows her that TheWorldIsJustAwesome, and that she is capable and brave... and yet, when asked by Flynn if she wants to return to her tower, she still doubts, declaring it's ''complicated''. Because Mother Gothel never keept Rapunzel physically in the tower, Rapunzel never realized she was a prisoner. So she never intended to escape, she only wanted to go to see the lamps. If not for Rapunzel realizing her kidnapping, she would never left the tower.

(Of course, to a Zen Buddhist, if you are free, then [[{{koan}} no escape is necessary]].)

* ''Webcomic/{{Jack|DavidHopkins}}'' has the residents of Hell, all of whom are stuck there until 1) they realize that what they did to get condemned there was ''bad and wrong'', and manage to admit this to themselves, and 2) ask for forgiveness. After that, it's a matter of working to the point where the angels keeping an eye on things down there are willing to say that you've earned the chance to reincarnate and try again.\\\
Hell likes to throw curve balls sometimes. At least two of the residents that we've seen so far have either no memory of what they did that got them condemned to Hell -- or no memory at all, prior to ending up in Hell. In both cases, it's noted that this kind of screws the individual over. It's also implied, though, that Hell itself may be a GeniusLoci that acts as a sadistic jailer. [[spoiler: In Jack's case]], this was ''self-inflicted''. [[spoiler: At the moment of his death, he pleaded with {{God}} to erase his memories.]]\\\
What makes it even more of a downer is that we meet more than one or two people who are in Hell, and know exactly, specifically why they are there, and what it would entail to get out. Just one of two problems: 1, they feel they [[SelfInflictedHell deserve to go unforgiven and suffer forever]], or 2, the reason they believe themselves to be in hell is ''wrong'', becoming something of a spiritual wild goose chase.

* A repeated motif of ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' is that all of the [[BigBadEnsemble Seven]] are [[TrappedInVillainy trapped]], to one degree of another, in a prison of their own making. [[{{Pride}} Solomon]], and to a lesser degree [[VillainousGlutton Mottom]], are trapped in these: Solomon is too proud to see how his own empire has become a cage not only to his citizens but to his own self-development. Mottom is too afraid of the balance of power shifting, and her own DeadlyDecadentCourt, to take agency in her own life beyond continuing to strip her own worlds bare for her own pleasure. Both of them get called out on this by one of the heroes during their arc.

* ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'': Nothing was actually physically keeping Rapunzel in the tower, as she later proves by descending on her own hair. Mother Gothel built a staircase to the tower, but Rapunzel never knew about it. Her ''real'' prison was her messed-up psyche and lack of mental strength to stand up to her emotionally abusive WickedStepmother. Rapunzel trip shows her that TheWorldIsJustAwesome, and that she is capable and brave... and yet, when asked by Flynn if she wants to return to her tower, she still doubts, declaring it's ''complicated''. Because Mother Gothel never keept Rapunzel physically in the tower, Rapunzel never realized she was a prisoner. So she never intended to escape, she only wanted to go to see the lamps. If not for Rapunzel realizing her kidnapping, she would never left the tower.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMidnightGospel'', Clancy visits a prison for wayward simulation beings and spends time with a prisoner named Bob. Bob is killed and brought back to life in the prison over and over again until he learns to control his anger, refrain from killing others, and pay attention to his surroundings so he can escape. Once he does so, he becomes part of [[AscendedToAHigherPlaceOfExistence Indra's Net]].