ATL = Dharma Subliminal Experiment by Patrick B

(ATL = Alternate Time Line)

Okay!

So, I just had an idea...

I think the fact that Jin was taken to the "Brainwashing" room might have been a huge clue.

Eloise Widmore made it clear in her conversation with Desmond that something "matrix-ey" is going on in the ATL. The candidates in the ATL are not supposed to "wake up", as they are "not ready". And when they have flashes of the main time line, the candidates sometimes feel that it is "more real" or "more true" than their current existence.

Meanwhile, we are suddenly reminded in Season 5 of Dharma's hydra island "Subliminal Messaging" experiments. I'm thinking this was a big clue.

Think of Plato's Cave. Inside the Cave, people are strapped down, forced to look at shadows on a wall. Evenetually, these illusions become "reality" for these prisoners. They have no idea that they are simply illusions and that outside the cave is the real truth, the real world.

The "real world" would be the main time line, and the shadows on the wall are the ATL.

What if the Dharma experiments included something like Plato's cave? It seems like something they'd be interested in researching.

Now, I'm not suggesting that they're in an exact matrix scenario going on here. (hooked up to computers in the back of their head, learning Kung Fu, and all that.)

But maybe they have some sort of experiment where they take advantage of the unique elecromagnetic properties of the island. Maybe Dharma's tech is very crude, but MIB uses his illusory powers to create the ATL. Maybe there is a pocket of elecromagnetic energy in this spot which boosts MIB's powers and allows him to create such a grand illusion.

The souls of those who died on the island - if they are "stuck" on the island maybe their conciousness could be snagged by MIB and also placed within this illusion. Maybe the way this occurs is the reason that they are the first to start seeing the truth.

Anyways, there are my thoughts. The theory is a bit far fetched, but let me know what you think.