The Benefits of Floating
by Collette Weber

 

The first time I floated, I had no expectations of what it would be like.

In the 1950s, Dr. John C. Lilly, a specialist in experimental neurophysiology, wanted to study the brain/mind activities and explore the origins of consciousness. To do so, he helped create the world's first floatation tank: a free-standing vessel holding a mixture of skin-temperature water and Epsom salts that enabled the subjects' body to float freely. The structure (approximately 8 feet long by 4 feet wide and 5 feet high, with a large door at one end) was designed to eliminate all stimuli, allowing for near-total sensory deprivation.

As you might imagine, the float tank’s design has changed dramatically since the 1950s. Most manufactured tanks are now equipped with a sophisticated filtration system, thermostat sensitive water heater, in-tank lighting, underwater stereo, and an air pump to keep fresh air flowing through the tank. It is incredibly comfortable!

The first time I floated, I had no expectations of what it would be like. For what seemed like 15 minutes my mind was racing, unable to quiet down. But then an amazing thing happened: I wasn't thinking about anything. Suddenly, I became aware of the internal workings of my body. I could actually hear and visualize the blood rushing through my veins and feel where it stopped flowing as rapidly from my knees down to my feet. Then, I felt as if I were floating out in space – an endless, peaceful space where I could no longer feel my body, yet was fully aware of being connected to everyone and everything at the same time. Before I knew it, soft music began to play, signaling that my hour was up.

I did not want that feeling of connection to end, and it didn't. For a few days after the float, all of my senses were heightened. Colors looked brighter, sounds were a little louder, and I had a sense of clarity and peacefulness that I had never felt before.

People often ask, "Why would anyone want to float?" Well, floating helps people in many ways. While measuring the EEG of the brain, Thomas Budzynski, a biofeedback expert and professor of psychiatry in Colorado, concluded that float tanks help to increase the brain's production of theta waves.

Theta waves are usually reached twice a day: just before we drift from consciousness into sleep and again before waking. The theta state is accompanied by vivid mental images, sudden insight, free association and creative inspiration, to name a few. It is that highly sought after place that Zen masters spent years of meditation training to reach, and one which can be reached in one hour in a floatation tank.

By turning off external stimuli, the float tank enables people to gain access to the theta state rapidly and easily. As noted in The Book of Floating by Michael Hutchison, subjects of Budzynski’s theta wave studies reported feelings of physical well-being and more self-accepting and creative after float sessions. They also noted a sense of being less rigid and conforming.

Floating reduces both primary and secondary stresses. With external distractions removed, the "floater" is provided an unhurried, unpressured opportunity to examine his or her life from a distance. In the tank, there is no noise, no light, no other people, and nothing that needs to be done. "Scientists have now proved that floating activates a physiological response that is parallel to, and as powerful as, the stressful one of fight or flight. This response mobilizes the body's resources to bring about an active, alert, positive, and beneficial state of deep relaxation,” writes Hutchison.

Very few people can find the time or place in this stressful society for serious contemplation of their lives or to probe and identify the causes of their problems. The floatation tank offers a nurturing environment in which one can escape temporarily from stressful external stimuli. That makes it a very useful and life-enhancing tool.

As Dr. Peter Suedfeld, of the University of British Columbia, noted in the American Scientist, "tests of subjects in sensory deprivation experiments showed significant beneficial results from overcoming phobias, weight reduction, and lessening smoking cessation, to changing behavior and attitude." How is this accomplished? It was found that people in float tanks become very interested in, and receptive to, any information or stimulation given to them. Thus, when taped messages (such as those that encouraging weight loss or stress reduction) are played in the tank, one pays close attention and is very receptive to such self-improvements.

There are many applications and useful benefits of the floatation tank – too many, in fact, to name in just one article. A float tank is a wonderful tool for everything from enhancing and focusing the meditation process to alleviating the effects of gravity. While the experience is quite different for everyone, it is the ultimate approach to get away from it all and at the same time find that connection with everything, especially with ourselves. So, go ahead...float!

Collette Weber is the owner of Full Balance Float Tank, located at 301 E. Fireweed Lane. For more information, or to make an appointment, call 646-7747 or visit www.akfloattank.com.