DDepending on who you ask, an hour of floating naked in a soundproof, light-proof tank with only your own thoughts for company sounds like a soothing break from everyday life, or like a nightmarish punishment devised by a uniquely devious and vengeful deity.
Personally, I long for emptiness. So I signed up for a session in a float tank. These used to be called sensory deprivation tanks, but the term has fallen out of favor because your senses are not yet completely deprived; the terms of the art are flotation therapy or flotation rest (limited environmental stimulation therapy).
Insulation tanks were first developed in the 1950s by John C Lilly, a neuroscientist who used them to enhance his psychedelic experiences. They didn’t come onto the market until the 1970s, but their popularity grew rapidly.
Since then, float tanks have drifted in and out of the zeitgeist. Advocates say they help light up stress and muscle pain, and induce a deeply relaxing meditative state. During an interview ESPN in 2015, NBA star Stephen Curry said in a float spa, “I’m just thinking about it for an hour, playing Russian roulette of the mind.”
But when I told friends about my upcoming appointment, some looked at me with wide, panicked eyes, as if I was about to spend an hour in a cremation machine. “I don’t need to be alone with my thoughts,” said one.
What are the benefits of float therapy?
Although floatation therapy has been around for decades and the results of existing studies are promising, little research is still being done into it. Dr. Justin Feinstein, a clinical neuropsychologist and president and director of the Float Research Collective, a nonprofit organization focused on getting float therapy approved as an accepted medical treatment, says floating is an effective way to combat the relentless noise and distraction of against modern life. .
According to Feinstein it is studies to have found it that after a float, patients experience a significant decrease in stress and anxiety, and an improvement in mood, serenity and relaxation. He adds that these effects can last up to 48 hours.
“In the patients who came in with a lot of stress and anxiety, there was a residue that seemed to persist about one to two days after the float,” he says.
Feinstein says his research suggests floating may be especially helpful for people with diabetes chronic stress and anxietyand conditions such as PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and… anorexia nervosa.
What happens in your body when you float?
“The first thing we notice is the blood pressure,” says Feinstein. Within five to ten minutes of starting a float, there is a steep drop in blood pressure. Some of this, he says, is likely due to decreased muscle tone. “(A float) is one of the few places on Earth where you can experience this feeling of almost gravity,” he says. This allows the smooth muscles around your veins and arteries to relax and contract, allowing blood vessels to expand and blood to flow more freely.
Breathing also slows significantly, at about one breath per minute. Slower, deeper breathing has been found to help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
Then there are the mental effects. According to Feinstein, brain waves slow down “to a trickle” while floating, even in awake floaters.
In studies conducted by Feinstein and his colleagues, they noted that delta waves – “the slowest type of brain wave you can get, the type you would normally only see in a state of deep sleep” – became quite prominent during a float.
“You don’t normally see that in other states of consciousness,” he says.
What does float therapy feel like?
I arrived at the float spa on a gloomy, snowy day. After a short wait in a sitting area littered with Thich Nhat Hanh books and large pallets of Epsom salt, I was led into a tasteful wood-paneled room dominated by what appeared to be a huge white acrylic egg lying on its side. I expected the tank to be the size of a large bathtub, but I felt like I could host an intimate dinner party in this colossus.
The attendant politely told me I had 10 minutes to shower and shampoo while the tank was filled, so as not to spoil the barrel with dead skin cells, body oil or hair products. I was also encouraged to cover any open wounds with the Vaseline that was provided, to protect them from the sting of the salt.
Everyone showered, and with Vaseline smeared on a small scratch on my finger, I slid into the body temperature water and pulled down the top half of the tank behind me. This spa also offered float pools in soundproof rooms – an excellent option for those who suffer from claustrophobia, says Feinstein. Each pod or pool is saturated with enough Epsom salt to allow one to float to the surface, a concentration of about 35%.
For the first five minutes, speakers played the soothing sounds of waves, and soft neon lights vibrated from red to green to purple. Then I was overwhelmed by silence and darkness.
The first moments were serene. I focused on the pleasant physical sensation of floating. The darkness was so complete that it made no difference whether I had my eyes open or closed.
Then the thoughts came.
I meditate regularly. I like to think that I am familiar with the inner workings of my own mind. I can usually notice my racing thoughts and control them before they take over. But in the float tank, deprived of all environmental distractions, my brain took off at full speed, like a wild horse that had lost its lead.
What if I fall out of this thing, like Miranda does in that one episode of And Just Like That? I thought. I can’t believe Che Diaz won’t be there next season. I can’t believe I’m watching that show. I need new clothes. Am I doing this right? What was that sound? I should let my thoughts drift away like clouds. How long has it been? Shoot, I forgot to send that email.
Eventually I struggled to regain some control. I focused on the tingling awareness in my fingertips. I took a deep breath and felt the dried salt on my ribs. My thoughts slowed and I disappeared, neither asleep nor awake. Every now and then I would experience an acute stab of consciousness, consumed again by my inner monologue, but then it would become quiet.
After an hour that felt like 15 minutes or two days, the lights in the tank came on and the speakers started playing the sound of waves to indicate I was done.
I rinsed off in the shower and put on my clothes. On the walk home, I felt serene but untethered, as if my brain had floated into the air and not yet landed in my skull. Did I enjoy the float? It’s hard to say. The unobstructed view into my own mind had been both enlightening and disturbing. Why was I thinking so much about Che Diaz?
Anyone should avoid floatation therapy?
According to the Cleveland ClinicFloat therapy is not suitable for everyone. It is best to avoid this if you suffer from claustrophobia, skin conditions that can be aggravated by the salt water, an infectious disease, a seizure disorder or if you are prone to ear infections.
Most float companies also ask you not to float if you have recently colored your hair, but that is not a health issue; they just don’t want the hair dye to stain the pristine pods.
How much did it cost? $89.
Did it work? I felt both relaxed and restless.
Would I do it again? Yes, if someone else paid.
Did it fix me? It highlighted how pointless most of my thoughts are, and that I really shouldn’t let them control my mood. Obviously that still happens, but now I remember that most of what happens in my head is nonsense.
Overall rating: Three out of five bags of Epsom salt.