A Little Bit about How Sensory Deprivation Works
It is fairly easy to deprive yourself of sight or hearing; simply close your eyes or plug your ears. It’s more difficult to deprive yourself of the other senses. A sensory deprivation chamber works by eliminating outside stimuli. The chamber is typically dark, sound-proof, scent-less, and with a temperature close to the temperature of a normal human being’s skin. The only noises would be ones you would have to create yourself. Obviously, there is no taste in the tank unless you swallow some of the salty water. There is a sense of almost zero gravity as you float. Supposedly, the removal of outside stimuli allows you to focus completely on the present moment and can be very useful for meditation. However, other research supports the idea that even removal of one of your senses for an extended period of time can lead to hallucinations. Mason OJ. and Brady F. (2009) found that, on rare occasions, even fifteen minutes of almost-total sensory deprivation was enough to lead some participants to have temporary hallucinatory visions such as seeing faces or shapes that were not actually there, a heightened sense of smell, or sensing an “evil” presence in the room. Most of the research shows, however, that the overwhelming majority of people actually find it relaxing and want to experience it again and again. Scientific studies have confirmed that there are numerous advantages to (controlled) short-term sensory deprivation via isolation chambers. These chambers (or isolation tanks) have been shown useful in treating chronic musculoskeletal pain, hypertension, and motion disorders (such as vertigo and headaches). Some studies have also shown that it can help with insomnia and smoking cessation. Many people who have tried these floating tanks have also reported being in almost a zen-like and stress-free state immediately after an hour-long session.
John C. Lilly
John C. Lilly, a neuroscientist, was one of the first people to wonder what would happen if you deprived someone of as much external stimuli as possible. In 1954, Lilly developed the first isolation tank. It was a dark, soundproof tank filled with 160 gallons of water. Everything but the top of participants’ heads would be submerged. They would wear what was called a “black-out mask,” which would eliminate any light from reaching their eyes yet still allow them to breathe. The temperature of the water and the surrounding air was kept at normal skin temperature, about 93 degrees Fahrenheit. The isolation tank was improved later by the addition of salt to the water. This allowed participants to float easily at or near the surface. The “black-out” masks were eliminated in order to make the experience more comfortable. Lilly himself spent long periods of time in the isolation tank exploring the nature of human consciousness. He actually claimed that the deprivation of his senses while in the tank allowed him to contact beings from other dimensions… most people who use the tanks don’t report experiencing anything like this.
Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)
There are two basic methods of experiencing sensory deprivation. REST chambers are designed to achieve this. In chamber REST, participants are put into a dark, sound-proof room, where they lie on a bed. Instructions are given for restricted movement, but there are not any physical restraints. Toilet facilities as well as food and drink are placed in the room, to be used at the participant’s discretion. They may stay in the room for up to twenty-four hours, but are able to leave at any time.
The second method of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy is floatation. In this method, participants enter a tank or pool which has been filled with water and Epsom salts and is at body temperature. The concentration of the salt in the water allows participants to float on their backs easily and even fall asleep, as it requires considerable effort to actually turn over. Float sessions typically last an hour, but you can book shorter or longer experiences.
Flotation REST has proven to be the more popular option for customers, as well as being more effective in eliminating pain and stress. It even works for participants who suffer from claustrophobia, as the lid on the float tank can be left open. The addition of the Epsom salts to the water is great for muscle relaxation as well. Weightlessness, while not experienced in chamber REST, is able to be experienced in floatation REST, adding greatly to the sensory deprivation. REST has even proven effective in helping individuals stop smoking. Seth Stevenson of Slate spent an hour in a floatation chamber and said that he felt more rested and zen-like than if he had slept “16 hours on a pile of tranquizlied chinchillas.” He also stated that after getting out of the chamber, colors were saturated and sounds were more vivid.
Many cities today have sensory deprivation tank centers and rates are anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour. If you’re suffering from pain, stressed out and need to relax, or are simply looking for an interesting experience, you might want to consider booking some float time! If you are thinking of floating, it’s best not to shave the day before or the day of your float, as the salt water can sting irritated skin. It is also recommended that you abstain from caffeine consumption on the day of your scheduled float, as it would make it more difficult for you to relax.
Floatation therapy at The Floatworks is the practice of lying back effortlessly in one of our world leading i-sopod floatation tanks and drifting into a blissful, deep, meditative state that rejuvenates and revives your mind and body.
Here comes the technical bit!
Also known as floatation & float therapy, the floatation experience is delivered through a super-saturated Epsom-salt solution, 25cm deep and containing 525kg of magnesium rich Epsom-salts.
Floatation Therapy
The solution is heated to skin temperature (35.5°C) and the environment in the tank is controlled so that the air is also skin temperature. Once you are settled, it is impossible to tell which parts of your body are in the water and which are not.
This creates an environment similar to that of the Dead Sea but without the sensation of temperature or movement, which lets you float effortlessly on the surface of the water, enjoying a feeling of total freedom & weightlessness!
Our Isopod tanks are the best on earth, specifically designed to block out all external distractions including sight, sound, tactile sensations and gravity. This environment brings long lasting and transformational experiences.
Floating has become increasingly popular, as more people have learnt about floatation therapy’s remarkable benefits.
Your first float might feel like magic, however floatation therapy is the result of thirty years of mainstream scientific research in human performance and wellness.
Best of all, the effects of floatation are cumulative – the more often you float, the better it is for your health, happiness and performance.
You’ll be shown into a private suite with either the Genesis Pod or Ocean Float Room and given an orientation about the equipment and experience. We’ll answer any questions you have then leave you to shower and enter your float environment.
In our Ocean cabins, gentle music will play for the first 10 minutes, allowing you to relax and get accustomed to this unique environment of weightlessness. As the music fades out, you’ll have the chance to experience something truly profound: A state of nothingness where all sensation is muted and the mind is free of outside stimulus. If you are an experienced floater and prefer to have no music, please let the attendant know and we’ll be happy to begin your float with silence.
In our Genesis pods, you have control over the music. If it is your first float, we suggest you listen to the music for a few minutes, while concentrating on your breathing. Once you feel relaxed and ready to float away, turn off the music and enjoy the quiet calm.
Both Ocean cabins and Genesis pods are equipped with lights that you can choose to turn out whenever you wish. Floating in silent darkness is an incredible experience, but should you not be ready to jump right into it, you can leave the lights on until you feel relaxed and at ease.
After 90 minutes of floating, music will fade in to let you know that your float journey has come to an end and you’ll take a refreshing shower to rinse the salt off your body. We hope you have some extra time to relax in our upstairs lounge, or perhaps BOOK a SAUNA or MASSAGE for after your float.
Expands Your Mind
The ultra-relaxing float environment encourages Theta brainwave rhythm - that beautiful twilight state between waking and sleeping. Time spent in Theta offers heightened receptivity, encouraging self-hypnosis and super-learning, while flashes of dreamlike imagery and long-forgotten memories spark creativity, intuition, and inspiration.
Builds Focus and Strength
An environment of silence, darkness, and lack of stimulation serves as the perfect antidote to the stress of our always on, plugged-in modern lives which can make us feel scattered and overwhelmed. When the mind is allowed to wander freely without distraction, we are better able to process and connect our thoughts and feelings, realizing a better understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe
Promotes Peace
Taking a moment away from everyday life and spending some contemplative time alone is an important method of stress reduction. Relaxing and focusing inward allows us to re-emerge calm and clear, enabling us to go back out into the world ready and willing to tackle life's challenges and reconnect on a deeper level with others.
Relieves Stress
Floating allows us easy access to the relaxation response - one of the most effective techniques we can learn to cope with stress. Without external stimulus, our natural defense systems automatically relax, and we benefit from significantly reduced levels of adrenaline and cortisol (the “stress” hormones) and can bask in the glow of increased endorphins and dopamine (the “feel good” hormones).
Promotes Recovery
Floating shows great promise for treating physical pain. With the body fully supported, muscles, tendons, and ligaments stretch out, the spine lengthens, and locked in tension begins to release. As the body relaxes, the mind is also able to let go. Floating has been clinically proven to reduce stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure, improve sleep, boost optimism, and decrease anxiety and depression. Research is being conducted on the effects of flotation for a wide range of physical ailments, including fibromyalgia, back pain, whiplash, migraines, high blood pressure, as well as post workout muscle recovery.
Get on Top of Your Game
Floating is great for improving mental focus as well as post-workout muscle recovery. The meditative aspect of floating encourages mindfulness, allowing for improved performance from a relaxed, centered place of calm presence. Floating also helps reduce the buildup of lactate in the blood, allowing athletes to recover from intense workouts more quickly, and because muscle growth occurs during rest, the relaxed, weightless effect of floating after intensive training helps stimulate rapid muscle growth.
THE FLOAT EXPERIENCE
1. Arrive 15 minutes before you check in, especially for your first time. The Float Host will ask you to sign in and show you the restrooms and your float room.
2. Take a short pre-shower and step into the float chamber.
3. Music will play and the soft light will stay on for the first 5 minutes in order to get yourself situated
4. The music and lights will fade out leaving you to the uninterrupted bliss of your float session.
5. 5 minutes before your float is scheduled to end. The music and soft light will fade back up signaling the end of your session.
6. Take a post-float shower to remove all Epsom salts and get dressed.
7. Feel free to spend some time with refreshments and reading/writing/drawing material before returning to the world.
8. Enjoy the benefits of floating for days afterward!
Seven Theories of Floating
The Seven Theories of Floating
by Michael Hutchinson, author of “The Book of Floating”
There’s no doubt that floating works – as a therapeutic, educational and entertainment tool it has powerful effects on a number of levels, including the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. But why is the floatation environment so effective? What can be so actively beneficial in an essentially passive device? This is a question that has intrigued scientists, and today there is floatation research going on in laboratories around the world. The evidence accumulated so far falls into a number of distinct, though interrelated explanations. Among the most important are as follows:
1 The Antigravity Explanation.
The buoyancy afforded by the dense Epsom salt solution eliminates the body’s specific gravity, bringing the floater close to an experience of total weightlessness. Gravity, which has been estimated to occupy 90 percent of all central nervous system activity, is probably the single largest cause of human health problems – the bad backs, sagging abdomens, aching feet, painful joints, and muscular tension that result from our unique but unnatural upright posture. This theory asserts that, by freeing our brain and skeletal system from gravity, floating liberates vast amounts of energies and large areas of the brain to deal with matter of mind, spirit, and enhanced awareness of internal states.
2 The Brain Wave Explanation.
More interesting than the well known alpha waves generated by the brain in moments of relaxation, are the slower theta waves, which are accompanied by vivid memories, free association, sudden insights, creative inspiration, feeling of serenity and oneness with the universe. It is a mysterious, elusive state, potentially highly productive and enlightening; but experimenters have had a difficult time studying it, and it is hard to maintain, since people tend to fall asleep once they begin generate theta waves. One way of learning to produce theta waves is to perfect the art of meditation. A study of Zen monks conducted by Akira Kazamatsu and Tomio Hirai, in which the monks’ brain-waves were charted as they entered the meditative states, indicated that the four meditative plateau’s (from alpha to the more sublime theta) “were parallel to the disciples’ mental states, and their years spent in Zen training.” Those monks with over twenty years of meditative experience generated the greatest amount of theta, the monks were not asleep but mentally alert. However, since many of us are unwilling to spend twenty years of mediation to learn to generate theta waves, it’s helpful to know that several recent studies (at Texas A&M and the University at Colorado) have shown that floating increases production of theta waves. Floaters quickly enter the theta state while remaining awake, consciously aware of all the vivid imagery and creative thoughts that pass through their minds, and after getting out of the floatation environment, floaters continue to generate larger amounts of creativity-promoting theta waves for up to three weeks.
3 The Left-Brain Right-Brain Explanation.
The two hemispheres or the neocortex operate in fundamentally different modes. The left hemisphere excels at detail, processing information that is small-scale, requiring fine resolution: it operates analytically, by splitting or dissection. The right hemisphere on the other hand, is good at putting all the pieces together. It operates by pattern recognition – visually, intuitively rapidly absorbing large scale information. Just as in the sunshine of a bright day it is impossible to see the stars, so are the subtle contents of the right hemisphere usually drowned out by the noisy chattering of the dominant verbal/analytical left brain, whose qualities are the more cultivated and valued in our culture. But recent research indicates that floating increases right-brain (or minor hemisphere) function. Floating turns off the external stimuli, plunges us into literal and figurative darkness – then suddenly the entire universe of stars and galaxies is spread out before our eyes. Or as brain researcher Dr. Thomas Budzynski of the University of Colorado put it, “In a floatation environment, the right hemisphere comes out and says, ‘Whoopee”.
4 The Three Brain Explanation.
In a series of seminal studies produced over the last twenty-five years, Paul MacLean, chief brain researcher at the National Institute for Mental Health (US), has produced convincing evidence that the human brain has three separate physiological layers, each corresponding to a stage in our evolutionary history. In this “Triune Brain Theory,” the most ancient layer is called the reptile brain, and it controls basic self-preservative, reproductive and life sustaining functions. Sitting atop the reptile, brain is the iambic system, which MacLean had dubbed the visceral brain, because generates all our emotions. The most recent part of the brain to develop is the “thinking cap” of convoluted gray matter called neocortex, seat of our abstract, cognitive functions; memory, intellect, language, and consciousness. While many of these three separate brains have overlapping functions they are all quite different in chemistry, structure, action, and style. Three brains should be better than one, but unfortunately, due to a ruinous design error, there is insufficient communication and coordination between the neocortex and the two older levels. This lack of communication results in a chronic dissociation between the higher and lower brains, which MacLean calls schizaphysiology, and which we experience in the form of conflicting drives – unconscious and conscious, savage and civilized, lusty and loving, ritualistic and symbolic, rational and verbal. There are times when the levels do act in harmony, as in peak experiences when body and mind unite in exhilarating moments of vitality, when our actions come effortlessly, spontaneously. But it’s hard to predict when these perfect moments will occur. Now there is evidence that suggests that, due to heightened internal awareness and decreased physical arousal, floating increases the vertical organisation of the brain, enhancing communication and harmony between the separate levels. Floating, it has been hypothesised, can provide us with peak experiences almost at will.
5 The Neurochemical Explanation.
Neuroscientists have recently discovered the brain is an endocrine organ that secretes numerous neurochemicals which influence our behavior. Our brains secrete hormones that make us happy, anxious, depressed, shy, sleepy, sexy. Each of us creates different amounts of these various neurochemicals, and those who create, for example, more endorphins – natural opiates – experience more pleasure as a result of a given experience than those who create fewer endorphins. Tests indicate that floating increased the secretion of endorphins at the same time as it reduces the levels of a number of stress-related neurochemicals, such as adrenaline, nordpinephrine, ACTH, and cortisol – substances that can cause tension, anxiety, irritability, and are related to ailments such as heart disease, hypertension and high levels of cholesterol. One other neurochemical theory is the “return of the womb” explanation. Since pregnant women produce up to eight times the normal endorphin levels, the foetus experiences true prenatal bliss. When a floater is suspended in the dense, warm solution, enclosed in darkness, body pulsing rhythmically and brain pumping out endorphins, it’s possible that subconscious memories are stirred and profoundly deep associations called up. It is no coincidence that at least one commercial float centre is named “The Womb Room.”
6 The Biofeedback Explanation.
Because of biofeedback research (including Johns Hopkin’s researcher John Basmajian’s conclusive study of subjects consciously firing off single motor-unit neurons), we now know that humans can learn to exercise conscious control over virtually every cell in their bodies. Processes long thought to be involuntary, such as the rhythm and amplitude of our brain waves, healing, blood pressure, the rate or force of heart contractions, respiratory rate, smooth-muscle tension, and the secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters are now thought to be controllable. The way biofeedback machines work is by enhancing concentration’, by focusing on a single, subtle change in the body, which is being amplified by the machine, we are able to shut off our awareness of the external environment. This shutting-off of external stimuli is exactly what the floatation environment does best – almost as if in an “organic” biofeedback machine, in the tank every physical sensation is magnified, and because there is no possibility of outside distraction, we are able to relax deeply and focus at will upon any part or system of the body.
7 The Homeostasis Explanation.
The human body has an exquisitely sensitive self-monitoring and self-regulating system that is constantly working to maintain the body in homeostasis – an optimal state of balance, harmony, equilibrium and stability. Considered in these terms, we can define stress as a disruption of our internal equilibrium, a disturbance of our natural homeostasis. Research now indicates that many of floating’s most powerful effects come from its tendency to return the body to a state of homeostasis. When we view the mind and body as a single system, it becomes clear that external stimuli are constantly militating against the system’s equilibrium, every noise, every degree of temperature above or below the body’s optimal level, every encounter with other people, everything we see and feel can disrupt our homeostasis. But when we enter the tank, we abruptly stop making constant adjustments to outer stimuli. Since there are no external threats, no pressures to adapt to outside events, the system can devote all its energies to restoring itself./ The normal state, of course, is health, vigour, enthusiasm, and immense pleasure in being alive.
©Michael Hutchinson