- ‘Experience Nothing.’ When my local float centre was under construction, this phrase kept catching my eye. Beneath the text was the image of a featureless Vitruvian man, milk-white, hovering in yoga’s śavāsana pose. Tranquil. Effortless. Floating imperceptibly upwards. Was that what it felt like?
I've done this quite a bit. It's quite an amazing experience that really grounds you and relaxes you entirely. If you're the type of person that likes to isolate themselves from others, you'll really enjoy the experience. It's amazing what you can learn just by going into one of those. Wow, that muscle is always flexed all day even when I'm sitting or laying down in bed going to sleep? It takes about 30 minutes until you even are capable of doing that, but once you do it's like unloading a rock that you've been carrying on your back your whole life, without even knowing that rock existed.
once you do it's like unloading a rock that you've been carrying on your back your whole life, without even knowing that rock existed.
-Sold. That sounds like an amazing experience. Have you found that each time that you go, you uncover "more rocks?"
I read a stupid book about self-hypnosis as a kid which described a useful technique called progressive muscle relaxation. While resting, you start at one extreme, like the toes of your right foot, and focus on relaxing (or tense then relax) that part. Then move up to your ankle, then calf, then thigh. Repeat for the other side. Do the same for your arms. In most places nothing special happens, but when you focus on your lower back or especially your upper back and shoulders and neck, you find some tension was there that you didn't realize. It's hard to get out of the habit of holding your big head up all day, I guess. It's weird to feel like you were already relaxing and then find that you can relax more. I have done this in a dentist's chair and found that my whole body was tense and stiff.
I've not done it enough times to know for sure (I'm not a regular, the closest tank center is about 3 hours away), but on subsequent visits it is much easier to get the first "rock" off. I imagine yes there would be more based on my experiences. You start to get more in tune with your body and I'm pretty sure I didn't uncover everything. I know for a fact there's something still in my neck that I can't get rid of even in the tank, but they even tell you that the neck is the hardest part for new people to figure out what to deal with in those things and give you tips. It's been years since I've gone, and I feel like I need to do it again now. I've been considering purchasing one for myself (they are starting to get cheaper and more efficient for in-home use). Also for tips on what to look for, there are people trying ideas with listening to music, playing TV documentaries to help you learn, etc while doing it. That is definitely not what you want. Even the slightest light is not something that is worthwhile, you want complete darkness. No music either. I think most of those places offer you the option of either if they offer those things, but go for the complete sensory deprivation experience. Your imagination fills in the blanks on its own.
EDIT: I just relooked and there is a closer float center ~2 hours away that just opened up. Just booked a float this weekend. Thanks Hubski for forcing me to be chill. You're such a drag. :P
I loved Altered States. Just checked the Vancouver FloatHouse. Might have to give it a shot this month. Sessions are $39 to $75, depending on options and times.
Thanks for the link. I was trying to find one in the Chapel Hill, NC area and haven't yet. I enjoyed the video from the FloatHouse page: I'd say that $40-80 is a reasonable price. Please report back after you try it.
This is really interesting. What makes the shower tolerable for people? I spend 20-40 minutes just sitting in the shower and thinking so I'm a little confused. If you want something similar to a float tank, I'd recommend taking a shower like you normally do then turning off the lights. I love taking warm showers in pitch black darkness.In July 2014, Science published a study in which volunteers were placed in an unadorned room and asked to entertain themselves with their thoughts for between six and 15 minutes. Participants overwhelmingly abhorred the experience. In one part of the experiment conducted in the subjects’ own home, a third actually found it impossible, and resorted to ‘cheating’, usually via their mobile phones. In another part of the study, 67 per cent of men opted to give themselves an electric shock rather than simply sit with their thoughts. The mind untutored in meditative techniques, concluded the study’s authors, ‘does not like to be alone with itself.'
Wow, wow, WOW. This is something I REALLY am interested in. As a kid... and even still today, I love just lying in the pool and relaxing my body. I love how the water muffles the little bit of noise that it doesn't filter. I love the weightlessness. This also reminded me of this podcast:
I want that. Anyway - great post.‘When you come back from a deep tank session,’ wrote Lilly, ‘there’s always this extraterrestrial feeling. You have to read the directions in the glove compartment so you can run the human vehicle once more.’ I know what he means. After a good float, I feel genuinely overhauled, reborn.
I posted an article about this some months back, it may be of interest to you.