My Isolation Tank Experience

[Chris Cade]

After the much heated and interesting thread about Steve and Psychedelics, somebody suggested that isolation tanks were another way to experience profound expanded states of awareness without having to use mind-altering substances.

Isolation tank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I said I'd give the floatation a try, and as it turns out I found a place in CA to do it during my business trip to the bay area last week. I scheduled a 90 minute float.

First, I had to take a shower to 'get all the stuff' off of me. The woman informed me that it wasn't just physical, but also mental and spiritual debris I might be carrying around. So I did that.

The water and air were all set to body temperature, and the tank looks like a silver space ship. She gave me earplugs to put in, otherwise she said I'd be tilting my head and knocking myself upside the head for hours trying to get the salt out.

The tank itself has 800 pounds of Epsom salt in there. At first I was skeptical whether or not it could actually make me float. Sure I took enough science classes to understand the concept of 'density,' but my mind did not have a reference point for experiencing a liquid that was denser than my body.

But once I got in, I realized it was kinda hard to sit down and close the tank... my body didn't want to sit in a position firmly enough that I could pull against the door to close it. Eventually, I found out how to do it and was cemented into a veil of complete darkness.

I opted for the flute music to play and help me relax, so for the first 20 minutes I just laid in this tank floating listening to flute music. It definitely was relaxing... and then the music went away and it was completely silent.

I began to get incredibly relaxed... my mind shifted from topics, but eventually came back to presence rather often. More than I'm accustomed to, at least.

Occasionally, I'd feel a shock - something sort of like a cross between lightning and barbed wire running through my entire body. Mind you, it wasn't painful - not that kind of shock - more like a complete violence against my state of being.

I later realized that was my toe just ever so slightly touching the lower end of the tank. Another time, it was my elbow barely touching the left of the tank, and one other time it was my body doing that slight 'jerk' that happens before we slip out of consciousness before going to sleep.

What was a real kick in the proverbial nuts was that not long after the aforementioned 'jerk' that shocked my system, I was abrubtly shocked AGAIN by some obnoxious f***** snoring.

Apparently that was me...

Of course, I didn't fully comprehend what was going on at the time. It wasn't until my float was finished, that I realized I was so completely relaxed that becoming aware of *anything* physical was a total shock to my system.

Throughout the float, I occasionally wondered what my experience might be like. Would I have a mind-altering experience similar to what others describe with psychedelics?

In the end, the answer was no. I didn't have any crazy experiences... no consciousness expansion.

But it was the most relaxing experience of my entire life, and next time I'm going to do an 'unlimited' float and just stay in until I have to eat or pee (they apparently frown on that inside the tank).

Edit: Clarified point that Dan brought up... flute was only for 20 minutes at the beginning. The rest was total silence.

[Dan.Linehan]

Sounds awesome. I am going to try it pretty soon too.

You should try it without the flute music, that's supposed to be part of the experience -- absolutely no external stimuli.

[Chris Cade]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

Sounds awesome. I am going to try it pretty soon too.

You should try it without the flute music, that's supposed to be part of the experience -- absolutely no external stimuli.

Edited to clarify - the flute was only for the first 20 minutes... after that it was total silent - no external stimuli - until the float was over, which was signaled by the flute music and a small light on the side of the tank.

I definitely recommend doing it. I paid $70 for mine and thought it was a great deal - then I found out I can do it locally for $30 and realized... THAT is an even better deal

[organicphoto]

My first float was in '99 at SpaceTime Tanks in Chicago, the world's oldest floatation center. I didn't know anyone who had tried it and I hadn't seen Altered States so I didn't have any expectations.

It was a deeply relaxing experience, and when I emerged, I noticed that colors were more intense, but lights seemed softer. When I left and walked back to my car, it felt like I was walking on the moon and the afternoon sunlight seemed unusually soft.

2 years later, I returned because I was desperately looking for an alternative to back surgery. I have a pinched nerve in my lower back that had been leaving me nearly paralyzed for up to 2 weeks at a time. I'd tried massage therapy, hydrotherapy, some physical therapy and pain medication - nothing worked until I tried floating to relieve the pain. But floating didn't relieve the pain, it eliminated it. It took several sessions to be pain-free outside of the tank, but I was pain-free almost immediately in the low gravity environment of the tank.

I still have a pinched nerve, but I don't have sciatic pain anymore. If I get the beginnings of back pain, I float for just an hour and I'm good to go for the next several months at least. I float for pleasure (who doesn't love a huge boost of endorphins?) and creativity (brainstorming/problem solving) as well.

I created 2 sites to educate people on floating - Isolation Tank | Floatation Tank | Floatation Therapy is an educational website on the health benefits of floating and Isolation Tank | Floatation Tank | Flotation Tank is a blog where I post news articles and various info.

[Dan.Linehan]

Awesome. Thanks organicphoto!

I wonder how hard it would be to run your own isolation tank center..

[organicphoto]

Thanks Dan,

Are you considering starting an isolation tank center? If so, you might want to pick the brains of people already in the business. I moderate a yahoo group for such people, as well as floating enthusiasts, at floattalk : Community of Floatation Tank Enthusiasts.

[suus]

We have just put together a guide on Flotation Therapy, one of the interesting facts we come across was that research undertaken at the Human Performance Laboratory in Sweden, a Dr concluded that regular Floatation Therapy sessions can provide significant relief for chronic stress-related ailments. Studies involving 140 people with conditions such as anxiety, stress, depression and fibromyalgia found that more than three quarters experienced noticeable improvements.