Timeless Tank Flotation

                           

Tank Flotation - Background Information

Tank flotation (also known as the sensory deprivation or isolation) was created in 1953-54 by Dr. John Cunningham Lilly, at the National Institute of Mental Health (Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.). Floating in a 25cm deep box of body temperature water enriched by approximately 350kg of dissolved Epsom salts, Lilly's original goal was to explore how solitude affected the mind and the neurophysiology of consciousness. The unintended result was a powerful tool for transcending self-limiting beliefs, helping usher in humanistic and transpersonal psychology.

Floating is an effortless experience. You relax on a bed of salt water within the total darkness of the closed tank chamber. It is a womb-like atmosphere of total calm and warmth. It is a method of attaining the deepest rest that humankind has ever experienced, creating intense awareness of internal signals combined with extraordinary deep states of relaxation. It is a state of consciousness in which one's creative faculties are awakened. The temperature inside the floatation tank is isothermal over the surface of the body so that the nerve endings covering the surface of the skin no longer perceive a separation between the skin and the solution inside the tank.

In the gravity free environment the body balances and heals internally as all the senses are rested. Zero gravity allows you to relax every single muscle, your neck, arms, back and even ears. The tank enables you to find those areas you are holding tense so you can let go. Research shows that floating measurably reduces blood pressure and heart rate whilst lowering the levels of stress related chemicals in the body. Old injuries and aches, (especially backache) experience relief as floating helps blood circulation. It is used widely in the treatment of stress, anxiety and even jet lag One hour in a floatation tank has the restorative effects of four hours of sleep.

For the first time both sides of the brain are in harmony and the balance creates allows you to use huge amounts of previously unavailable brainpower. This is usually accompanied by vivid imagery, very clear creative thoughts, sudden insights and inspirations. In addition, there are feelings of profound peace and joy, all induced by the release of endorphins,the body's natural opiates. Because of these effects, floating is used effectively in the treatment of depression and addictions, including smoking and alcohol. It is also used in schools and universities as tools for Super Learning. Flotation therapy offers people the chance of regaining physical, emotional or psychological health. Therapeutically, generally each floating session lasts an hour.

Floating in sound-proof darkness allows areas of the brain which are always in use when awake to be liberated from their work. During a float you produce slower brain-wave patterns, known as theta waves, (normally experienced only during deep meditation or just before falling asleep). The darkness during floating also induces a balance between the left and right brain. There is a shift from the normally dominant left side of the brain (logical, analytical and rational) to the right side (intuition, mental clarity and creativity).

The flotation tank experience ultimately isolates individuals from external stimuli, enabling them to forget their body and concentrate on their mind. It is based upon a scientific approach to deep relaxation called 'RESTRICTED ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULATION THERAPY', or R.E.S.T. A number of researchers and clinicians are working with R.E.S.T. and how the flotation tank affects the mind and body. In this connection, conferences are held three times a year by the International R.E.S.T. Investigators Society (I.R.I.S.)

The experience of floating enables you to reach levels of relaxation only seen in deep meditation. In fact within a few minutes a floating person can reach a depth of relaxation which takes many years to achieve by classical meditation techniques. Significant aspects of perceptual functioning seem to be enhanced by sensory depravation. It influences electrical activity of the brain, bio-chemical secretions, sensory and perceptual processes, learning, creativity, introspection, etc. This is probably as a wide a range of effects as have been investigated in any substantive area by any technique known to psychology.

References : THE BOOK OF FLOATING written by Michael Hutchison TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES written by Dr. John C. Lilly & E.J. Gold    

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