I’ve just opened the door to a whole new world. As I step inside the float tank, I feel a roller coaster thrill; I’m about to experience something both awesome and completely out of my control. When you enter the float tank you’re struck by how dark and quiet everything feels. Then it hits you. Your mind is about to be blown open. Prepare for the ride of your life!
The float tank is also known as a sensory deprivation chamber or an isolation chamber. It was dreamed up in the fifties by a brilliant, colorful and bizarre scientist named John Lilly. Lilly’s idea was to remove all sensory inputs and thereby answer some philosophical questions about our mind and how it interacts with the world around us. When, after years of experimentation, Lilly’s chamber could completely shut out all sensation, the effect on the human mind was earth shattering.
The Original Sensory Deprivation Chamber
The original sensory deprivation chamber was a spooky experiment. The subject was suspended in water and wore a scary mask (you can see it on Lilly’s website) to block out all light. There was also a tight body suit. Imagine both bizarre and scary. Lilly stood outside monitoring you.
A lot has changed since then. Now sensory deprivation chambers are essentially large baths with a few out-of-the-box modifications. Most float tanks are 8 feet by 4 feet and 4 feet tall. The super high-class (and pricey) “float rooms” are 8 feet by 6 feet and 7 feet tall, essentially a bigger tank. You walk into this rectangular cube and close the door. This is when the magic starts.
The Saltwater Breakthrough
During the fifties, there were two independent research groups studying sensory deprivation. Each group had a very different purpose. One group, led by Dr. Donald Hebb, had been studying brainwashing. Hebb’s studies were funded by the U.S. government in order to understand Chinese brainwashing and Russian methods of obtaining forced confessions. Dr. Lilly’s group at the National Institute of Health was trying to understand philosophical questions about consciousness.
Lilly began noticing that his subjects were experiencing amazing states of relaxation. He experimented with the chamber himself. While in the tank, Lilly “woke” to the realization that the chamber was a massive breakthrough to inner peace and expanding consciousness. He also divined that something was wrong with the National Institute of Health’s sensory deprivation studies. Lilly left N.I.H. and moved to Hawaii where he studied dolphins and interspecies communications taking the chamber to a whole new level.
By the seventies, the chamber had evolved considerably, with some help from the dolphins. Dolphins live underwater, but they come up for air to breathe. In his modified tank, Dr. Lilly would float in shallow water, face up, heels pushing down against the floor (to help him stay above water). He would take a deep breath. This would keep him above water. The exhale and inhale would need to be done very quickly so that he wouldn’t sink in between breaths. At this crucial stage, Dr. Lilly acquired a floating protégé, Glenn Perry.
In 1972, Perry, a shy software engineer tried out the chamber for the first time. Since he was very thin, Perry’s body would sink (even with deep breaths). Dr. Lilly suggested using ocean water (3% salt content) like his dolphins. This would add buoyancy. Perry made his own tank and upped the salt to 10%. Dr. Lilly tried Perry’s tank and then upped the salt to 25%. This changed everything.
When you float in the modern chamber, you are immersed in massive amounts Epsom salt. The standard chamber contains about 170 gallons of water (your average bath contains 50). The water in the chamber is spread fairly thin, less than a foot deep. But you never touch the floor. These 170 gallons of water contain 850 pounds of salt! Think the Dead Sea times five. This solution of water and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is so dense that your body floats, effortlessly. You can’t sink if you try. The salt saturation is what allows a comfortable and even pleasant Sensory Deprivation.
Are You Ready?
Are you ready to try the sensory deprivation chamber? If not, then wait till my future installments to learn more about its effects on stress relief, learning healing and more.
There are two wonderful places to float near you, Hope Floats and Om Float. I recommend experiencing both of them.
Hope Floats- This beautiful float center is located in Bethesda, Maryland. You’ll meet Kimberly, Linette and CJ who give the center a comfortable, at home flavor. From the fragrance candle in the float room, to the chocolate when you finish your float, the experience is wonderful. Find out more at HopeFloatsUSA.com or call 202-236-2099
Om Float- Located in Ashburn, Virginia this float center can be a drive for some MD residents, but the prices more than compensate. Its owners, Brooks and Amy Brinson built the center from scratch using an architectural design that Brooks conceived in his home float tank. From the floor to the ceiling, every detail is designed with function in mind. You feel like you’re walking into the future. Find out more at Omfloat.com or 703-858-3730
| Rafael Ender is a lifelong student. He is fascinated by the intersectionality of economics, psychology, politics, deep introspection and much more. Rafael lives with his family in the Metro DC area. You can reach him at RafaelMosesEnder@gmail.com. You can reach his mind at RafaelEnder.com |
Part 2
Are Ready to Enter The Sensory Deprivation Chamber? – Hope Floats, Bethesda MD
I’m excited to visit Hope Floats. Every float center is centered around the sensory deprivation chamber. But beyond that everything is different. I walk in to Hope Floats: there is a very gentle, charming feeling to the place. CJ hands me a water bottle and I sit down on a nice comfy sofa.
When designing their float center, every owner endeavors to create an environment that echoes their vision of inner peace. The walls of Hope Floats are filled with affirmative sayings encouraging mindfulness and living in the present moment. When you enter the float room, you notice a pleasant smell coming from a scented candle on top of the tank.
I enter the sensory deprivation chamber and my journey begins. I’ve heard that some people fall asleep in the float tank, but I always feel wide awake. In the absence of stimuli, my inner world awakens. Sometimes it happens immediately, other times it starts about twenty minutes into the float. Every float is different.
I become very aware of my heart. It feels like a massive furnace of energy, breathing fire and life into my body. I am invigorated with heat and vitality and feel full of energy. It has been a long exhausting day. My stress and mental absorption fade away. I am alone in the present moment.
You might think that the sensory deprivation chamber feels lonely. It’s quite the opposite. My brain lets go of obsessive thoughts and awareness fills my consciousness; vibrant, alive, pulsating. Memories flow through my mind. These are not your average memories. They are filled with a vividness, color and emotional vibrancy so immediate and rich that I enter into their world. There is a connection and a symbiosis with the memories and waking dreams. They absorb me. My mind is joyous, absorbing the texture and the light.
Did I say light? The chamber is so dark I don’t notice the absence of light. There is no contrast, no struggling to make out shapes, just total visual emptiness. This is not to say that I don’t see. My mind becomes full of imagery. The details and visceral sensations are powerful and multi-sensory.
I entered the chamber feeling stressed and self-involved. My thoughts were racing as they do when I focus too hard and overthink things. I was trapped in an endless spiral and circular thinking. In the tank I start to slow down. My body feels comfortable floating in the salt-water. I start to notice that the stress I am feeling is not needed in this peaceful place.
In the space, in the silence, my mind starts to relax. I have time to let go and truly listen to the thoughts in my running through it. I notice certain thoughts are making me feel ramped up and stressed out. I decide to let go of these thoughts. I have a major insight: “don’t expect”.
So many times that day I had expected certain things. I had expected my children to listen to me the first time I made a request. I had expected my baby to take his nap right on time. I had expected my mother to realize that I’m thirty years out of the womb and to stop asking me how many vegetables I ate that day. I had expected a co-worker to stop rambling and a client to start acting reasonable. Half of the time I was disappointed. Floating in the stillness I realize that these expectations had ruined an otherwise wonderful day. I mentally revisit my day, repeating the mantra “don’t expect”. I start feeling really positive and excited about life. The world feels young and fresh.
When I get stressed out, I feel separated from my true self. It’s as though alien programming starts to take over. I’m too emotional to think things through and make authentic choices. I don’t have the willpower to overcome the mental inertia. I call this disintegration. In the float tank I notice my sense of self taking control again. There is a slowness, a stillness, a space. With my senses free, I have the capacity to reconnect; to take in and reconcile my conflicting emotions. I have a self greater than sum of my parts and this self is awakening. I call this feeling integration.
I’m feeling very good and full of positive emotion. My thoughts are flowing, with a smoothness and elegance that feels invigorating, like well oiled machine. I start to hear faint music and think I’m hallucinating. Turns out it’s the music telling me that my 90 minutes is up.
Stepping out of the tank into the bright room feels invigorating. My step is light and I feel GREAT! I say goodbye to Linette who is now manning the desk. She gives me two little dove chocolates.
Life feels good. Colors stand out bright and vivid. I get to my apartment, give my wife a hug and lie down in bed. It’s the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.
| Rafael Ender is a lifelong student. He is fascinated by the intersectionality of economics, psychology, politics, deep introspection and much more. Rafael lives with his family in the Metro DC area. You can reach him at RafaelMosesEnder@gmail.com. You can reach his mind at RafaelEnder.com |
Part 3
Are You Ready to Enter the Sensory Deprivation Chamber
I just read Tools for Titans by Tim Ferris. The book shares life hacks used by top level businessmen and athletes. One tool that Tim recommends was the sensory deprivation chamber or float tank. I was stoked. I decided to visit Om Float in Ashburn. It was a bit of a drive, but the prices more than made up for it.
Om Float was literally built by its owners Brooks and Amy Brinson. Brooks was in construction and Amy had a high paying job in DC. They gave it all up to create a state-of-the-art float center.
Brooks used his construction experience to create float center innovations. One innovation is his hand-crafted vibration absorbers that drown out even the slightest hum made by passing cars outside. This combined with putting the tank into a room within a room, creates a total, immersive silence. A second innovation is the mesh floor. As you can imagine, there is a lot of water in a float center. The water sinks through the mesh floor leaving everything dry. There is also a pillow room, full of beanbags and pillows to help you relax and journal after your float. My kids call Om Float the Pillow Float Center.
I step into the float tank and lie there in the quiet bliss. Nothing is happening. I ask myself, “I’m writing an article about floating, am I making this all up?” Then it hits me. My thoughts start to feel loose and light.
I sometimes sense that I am too impatient, that like an ADHD child, I get distracted, race from thought to thought, and don’t listen to my mind. While floating, my thoughts begin to feel whole and complete; rhythmic, as though following an inner, soothing beat. I feel rested and confident.
I experience a vivid waking dream. I’m in front of a large semi-circular driveway. A huge four-seater pickup truck drives up to me. It is empty. There is no driver, that is my task. I hear a powerful sound. The truck has come to life and is gunning the engine. It is my faithful servant, waiting for its master. I hear an excited feminine voice exclaiming “step into the truck”.
As I experience this intense imagery I know deep within me what it means. There have been times when I’ve been hurt badly, scarred. I’ve spent much of my life living a cautious existence; timid, worried, and constantly looking over my shoulder. But my soul burns brighter than this. I’ve been holding myself back. No more!
This truck, engine revving, is showing me that I can live life on full throttle. I don’t need to let my fears hold me back. I hear the feminine voice squealing with childlike exuberance “step into the truck” as if to say “to hell with your fears, don’t let negative people and life experiences hold you back”. I know it’s time to step into my potential and ignite my soul. It’s time to go all out and to let go of fear.
I step out of the tank, full of energy with a devil-may-care attitude. Brooks asks me how my float was. The man is deep. We talk about the float and delve into philosophy, psychology and metaphysics. His wife Amy joins us. I feel awesome as I get in my car and drive home.
Ten years ago, I was going through a horrific time. My friend Ari went for a walk with me. It was the middle of the winter we went to the beach. We found a huge rock, 15 feet high. We stood on the rock and looked out at the large waves. I told Ari that I felt like the Baal Shem (the Jewish mystic known as the Baal Shem, the master of the name (of God).
Legend describes that when Baal Shem was an old man, the evil one came to envelop the world. The fate of the world hung on the Baal Shem’s shoulders. But he was an old man and he had given out all his lifeforce. His sparks had been expended.
The Baal Shem gathered into himself all of his sparks. He lifted his hunched shoulders, standing erect and strong, prepared to face the evil one. But then he heard a little boy crying. The boy had been born lame and the Baal Shem had given him a spark so the boy could walk again. Without the spark, the boys’ legs would collapse. The Baal Shem’s soul filled with pity and he returned the spark. Then he heard a mother crying. The Baal Shem had brought her stillborn child back to life with the gift of a spark. The girl was dying. The Baal Shem heard her cries and returned the spark.
Wailing and anguished screams filled the Baal Shem’s mind. He had given his life, his sparks, and the recipients of the sparks needed them back. One by one, the Baal Shem returned the sparks until he was left a tired old man. He did not have the power to stop the evil ones’ assault on the world.
I felt like the Baal Shem Tov. I had given, too much and loved too deeply. My lifeforce was spent. I was the shell of a man.
After my fourth float, my state of mind was exactly the opposite. I felt the sparks returning. Energy, life, hope, dreams; the world was becoming a happy, joyous place. My heart felt full of life.
A quote from the Baal Shem may be in order here. “I owe it all to the bath.” (Martin Buber, Tales of the Hassidim)
Sensory Deprivation?
The float tank is a relatively pleasant word phrase. It makes me think of a goldfish chilling in a well-kept fish tank. It has everything it needs to just enjoy life and be happy. I’d enjoy being this goldfish. But I would be very scared of a “Sensory Deprivation Chamber” which makes me think of a subject deprived of her senses, by a mad scientist. “Deprivation Chamber” conjures up images of a horror room or torture device. Don’t get scared! I’ve been in the chamber many times. You will be happier than the goldfish and the good feeling will last for days after.
I think that the term float tank more accurately describes the experience. Even better would be the term float tub. The term tub is much more personal than tank. You The cube is literally a tub that you float in. Your bathtub is definitely not a tank.
The term “Sensory Deprivation Chamber” is not only scary but also misleading. The cube doesn’t eliminate your sensations, rather it reduces them.
The effects of the float tank may be due to either to complete sensory deprivation or I propose in addition, a combination of sensory stimulation with perceptual deprivation; in other words, a constant, uniform stimuli. Constant uniform stimulus can have a similar effect to sensory deprivation. This is known as the Ganzfeld Effect. For example, after taking a hot shower you don’t notice that the air is warm until you walk into a colder room. A white noise machine can be even more comforting than pure silence.
Here are the senses it the float tank reduces:
Gravity- In everyday life, gravity is constantly pulling on you. Even when lying in your bed, you’re being sucked downwards, a sensation that memory foam mattresses’ help reduce.
In the float tank, the salt water is so dense, you rise above. You are in a constant state of buoyancy. It’s as though you’re being gently carried or held. You feel lighter, it’s as though the effects of gravity are less intense than in the “outer world”. Movement and turning are effortless and light. In the “outer world” most body movements consist of applying muscle, pivoting and leverage. In the float tank, movement flows, literally.
Hot/Cold — I had never realized this, but in life we are constantly feeling sensations of hot and cold (known as thermoception). As I sit here typing, I note that my exposed hands feel cold (slightly unpleasant). (Hands are both exposed and have many capillaries, making them particularly sensitive to temperature.) Under my clothing feels warm (a bit too warm). Of course, different body parts have different layers of clothing creating a huge temperature spread. Right now, I’m aware of about 15 specific areas of hot and cold throughout my body.
In the float tank, the temperature is uniform, specifically 94 degrees Fahrenheit. The air and water are both the same temperature, as is your body. While our internal body temperature is 98.6 our external, dermal layer is approximately 94 degrees.
This means that when you’re in the tank, there is no sensation of temperature; no heat or coldness. Everything feels uniform as well as comfortable.
Pressure — When you stand up, the soles of your feet are pressing against the floor. You’re feeling the sensation of pressure. Sitting down right now, my butt is pressing against the chair. When you float in the tank, you just sink in. There is a very even distribution of body weight. The only pressure you feel is when you come in contact with the walls.
Muscle Tension – When you stand or sit, your muscles keep your body aligned. Some muscles are pulled tight, others are loose. In the tank, sinking into the water, every muscle can let go and just well, float.
Smell / Touch / Taste – Not unless you’re snacking in the tank (not recommended)
Hug – In the tank, you’re immersed / floating in water. This very dense salt water can feel almost gel like. The water hugs you. One might think that hugging is stimulation, the opposite of sensory deprivation. Consider this proposal: hugging creates a ganzfeld effect. This might help explain why hugging or deep pressure stimulation is so vital to monkeys and children.
Being squeezed, hugged and snuggled is very important for mammals. For Monkeys without mothers, snuggling or even a snuggling machine can serve as a partial substitute (study – Harry F. Harlow, Love in Infant Monkeys). Many autistic children are not able to endure physical contact with people. This children find they still need to be snuggled.
The Snugvest™ is an inflatable vest literally squeezes or applied low pressure to the entire upper torso. The concept, known as deep pressure stimulation was discovered by the autistic researcher and writer Temple Grandin. As a child, Grandin observed that cattle would be confined to in a squeeze chute for inoculation and that the cattle would calm down immediately after the pressure was administered. Grandin created her own squeeze machine and would stay there for hours. Today Grandin wears very tight clothing to generate this squeezing effect. It seems that a ganzfeld type, undifferentiated pressure sensation is something that feels really good to people and animals on a primal level. (See the Wikipedia page on the HugMachine.) I propose that the float tank is a large snugvest.
Movement- You can move in the tank, but most of the time you enjoy lying still. Think of the most comfortable, soft, memory foam mattress you have ever sat in. You just sink in. If you want you, with some effort, you can move around. But you don’t want to. The tank is the ultimate soft mattress. You just sink in. There is absolutely no pressure to relieve by tossing and turning. You can lie still, for hours.
Balance- whenever you stand or sit, your body is focused on staying upright. Picture someone drunk, without their typical alertness, trying and failing to walk, without stumbling in a straight line. For an experiment, try walking around with your eyes close and see how much concentration is required not to fall. In the tank, the mind isn’t balancing, it’s floating.
Absence of Light — This may be the most important one. The tank is dark, very dark. You completely lose perspective of where you are. This experience goes deeper. After a few minutes, you don’t even realize its dark, since there is no light/dark contrast. The eyes are taking in zero light.
What Causes the Tank Experience? 7 Explanations
In the tank, the body’s sympathetic system (stress hormone system) turns off and the body’s parasympathetic system (relaxation system) turns on. The body is flooded with relaxation hormones and endorphins creating a peaceful and enjoyable frame of mind.
Something mysterious, wonderful and intense happens in the float tank. The standard theory is that when the mind is free of distractions, it enters a rare and powerful flow state. On a day that is super-hectic, stop and notice how you are feeling. Then compare this multi-tasking chaotic state to a day at the spa or even better, a day meditating. While meditating you feel calm, focused and peaceful. Today we live fast-paced hectic lives. When meditating you can slow down and live life at your own pace. Now imagine this meditative quiet and self-awareness; times ten. Your mind is letting go and expanding; it is opening and flowering. You become acutely aware parts of your mind that you have never experienced before. Some have even referred to this as a psychedelic (mind-opening) adventure. You’re beginning to get a sense of the float tank experience.
I believe this theory is incomplete for two reasons. First, if sensory deprivation causes amplified internal sensation then wouldn’t some people go into the tank and have really bad “trips”. Imagine you’re feeling angry or anxious, shouldn’t the float tank experience amplify these negative emotions. But in fact, the opposite happens. The float tank reduces anxiety as well as other conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Second, the float experience seems more intense and healing than other types of sensory deprivation (such as the ganzfeld deprivation or Chamber Rest). Here are some original explanations.
Second Reason– for the float tank sensation: physical and mental pleasure. Let’s look at how you feel when you float. The temperature of 94 degrees feels pleasant. The body is relaxed. It can feel very good sinks into the water (like memory foam). You’re in water and swimming is such an enjoyable sensation that people build massive tubs (pools) just to swim in. The water with 850 pounds of Epsom salt is very thick. It hugs you in a good way. For introverts, it feels really good to get away from it all. When the body is in a pleasure-filled positive state, it changes our mental state. We enter a positive frame of mind.
Third reason– for the float tank experience: reset. Just like turning a computer off and on produces a quicker and more functional experience. Turning the sense off and on is a reboot for the system.
Fourth Reason– for the float tank experience: Shut-Down. By Shut Down I am referring to an experience, like sleep, but deeper.
Our bodies are made to be awake and active during the day and then shut off at night. In the absence of electricity we have stars. (Even fire is a fairly relatively recent invention.) Vision distance and color are significantly reduced and during sleep, they disappears. We move less and stop eating. We lie down to sleep.
Since our bodies are made to shut off periodically, the float tank allows this cyclical shut-down to take place at an even deeper level. The environment is completely dark and soundproof. In the comfortable environment, movement ceases. The body is allowed to truly shut-down.
Fifth Reason– I propose a Fifth reason for the float tank experience: Melatonin. Melatonin is also known as the vampire hormone since the body produces it in darkness. The float experience becomes more intense after about an hour (people typically float for 60-90 minutes). This is about when darkness-induced melatonin production accumulates and becomes substantial. In our day and age, it is rare (even at night) to be in total darkness. It total darkness, the body produces higher rates of melatonin. Some effects of melatonin are drowsiness, relaxation, letting go and dreaming. What if melatonin combined with heat create many of the float tank effects?
Research shows that for optimal sleep, the body requires temperatures of between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit. The body needs to cool down to get that really solid night of rest. Temperatures higher than 75 degrees make it hard to sleep. The chamber is 94 degrees. Your tired body cannot cool itself. This means that the body is pumping out dream hormones but is unable shut down. This could be called a waking sleep. Perhaps what the chamber really does is provide a distraction-free environment where waking sleep can take place? But there is more.
Melatonin is structurally similar to certain hallucinogens. Dreaming is definitely an altered state of consciousness. In the darkness, the quiet, flooded by melatonin and other rest hormones, you enter a different level of consciousness, a different plane of awareness. You enter what John Lilly called “a hole in the universe”.
Sixth Reason– for the floating experience: Maslow’s Pyramid. Abraham Maslow proposed that in order to experience high levels of self-actualization, a person’s basic needs must be met first. Just as the base of a pyramid supports the higher level, in order to experience the best thinking, a person must first be fed, feel safe… In the float tank, all needs fade away. Everything feels just right; all uncomfortable stimuli are eliminated. This opens the doors to higher levels of self-actualization and peak mental experience.
Seventh Reason– for the floating experience: Space and Organization. Imagine your brain as a powerful computer that spends all its time sorting and organizing. An organized, integrated mind, produces a healthy psyche, A disorganized, chaotic mind, experiences in a very unpleasant state of disintegration. If the brain is left alone, it can use its mental energy to sort and create order. Unfortunately, our mind is constantly receiving inputs that it needs to process. Constant depression, anxiety and unease exist because the computer brain is too busy to sort, clean and integrate the mind. In the float tank, there are no inputs; no distractions. The brain can then organize and integrate the mind. The produces reduced anxiety, improved mood and the mental equivalent of operating a well-oiled machine.
I’m at the float center. I enter a room containing a somewhat scary looking tank and a shower. As I finish showering the room light starts blinking. My ninety minutes of floating start now. I turn off the shower and walk over to the float tank. I open the door and enter a hole in the universe.
To be continued…
Original ideas proposed in this article:
- Additional Elements of float experience: restriction of movement, balance, float tank as Hug Machine, pressure, muscle tension.
- Reduction– The idea that the tank is reduction — not elimination of stimuli (I’ve subsequently seen a similar idea, but not well defined).
- Ganzfeld Effect– That certain elements of the float tank are not sensory deprivation, but rather the due to the ganzfeld effect.
- Waking Sleep– I propose the idea that the heat and darkness in the float tank create a state of “waking sleep”.
- Of course, I just jumped into floating so I would be excited to find out that these ideas are not my own.
Sources:
- Dr. Lilly’s Website
- SamadhiTank.com (website and Glenn Perry and his wife Lee, makers of the first float tank) -Glenn and Lee have been floating for 45 years and are still going strong. They are still working to improve the float experience and spread the float gospel. They are positive and sharp. I know this for a fact. I spoke with them today. One very interesting point Glenn told me was that “Having floated for 44.5 years, we understand distraction on a level that others don’t understand”. Glenn works to make sure that floating tanks are true isolation tanks and has pioneered many floating features such as floor sound insulators (to prevent sound vibrations coming up through the floor) and an internal temperature device so you can adjust the temperature inside the tank. Glenn is currently working on the “Lilly Pond”, a bed that turns into a float tank.
- Wikipedia- Sensory Deprivation, Isolation Chamber, John C. Lilly, Ganzfeld Effect
- Hutchinson’s floating book – The Book of Floating
- Temple Grandin’s excellent autobiography – Thinking in Pictures
- On sleep temperature- did research about it. This is thorough article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-christopher-winter/best-temperature-for-sleep_b_3705049.html
| Rafael Ender is a lifelong student. He is fascinated by the intersectionality of economics, psychology, politics, deep introspection and much more. Rafael lives with his family in the Metro DC area. You can reach him at RafaelMosesEnder@gmail.com. You can reach his mind at RafaelEnder.com |
