Stressed Out? Try a Flotation Tank
With three kids and a full-time job, I find that having time on my hands is a rare luxury on a par with a Godiva truffle. Thus, I jumped at the chance to spend a full decadent hour by myself in a flotation tank.
Flotation therapy, which is experiencing a small resurgence after becoming popular in the 1970s, is designed to trigger a deep state of relaxation by minimizing input to the five senses. You float in total darkness with earplugs in salt water heated to skin temperature, so you don't feel hot or cold. The 1,200 pounds of Epsom salts mixed into the water make you so buoyant that you bob like a cork. A handful of studies suggest that this "restricted environmental stimulation technique" (aptly abbreviated REST) lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and eases neck and back pain. Most appealing to me beforehand, though, was the chance to experience a feeling of weightlessness. NASA uses these tanks to simulate conditions of zero gravity in space, and since I always wanted to be an astronaut...
Upon venturing into H&H Flotation Spa near my office in Washington, D.C., I began having second thoughts. The tank—about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide—was much smaller that I had envisioned, and it had a coffinlike lid. Making matters worse, I'd agreed to have my visit videotaped, so readers could watch. My worries about the tank and memorizing my script triggered a stress-related migraine. How ironic, I thought.
Still, I figured if this works as well as some of the flotation therapy websites like Floataway say, the hour should rid me of my stress and my excruciating headache. And it did work somewhat. After a few minutes, I felt as if I were suspended in a giant gob of Jell-O, wobbling like a grape. But soon the feelings of weightlessness slipped away, and my thoughts returned to the video. I simply could not relax knowing that my experience was being documented. After about 35 minutes, I was feeling slightly nauseated. So I lifted the lid and let myself out before my hour of floating was up.
I decided to give it another try a week later, without the videographer in tow. I almost immediately went into my Jell-O state and for a while just listened to the sound of my breathing. But soon I heard snippets of conversation, my husband's voice. I strained to hear what he was saying, and the spell was broken. Slightly seasick, again I lifted the lid and let myself out of the tank after 35 minutes.
Floating, like massages, meditation, and yoga, is clearly not for everyone. In fact, Mark Shriver, an associate professor of anthropology and genetics at Penn State University, is conducting a study to see how temperament and personality affect a person's floating experience. Of the 100 study volunteers he recruited, only two said they wouldn't want to float again. He believes genes may determine how a person responds to the sensory deprivation involved with REST.
Indeed. When I told my mom about my experience, she told me she'd tried floating last year at a Montreal spa: "I felt too confined and couldn't wait to get out." She, like me, relaxes better with a massage.
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Reader Comments
Nature is free
It sounds like flotation therapy is another of the countless stress cure-alls created by entrepreneurs eager to make a buck out of hapless women who lack the creativity or inner resources to find a stress-relief method that doesn't cost a fortune. Has everyone forgotten about the benefits of taking a bath? Walking? A good meal with loved ones?
Floating Changed My Life
My first float was in 1978. Coming out, I was late for a meeting; but was too relaxed and felt too euphoric to care. I then started floating three times a week. I was so impressed that within two years I set up six tanks in Los Angeles for the public.
Happy Floating
Medical research supports floatation
Regarding """Has everyone forgotten about the benefits of taking a bath? Walking? A good meal with loved ones?"""
it is not whether we have forgotten about it, it's the measurement of stress handling such as endorophin release, heart rate, freedom from addiction, athletic performance, superlearning and more.
There is a copious body of research supporting the power of floatation. The same cannot currently be said of your approaches to stress elimination. But there is always room for more research data. When you methods for pain and stress removal eclipse the Doctor and Patient testimonials shown here - http://floatforhealth.net/
then we will be all ears.
Until then, only modalities with proven and consistent medical results need draw the eye of the public
The Ideal Space for Meditation
I have been floating since 2004 when read about it as a relaxation therapy during a stay at Canyon Ranch. It took a couple of float sessions to get used to the feeling of this zero gravity environment, but by the third session I was in the deepest state of meditation that I had ever attained. I now float at least twice a week in Boston without fail.
Floatation has been shown to: improve symptoms of hypertension; provide pain relief, reduce the discomfort of pre-menstrual syndrome, alleviate migraines, boost the immune system, and reverse jet lag. Athletes use floatation to improve performance and to speed the body’s recovery process. Many people find the joy of just simply relaxing. As Catherine Elcik of The Boston Globe put it, “Science has proven that floating stimulates blood flow and improves hypertension, but for me, it felt a lot like waking up on the fourth day of vacation: unconnected, unfettered, and unplugged.”
'different floats for different folks...'
Ms Kotz:
I appreciate your willingness to explore floatation therapy and floatation tanks, but if you arrived at my previously operated floatation center, and were stressing out, pre-float, to the point of generating a migraine headache, I would either have you back another day, or, hopefully, give you time to calm down, and then see if you were 'ready' to go float.....
Watching the video provided makes it clear that your pre-float state was highly-anxious, the exact opposite of that desired...
I am not surprised you had an unpleasant experience....
I think had you had the time, I would have first had you take a massage, to release a lot of stress, and be more relaxed and calmer, and more suitably 'prepared' for your float...
You would have had a completely different and better experience...
Massage first....float...then, perhaps, do your video commentary/set-up....?
I would suggest, perhaps, giving yourself another opportunity to experience the benefits of floating...!
But be as deeply relaxed via massage first, and then even floating in a darkened room, with the hatch of particular floatspa open, so you do not feel so compelled to have any particular experience, good or 'bad'...
Just letting yourself relax more deeply, and effortlessly....
It seems clear that you carry a LOT of stress and floating can help you release it, over time, but I do not feel you have experienced the benefit and healing of floating at all, based on your experiences reported....
It is really important that first time floaters are given very personal attention prior to their first float, and that all issues are handled before they go into the experience...
I would have preferred in your article if you had said something to the effect,
" well, even tho I did not get the results I wished for, I encourage my readers to check it out for themselves. The benefits reported are many and important."
I do thank you for reporting on your experiences so honestly, and choosing to write about floatation in your column...
On Women...hmmmm
First and foremost, thank you Deborah for your attention to floating,
My name is Kane and I will come right out and say, I am the owner/operator of Float Matrix in San Francisco. Interestingly enough, my first float produced very similar effects. I experienced nausea, and had to exit. I was curious and began researching why I had this response. I found out that our abdomens have more nerve endings than any other part of our bodies (which has profound implications). Most in our culture eat refined sugar and starches (Godiva Truffles). This is a drastic shift from thousands of years of whole foods. What happens when you put diesel into a car that is designed to operate on unleaded? Fortunately our bodies are incredibly adaptable. These starches mostly break down in the mouth if properly chewed with alkalinizing saliva (and again most people don't). They DO NOT break down in the stomach and they convert to acid in the small intestine. This produces a host of issues as your ph moves from a healthy alkaline to an unhealthy acidic state. It creates tension in the digestive track, a releasing of stress hormones and a numerous other sympathetic responses. These responses begin a process of desensitizing the nerve endings so that we don't experience discomfort (part of our adaptation). Most people are unaware of this but tension in the belly is the root of anxiety and floatation has been researched to be one of the most effective natural anxiety eliminators. When you float, your awareness is no longer "hiding" behind your eyes in viewing the external world, but rather goes internal. Much like lifting your finger and focusing on it, you begin to feel your finger, when you float, you begin to feel your body. This "feeling the body" directs your energy there and the process of healing begins. Remember, the body wants to heal itself, it merely needs to be released from the environment that caused the issue. The first thing that happens is the body wants to dispel the toxicity built up from a lack of proper digestion. What do you think happens when a hotbed of bacteria and old excrement begin moving in your system? Bingo, nausea. And that is a good thing. Get out and go take care of yourself. But it sounds like you didn't let the process complete. I can honestly say that we have been open for about 1 1/2 years and I have personally assisted over 400 people with their first floats. I have only had one other (besides myself) get out because of nausea. I have had about 4 exit because of other factors. Usually they are older and this environment is too scary for them. For perspective remember this, about half of the people who come here have real concerns about claustrophobia and "freaking out" yet 75 percent of them purchase packages after their first float. Sales don't lie.
A couple more things.
#1 We also store hurt in our bellies. If you have unreleased hurt, I highly recommend "Unwinding the Belly" by Alison Post. It released a lot of trauma for me but I did experience some nausea.
#2 you wrote "A handful of studies suggest"
Numerous and they empirically state.
#3 you wrote "Floating, like massages, meditation, and yoga, is clearly not for everyone"
Like parties are not for everyone. Our being forced behind desks to logically construct words at an early age has produced an imbalance in our systems. For thousands of years we learned outside moving (funny how P.E. and Sports are the first to get cut...not really funny). It has been wonderful for creating the culture that we live in, but it is now time to allow the body to heal. The intellect is logical and masculine, the feeling body is emotional and femine, it is time to stop the suppression of the feminine and allow balance to be restored.
-Massages nurture the feminine
-Meditation silences the masculine
-Yoga does both actively
-Floating does both passively
Being "On Women" I hope you can appreciate that.
BTW I float a couple of hours every week and I truly know what it means to be empowered. This is the gift I'd like to share with others as I put my money where my mouth is.
As far as the comment RE: Nature is free. Have you floated? How about "nature's" Great Salt Lake or the Dead Sea ? About a million people visit just to float. I agree with you in part, but be mindful of the judgments you make because it says more about you than it does what you are judging.
Floating is the Best Ever
I first floated in the 80s and have been floating regularly although not frequently since 2002. I love it more than just about anything. I can't think of anything that relaxes me more. Workers Comp reimbursed for it as a treatment for chronic pain on Long Island. After reviewing a stack of research about 3 inches high several years ago the Board of the Insurance Trust of the American Psychological Association covered me with malpractice insurance (I have a Ph.D. in psychology) for using this technique and a related technique called Chamber R.E.S.T. ... which is a soundproof dark chamber used primarily as a treatment for addiction in general and smoking cessation in general.
Float alone!
Ms. Kotz partially acknowledges why her floating experience wasn't all that it could be: she didn't float alone. Obviously, doing a news segment about floating with a camera crew in the room (anxiety-producing) or having your husband hold a conversation just outside the float tank (distracting) are not conducive to relaxation. Imagine trying to get a massage under those circumstances. You might as well bring in the kids, too :-)
This article doesn't paint a particularly good portrait of floating. That's too bad because floating has helped thousands of people relieve stress, manage pain, tackle emotional issues and much much more. I want to make two other points. First, floating and massage complement one another -- in fact, many health centers offer both on their menu of services. Second, Ms. Kotz claims that floating is not for everyone (admittedly, there are few things in life which are for everyone) but then cites a study which shows that only 2% of first-time floaters said they would not do it again.
I encourage Ms. Kotz to try floating again, this time alone. And I encourage anyone reading this to learn more about floating and to ultimately try it for themselves.
Mark
Float Finder - The Worldwide Directory of Floatation Centers
Website: http://www.floatfinder.com
Expectations
I have been floating for over 5 years about once a week now. I love it so much that when I opened my health clinic, I HAD to add a floatation tank to it! It's helped me deeply relax, heal my ruptured lumbar disks, and bring out my creative ideas.
I think Ms. Kotz did the story in reverse. She should have floated on her own first without expectation and pressures 'To Float' and tell a story. Then come back with a crew to described her experience.
Interesingly she did get to a point where floatation was having 2 great effects on her. She was able to reduce her migraine -without medication- and then she was able to listen to the conversation/chatter in her head. How great is that!
If she is up to working on herself and listen to her self-talk again, she may have some real break-throughs in her life. All after a couple of floats!
Thank you for the opportunity to respond.
Tim Whalen
Better Body Works Wellness Center
Los Gatos, CA
How Unfortunate...
Ms. Kotz had the opportunity to experience one of the most profoundly relaxing experiences one can have and still be law abiding. She set herself up for failure! 35 minutes is simply not enough time to experience any of the benefits floating can impart. Having a high stress shoot during your float is also completely counterintuitive.
I recommend that Ms. Kotz come back when she can leave the world behind and give herself enough time to let her brain let go of all the whizzing thoughts we all experience.
My first float was much the same. The first 30 minutes were full of "this is silly" "wow its dark" "dang I've got an itch". All of a sudden my brain decided to let it all go and the last 30 minutes were a little slice of heaven. I've been addicted to floating ever since.
try again!
Floating is extremely powerful but it can take a little practice to surrender into the support of the water. Its not something you do. It happens when you let go of holding on to the stress.
Floating helps me remember and feel that I am safe and at ease.
I feel its effects for days after. There is nothing like touching the place I feel connected to something larger than my individual self, and all its spin.
location
Hi!
Could you tell me where can I find a floattion tank in Maryland, Washington DC or Virginia?
My son would like to try it because he has overtraining syndrome
Deborah Kotz responds
I went to H&H Flotation in Washington DC on Wisconsin Avenue NW. That was the only facility I found in my local area.
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35 Minutes Isn't Long Enough To Get The Full Benefits!
I've floated 100s of times since 2001 when I discovered that floatation therapy could eliminate my debilitating sciatic pain.
For 6 years, I experienced intermittent paralysis due to a pinched nerve in my lower back, and it was getting worse each time. I tried chiropractic care, massage therapy, I tried sitting in a heated pool for several hours a day - none of it worked. I thought back surgery was inevitable in the spring of 2001 when I was out of work for a whole week. I couldn't drive, I could barely walk and I hadn't slept for most of that week because there was no comfortable position I could get myself into.
With much effort, I got myself to the floatation center in Chicago. I came in walking like a zombie, every step causing excruciating pain. But within 45 minutes in the floatation tank, I was pain-free and my mobility had returned. I now have sciatic pain under control and no longer worry about needing back surgery.
I still float for the deep relaxation that happens as a result of the floatation tank experience causing your brainwaves to transition from beta (wide awake and alert) through alpha all the way down to theta. It doesn't always happen for a person's first float session (due to the novelty of the weightless environment), but getting to the theta state happens often for most people, and it usually takes 35-45 minutes to get to this point, so Ms. Kotz didn't stay in long enough to experience this very pleasurable state of mind.
Another byproduct of floating for a full hour is that your brain releases endorphins to such a degree that many people feel euphoric afterwards. Ms Kotz, if you're reading this, be sure to stay in a full hour next time!
To learn more about the health benefits of floatation therapy, floatforhealth.net is an educational site dedicated to educating people about this underutilized therapy.
Mar 12, 2008 19:20:43 PM [permalink] [report comment]