Float tanks aren’t that new now, and lots of people around the world are using these amazing devices to reach new levels of relaxation.
Let’s back up a minute, what’s all this about?
What are float tanks?
A float tank of sometimes called a ‘sensory deprivation chamber’ are small pods that you lay in. They remove all light, sound and feeling from your experience, so you just lay there completely deprived of your senses.
This lets you reach new levels of deep meditation, reduce inflammation and a WHOLE lot of other benefits. They’re pretty amazing, and they’ve only really been popular for the last few years. Before then, they were really just a very niche alternative therapy option.
Maybe some rich athletes or celebrities used them, (because they know how effective they are!) and a few other people. But in the last few years, they’ve gained a lot of attention and it’s time to talk about how they work!
How does float therapy work?
A float tank works by stopping your senses taking in new information. Once you’re sealed into the pod, you can’t hear anything because the walls are completely soundproof, and there’s no light in the chamber.
It’s also sometimes called restricted environmental stimulation therapy or REST. It means the same thing and they all involve being in a sealed pod with no light or sound. They also usually involve laying in semi warm water that’s full of salt.
The water you’re laying in is saline, meaning the salt in the water holds your body up, so you don’t really feel the water either. It’s always the perfect temperature to match your body, so you can’t feel the temperature of the water when you enter the pod.
There are actually a number of benefits to just laying in salt water alone, which makes it a great bonus for floatation therapy. We won’t go into the effects of salt in this article but it’s good for your healing and skin!
This makes it a very surreal and strange experience in which you can’t feel hear or see anything. Stay in there for longer than 5 minutes and you’ll PLUNGE into a deep state of relaxation and meditation. It’s insanely good for a number of conditions and reasons.
What are the benefits of using a float tank?
Well, there are numerous benefits to floatation therapy. For example:
- Reduced inflammation everywhere in the body
- Almost instant relaxation and meditation states reached
- Increased athletic performance
- Increased speed of recovery from injury or exercise
- Reduced stress levels and anxiety
- You feel happier, healthier and more vibrant
- Vivid creative hallucinations and visual imagery
- Plus loads of other benefits
It’s supposed to be good for a huge number of things. It can reduce the negative symptoms of several diseases, as well as reduce inflammation from injuries etc. We’ll share where you can get a really affordable HOME float tank at the very bottom of this post (scroll down if you don’t want to wait) but first..
What about the effect it has on dreams?
Float tanks and astral projection/dreams
Float tanks can have an interesting effect on your dreams and OBEs (astral projection). This effect is seen across most of the people who use floatation therapy, and it can be replicated too.
When we’re dreaming half of our brains are actually shut down. The half responsible for logical thought and organising all the things we’re seeing and hearing (the left hemisphere). This is why in dreams we’re much more creative and less restricted in terms of our thought.
Because we don’t have to sort through loads of annoying and detailed sensory information. Well, while you’re floating in a tank and there’s no light or sound, you get the same effects. This can also carry through to your dreams. You can either astral project directly in a float tank or straight after.
The effect the floatation has on the brain is that it lets you fully relax and not worry about sensory information. You’d be VERY surprised at how much mental processing power all those senses actually takes up.
Without all of that, your brain is left unhindered and free. You’re free to astral project, dream more, be more creative or even just meditate more clearly. While your body is healing, your mind can be doing all sots of things in the float tank.
Are float tanks safe?
Float tanks are very safe.
The only thing you have to watch out for, is that if you accidentally fall asleep you could be woken up by inhaling some water! This usually doesn’t happen as there’s often a special ‘holder’ for your head in the tank, so it’s really only the bulk of your body floating in the water.
That being said it’s still possible (small chance) and so staff at floating centres monitor you. If you buy a HOME float tank, you do have to be a bit more careful but to be honest, 99% of the float tanks being sold out there have a built in head holder.
Where to get one cheaply
The best place to get a float tank right now is here. Zen Float Co offer lots of finance options and ways of making sure you can enjoy the floating experience without worrying about the money. It’s not cheap, but it IS an investment.
It’s an investment in your health and mind. We’ve found that first time floaters feel almost instant benefits within about 2-3 floatation sessions. It might even be worth going to a centre first to see if you like the sensation, and THEN thinking about coming here to get one. Bookmark this page because you’ll get a better price by going through our link.
I know it may seem like it’s expensive, and it is but it’s an investment for life. You’ll only need one float tank forever. They last forever and it means you don’t have to keep going back and paying subscriptions to float centres. Well worth it in our opinion!
