Скачать или смотреть The Benefits of Floatation Tank Therapy

In a hyper-connected era, sensory-deprivation float tanks are rising again in popularity.

It seems the the practice of floating in sensory-deprivation chambers or float tanks — pitch-black, soundproof capsules popularized by artists in the 1970s — is enjoying a frenzied renaissance, with new float centers popping up almost weekly in cities and suburbs nationwide.


I went to check out Glow Spa here in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina where they offer something called R.E.S.T. (restricted environmental stimulation technique). Using a floatation tank can decrease stress, anxiety, pain and actually improve your sleep quality, but I have to say I was a little bit anxious about trying it because I have a bit of claustrophobia. I know this because of what happened when I had to get in an MRI machine once. But, out of curiosity and the desire for a better night's rest, I decided to check it out.

I met with Steve Eppel, the owner and expert on flotation tank therapy who explained that I would be floating in their float tanks for 60 minutes, in 10 inches of water with 1,100 pounds of Epson salt, heated to 93.5 degrees. He assured me that it would be a very relaxing and peaceful experience. Steve explained that it's really about doing "nothing" and I was going to get the chance to do 100% nothing for one hour.

Then Steve said something that really struck a cord with me.

"It takes extra effort to do something for ourselves because we are really good at giving our time to everyone else, but it's hard to give to ourselves."
I think that resonates with most of us.
Steve also explained that we all carry stress in our bodies in different places. Some in our neck and shoulders and some in our back and hips. He explained that he found that most folks go into the float and they don't realize it but they are trying to hold themselves up and they don't need to, because that only creates more tension in their neck and shoulders. You really have to learn how to relax and hang in the water.

There is no lock on the door, so you are 100% in control. "I like to tell everyone we don't take hostages," explains Steve. You are 100% in charge. "This is also what I like to call training wheels for meditation."


Now, the float tanks at Glow Spa are 8 feet tall, 8 feet long and 4 feet wide and these are not the "capsules" that you see at some locations. They are roomy and spacious. There are multiple types of float tanks and Steve explained that what he offers is more of a float "room".

Steve also gave me some tips on how to get the most out of my experience. He explained that floating with my arms upward would be the most comfortable position for most of us because of the rotation of our shoulders.

He provides a noodle to support my neck and head, but he explained that the Epson salt makes the water twice as dense as the dead sea, so the water would support my entire body. I just needed to let go.

Steve continues, "I tried to meditate 100 times and I cannot hear the birds or I cannot not feel the breeze, I cannot not hear the clock ticking." "Getting in the float tank forces all those other things away and it leaves me with just myself and that ability to try to learn how to do meditation."

I really enjoyed my experience and I will be back for the relaxing effects.  There have been very small scientific studies like this one that explain that sensory isolation in a flotation tank is a method known for inducing deep relaxation and subsequent positive health effects for patients suffering from e.g. stress or muscle tensions pains, yet very few studies have investigated this method as a preventive health-care intervention.