Float Therapy

BENEFITS OF FLOATING

Relaxation Response

Floating in a floatation tank triggers a deep relaxation response, much deeper than normal sleep. With the elimination of external stimuli, the central nervous system’s workload is reduced by as much as 90%. This reduction draws a person’s energy inward and promotes relaxation–also known as the parasympathetic response. There is an increase the production of endorphines and dopamine are cortisol and ephinephrine are decreased.

Meditation and Theta State

As a person floats, the brain waves slow down into theta frequencies, a state of tranquility, creativity and very deep relaxation. Theta waves represent the brain in a state of REM sleep (dreams), hypnosis, or lucid dreaming. Theta is the twilight state just before sleeping and just after waking, the border between the conscious and the subconscious world. By learning to consciously use a conscious, waking Theta brain wave we can access and influence the powerful subconscious part of ourselves that is normally inaccessible to our waking minds. While in the Theta state, the mind is capable of deep and profound learning, healing, and personal growth.

Injury Recovery and Pain Management

The weightless environment of the floatation tank enables muscles and joints to relax, increasing blood flow and helping to accelerate repair of muscle tissues. This is especially beneficial for those with injuries or chronic pain – it also helps with spinal misalignment issues. Floating has even been shown to ease the pain from such conditions as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Boost Immune System

The low-impact environment gives your body time to rest and recuperate, and gives your immune system the opportunity to shift into a higher gear, strengthening your body’s immune response.

Athletic Performance

Bodies physically rest faster in a floatation tank, up to four times faster, in fact. This means that you can train yourself harder and reap the benefits of faster recovery times with the use of a float tank. Water in the tank has the added benefit of being saturated with Epsom salts, this magnesium rich environment has well-established healing effects, helping to draw out toxins and lactic acid build-up, speeding up recovery time and allowing athletes to push themselves farther and faster, especially in conjunction with massage and other alternative healthcare practices.

Improved Creativity

A small study of five university professors found that six float sessions allowed them to generate more “creative” ideas, which coincided with a self-reported increase in free imagery and remote associations. Similarly, in a study with 40 university students, a single flotation increased their scores on a standardized test used to measure creativity.

Left Brain/Right Brain

The two sides of the brain operate in very different ways. The left side deals with detail, processing information, maths, order, logic it operates analytically and systematically, it’s basically the essential yet boring side of the brain. The right side of the brain is the hub for creativity, problem solving, music, art, pleasure and emotion. It operates visually, intuitively, rapidly absorbing large scale information.

The right side is usually constrained and held back by the dominant left brain. Floating massively boosts right-brain function by turning off all external input, encouraging the left brain to quiet down, allowing the right side of the brain to run un-interrupted at full tilt. That’s why floating is used for creative exploration.