Float On.
Floating to discover one's "true" self.
Have you ever tried the floatation tank?
First things first - what is a floatation tank?
The floatation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin. (According to Wikipedia).
A place to sit in complete silence.
A place to be utterly present with oneself.
Other names for the floatation tank include: isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin or my personal favorite sensory attenuation tank.
I’ve tried floating twice, and plan on going my third time in the coming weeks. In this week’s newsletter I’ll share a bit of the history of the floatation tank, my experience using it, as well as the philosophical implications of using such a device.
The Inventor of the Tank
Dr. John C. Lilly invented & developed the isolation tank back in 1954. This occurred during his training in psychoanalysis at the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
I happened to get my hands on two books of John C. Lilly’s… To figure out the background of the inventor and thought process, behind how the tank could be a tool in the exploration of one’s self.
These books include:
1. The Deep Self: Consciousness Exploration in the Isolation Tank
2. Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer
I’ve been exploring these texts and have been astounded by the in-depth ideas Lilly expresses in physiology, psychology, computer programming, biology, neuroscience, philosophy and of the technical ins and outs of the floatation tank.
You really ought to check out Dr. Lilly’s website that is still accessible online despite him passing away in 2001. It screams 2001 in terms of its web design, and has a lot of compelling ideas as well as links to dig deeper on. (Check it out here.)
The Tank Experience
I’ve had the opportunity to float twice at a local spot named Motor City Float where they offer sessions with their floatation tanks. It’s located in a place I’d last suspect it to be in Clawson, Michigan (my hometown).
You can book either a 60 or 90 minute session in the tank, which allows for ample time to relax and make the most of the situation.
The floatation tank is housed within a private room with a shower that you use before and after the session to rinse off the epsom salts that are used in the water in their tank. Espom salts are known historically for their healing properties.
Typically, it is suggested you float in your birthday suit (in the nude) but, you are also able to wear a swimsuit if you find it more comfortable. You are provided with ear plugs (so no water enters your ears), as well as a neck pillow to float with and rest your head on.
The phenomena of initially entering the tank is quite interesting as you begin to lay, your body becomes buoyant (i.e., you float). It honestly, feels like you are floating in an enclosed bathtub, not quite tall enough to stand in, but easy enough to sit up in.
The lights within the tank slowly begin to fade, and at this point is best to close your eyes and begin to relax.
A test of the mind, body and soul?
So what does one DO in the tank?
You can think, meditate, breathe, sleep.. isolating attention to different parts of the body pressing deeper and deeper the longer you spend in the tank. So much so to the point, that where one’s body begins and ends, provides quite the compelling thought experiment.
Aside from the sensation of floating, one then finds oneself more in tune to our current thought processes. The residue of the day, what we ate, what we are doing after we float, plans for next weekend and so on. Past that point, you find yourself more in-tune with the patterns of information from your memory that are autonomously arise on their own.
Often it is the scripts, relationships, ideas, places, and things that behold us as a person, that we find ourselves thinking about. This is where the testing of the mind, body and soul comes into play.
As this point of the float, is where I felt to be the most challenging, while also the most rewarding. As the monsters within and beacons of light from within come to the surface. This part of one’s float can be anxiety provoking or it can be incredibly exciting, just as any situation in life can be.
It helped me realize that the relationship within (whether good or bad), so vastly paints our everyday realities into the dystopias and/or utopias that we inhabit in our everyday existence both in our minds (inner realities) and in our external realities.
This is where novel solutions to our present-day problems arise, as well as solutions to THE existential challenges of life come to the fore (what is the purpose of my life?).
THEN… a slight piano began to sound, was this music from my mind, or was this music from the external world?
Funnily enough, the way one is notified that their time in the tank is up, specifically where I float, is by playing light music as the lights gently turn back on in the isolation tank. Notifying you it is time to enter back into the world!
It is my suggestion you give the floatation tank a try!
Reply to this email if you have any questions on the floatation tank! I intend to write more on this process as my experimentation with the tank has only just begun…
Float on my friends.
Cheers to Lifelong Learning,
Adam Bartley
Interesting. I've read about these in a novel. It was used as an interrogation technique by the KGB. The mechanics of it weren't explained as fully as you described, so that helped.
Do you have to be naturally buoyant to use one? (I sink like a stone in the pool. Always have.)