A floatation tank is a small enclosed pool approximately 8 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet
high. In the pool is 200 lbs of water
and 800 lbs. of dissolved Epsom
salt. Epsom salt is magnesium
sulfate, and is very different than
the kind of salt we eat. Epsom salt
has been used for centuries for its
many health
benefits.
According to the Epsom
Salt Industry Council of the US, when
magnesium sulfate is absorbed through
the skin it draws toxins from the
body, sedates the nervous system,
reduces swelling, and relaxes muscles.
Epsom salt is a natural skin emollient,
skin exfoliator, and much more. In
a float tank, there's no "prune
skin" effect that you get when
you lie in the bathtub for a long
time. You can learn more about the medical history of Epsom salt here.
The water in a floatation tank is 10
inches deep, and is kept at
skin temperature - 93.5°F. The saltwater is so dense that you float like a cork, with your face and the front of your body above the water. The feeling of weightlessness cannot be described. It must be
experienced to be fully appreciated.
A float tank is not a swimming pool - it doesn't matter whether you can float in a swimming pool or not, it's impossible not to float in a floatation tank. The density of the saltwater in a floatation tank is actually greater than that of the Dead Sea in Israel - famous for its ability to allow people to float effortlessly.
A floatation tank is enclosed so
that the part of your body that is floating above the water
doesn't get cold.
The buoyancy created by the Epsom salt results in the floatation tank environment being impossible to flip over accidentally.
Many people who've never heard
of floating are surprised to learn that there are float centers
all over the world, with about 60
in the US (click here for a directory).
Furthermore, the media has been covering
floatation tanks for decades. We've compiled
several articles here.
As you go through
this site, you'll see references to "REST". This stands for Restricted
Environmental Stimulation Therapy. The phrase was coined in the early 1980s by
researcher Dr Peter Suedfeld
(University of British Columbia, Vancouver) to describe the physical
process that underlies floatation.
As the phrase suggests, the floatation tank restricts environmental stimulation - the combined effects of
gravity, temperature, touch, sight, and sound on the muscles, nervous
system, sense organs, and brain. Freed from the workload created by these
external stimuli, the body and mind enter deep levels of
relaxation in a short amount of time.
Here's a partial list of benefits
that are obtained by floating:
- Speeded recovery from injury
- Reduced high blood pressure
- Reduced symptoms of such ailments as asthma, arthritis, bursitis, multiple sclerosis,
migraine and tension headaches, fibromyalgia, insomnia, and rheumatoid arthritis
- Improved post-operative recovery
- Rapid elimination of fatigue
- Increased flow of endorphins
- Increased feelings of self-confidence, self-control and serenity
Suggested Reading
Floatation Therapy on Yahoo Answers |
