Sensory Deprivation Chamber (Float Tank)
Last night, I tried a float tank for the first time. These tanks are small pods, which contain water that has a massive amount of Epsom Salt dissolved into it. This causes the water to have very high buoyancy. The water is also maintained at a temperature that matches typical human skin temperature. There is a light inside, but once the lid is closed, it can be turned off.
Once inside, light out, lid closed, I relaxed onto my back, and got in touch with my body, and the senses. I am sensitive to stimuli, often finding lights too bright, sounds too loud, etc. I found the lack of sense perceptions to be incredibly relaxing. Once I got still, the only sounds I could hear at all were the sound of my heartbeat, and the occasional water droplet landing in the water from the top of the pod. My mind eventually stilled.
In this state of stillness, the sense of time started to slip away. I felt a profound level of peace. Going through modern life in this modern world, I never truly realized just how much sensory information is constantly being sent in our direction. Everything is constantly competing for our attention, in an attempt to keep society functioning, and products/services selling.
At the best portion of the experience, I entered something of a half sleep. I could no longer hear my breath or heartbeat. I felt nothing at all. A few half dreams started, only to stop as soon as they began. I found in this state, that I could choose to feel something in my body, or not. I felt completely free from sense perceptions, for the first time in my waking life. There was nothing to find there, nothing I needed to do. It was freedom to just be.
After I finished my float, and showered, I found that the peace I felt during the float remained. I was feeling everything normally again, and yet something deeper was there as well. I went home and had the best night of sleep I’ve had in a while. I realize now that this needs to be a regular part of my self-care routine.
If you, dear reader, find that you are constantly assaulted by the sensory overload of the world, and long for the deep peace that can be found within, I would recommend trying out a float for yourself. I know that whenever I am overwhelmed, and need rest of a deeper kind, that this is a tool available to me now. I wish you peace and prosperity.
