Flotation tank

[andyk123]

Anyone tried a flotation tank before? If so I am curious to hear of people experiences. I have heard they lead to an almost natural state of hallucination

 

[Finarfin]

I never tried the flotation tank (also called isolation or sensory deprivation tank) . A good friend of mine did try the tank and he told me he did not hallucinate. When he came out of the tank he felt very alien and calm. My wife also tried the tank and she could not get into it.
I hope to one day try the tank myself. When i do i will post my experience.

There is a Vice documentary about the isolation tanks with Hamilton Morris.

 

[Iacopo San]

It's important to differentiate between floatation tank and sensory deprivation tank. The former is simply a tank filled with water and epsom salts at body temperature. In the latter great attention is also given in order to cut off any other sensory input, mainly sound and smell. Most floatation tanks you can find that offer their services will not be that silent for example.

I tried an hour in the floatation tank, but the experience wasn't that relaxing as I expected. It is very difficult to be perfectly still while floating, so you'll probably end up touching the internal walls constantly with your head, feet or hands. Probably it won't happen to commonly if you're not too tall or if the tank is reasonably large. Disrputions like that are the main obstacle to a perfect enjoyment of the experience, and possibly the development of hallucinatory phenomena.

However, I think the main obstacle is time. One hour only is not enough in my opinion to fully appreciate the experience, and experience hallucinations. The same John Lilly, the inventor of the sensory deprivation tank, believed that it takes about 40 minutes to get used to the tank, learn how to float properly and start enjoying it. If I remember hallucination occurs after 2-4 hours. I would suggest you to read John Lilly - The scientist, his autobiography. It's really interesting, especially all the second half, and he describes accurately his experiences in the tank and those of other people.

For a while me and my flatmates wanted to build our own sensory deprivation tank, apparently is not that impossible. Pretty expensive maybe, especially the epsom salt tho

 

[BrainEater]

to me it sounds totally creepy somehow... i can't believe that shit... reminds me too much of "the matrix" and that was also creepy...:|



peace

 

[Iacopo San]

I also suggest Altered States, an 80s movie with William Hurt all focues on a floatation tank and psychedelic drugs. Pretty awesome

 

[rikgrimsby]

i tired one the other week. only spent an hour in one but it was pretty cool. as one person said you really need more than an hour in one as when i got use to it it was over. my next booking is on the 6th of june for 2 hours.

 

[Finarfin]

There is this documentary about the tanks by hamilton morris from vice
http://documentarylovers.com/film/sensory-deprivation-tanks-memory/
[YOUTUBE]

 

[Trachel]

Never tried the tank, but I can reach similar psychedelic experiences through meditation. Since the goal of meditation is to cultivate that state throughout the trials of regular life, doing it in a sensory deprived environment seems counterproductive.

 

[LiamKemar]

This technique is useful to stretch out your neck and provides you with comfort while you float. When floating, some people may find that their neck starts to tense, feeling tight or just feeling uncomfortable as they may be afraid their head will go under the water and want to protect themselves.

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[eddiejessup]

If you're in London, and can afford it, try the floatworks tanks. I tried them twice now, and they're fabulous. They really create a sense of peace and calm, I think I remember reading that they can be booked for an all night session as well. You can get a membership to reduce costs for regular use. I just wish they had them near me, I'd be in them every day if I could.

Floatworks: Floatation Spa | Stress relief beyond belief