Awesome Adventure TIme gif made by generichuman.
Two days ago, I experienced Sensory Deprivation Therapy (Isolation Therapy, or R.E.S.T.) for the first time. Originally, I decided that I would be posting my thoughts on each float almost directly after I returned home from the sessions, but that was before I was told by the owner of the float spa that the effects of floating actually last for several days after the experience. Needless to say, he was right.
When I first stepped into the float room, I found myself to be a bit nervous. I had been told not to hold many expectations, considering the experience is different for each and every person. I had heard stories of people having life altering experiences during their first float, such as people having out of body experiences or even being "reborn". Yet, I had also heard stories of people "not getting much out of it" besides a stiffness in their neck from not trusting the water to support them.
After I closed the door to the float room, I sat in the center of the water, did some light stretches, and attempted to clear my mind. The water felt perfect, in both temperature and density. Just a few minutes into the float, I realized that I could no longer distinguish between what parts of my body were submerged in the water and which were out in the air. Soon after that, my body almost completely vanished. Any time my body would "reappear" it would feel as if I was caught in a gentle current, just drifting along.
Around five minutes into the float, I noticed that the soft music and light that were present when I entered the room started to fade. When both were gone, all I was left with were the sounds of my body which still felt as if it was no longer there. It was a very unique feeling. My heart beat, my breathing, even the sound of the blood flowing behind my eardrums, they were all amplified for a brief moment, but would soon fade out of focus just as everything els had.
While first falling into that trance like state, me body started twitching. Each time I would twitch during my float, I felt the need to readjust myself afterwords, and thus ended up bumping in to the sides of the float room and breaking free from my altered state every now and then. Now that I look back at it, I think the only reason I felt compelled to readjust myself so frequently is because I was still nervous of these new surroundings. I was told by the owner of the float spa after my session that the twitching was caused by my brain waves switching back and forth between Alpha waves (relaxed, yet reflective) and Theta waves (a mediative state). Apparently, it's not uncommon to experience twitching during your first float, and the twitching stops once your body gets used to fully entering the Theta state.
The rest of my float continued in a cycle of vanishing, twitching, and then reappearing for the duration of my hour session, until I was gently brought back into reality by the soft music and light that had left me earlier.
Getting out of the tank, my body felt heavy and a bit awkward to operate. Was this really what gravity felt like? I spent some time in the shower afterwards composing myself both mentally and physically. Although my body felt heavy, there was a weight that had been lifted off my shoulders, and my mind felt free. My senses felt heightened. Every color looked a little more vivid, every sound a little more defined, even my clothes felt different on my skin. Yet, with all of my senses on high alert, I felt ultimately calm. While driving home, I was well-aware of my surroundings, yet so relaxed that I thought next to nothing about getting caught in 5 o'clock traffic only minutes after leaving the spa.
I left my radio off for the entirety of my drive home. I didn't want music, the weather, or the news. I was content with silence. It felt so peaceful. This contentedness continued even when I returned home. When I walked through my front door, I just sat down all of my belongings, gave my dog a good belly rub, and took him out on the patio with me to watch some rain clouds roll in over the sunset. It was beautiful.
You see, I've had a bit of a problem with constantly feeling the need to be on the internet since I graduated college a few weeks ago. In college, my laptop and my phone were necessities for my projects, but after I graduated it quickly turned into me getting on my devices any time there was even a lull in the conversation. It was rude, it was inconsiderate, it was muscle-memory by that point, and I hated it.
Thankfully, my first float session somehow made me stop. Believe me, I don't know how it did, and I certainly wasn't expecting it to have this effect, but I'm thankful that it did.
So, there you have it. My first float wasn't a complete rebirth, but I have felt absolutely amazing since I've stepped out of that float room. It's an experience I recommend that everyone try at least once, who knows what you might get out of it!
Thank you for reading, and happy floats. ~
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