Sensory Deprivation Tanks?

I'm so glad you marketers are talking about one of my favorite things!

@Rita012 A sensory deprivation tank is a small enclosed pool that simulates the experience of floating in the Dead Sea in Israel. 800-1000lbs of Epsom salt are dissolved into about 200 gallons of skin-temperature water to create an environment where gravity is nulled and you float with the top of your body above the water. It doesn't matter if you can float in a pool, it doesn't matter what your body type is. You're not so buoyant that you can flip over, so dozing off is perfectly safe.

I discovered sensory deprivation tanks (aka floatation tanks) in Chicago in 1999 through a newspaper ad. I was merely curious at the time, but I had a powerful experience. The first 1/2 of the 1 hour float session is a little boring other than the novelty of floating like an astronaut. At some point I dozed off until the end of the session. When I emerged, colors were richer and I felt like I was 1/2 of my weight - like I was walking on the moon. This sensation lasted for over an hour. I was also very euphoric.

I later learned that the deep relaxation created by floating in the sensory deprivation tank causes endorphins to be released in your brain. These are natural mood enhancers and pain relievers. You release endorphins when you laugh, exercise, eat a good meal and make love, but the level of endorphins I got after floating was much more than I typically get from these other activities.

Two years later, I was going through a bout of sciatic pain caused by a pinched nerve in my back. The pain was so bad that I was nearly immobile and even laying in bed was very painful. Pain medication wasn't helping, neither was massage therapy and chiropractic care (adjustment) made the pain worse. Then I remembered the floatation tank and dragged myself over there again. At this point I had barely slept for a few days and my muscles were very tight from reacting to the shooting pain. I looked like a zombie when I walked into the floatation center, but within 45 minutes in the floatation tank, I was pain-free and my mobility had returned.

Now at this point (2001) I'd been dealing with this problem for 6 years and it was getting progressively worse. Nothing had come close to the relief I got from floating. It's 9 years later and I'm on maintenance. If I start to feel some back pain coming on, I float for an hour and am good to go for several months. When my doctor saw X-rays of my back, he said that I should be in constant pain and be unable to walk straight. I still have a pinched nerve, but he attributes my normal mobility and lack of pain to using the floatation tank.

I eventually started a website at floatforhealth.net where I compiled the best information I could find on the many health benefits of floating. I do pretty well in the SERPS and I direct the 2000+ visitors/month to the 65+ floatation centers across the US & Canada. If you have a location near where you live or travel, I highly recommend it.