Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Float Tanks

Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Float Tanks

What is “floating”?

There are many health benefits of float tanks, but what does that even mean? A float is a session where you are floating in salt water in a Sensory Deprivation Tank.  Floats are typically 60-90 minutes. This concept is becoming outrageously popular as people are experiencing benefits on a physical, mental, and spiritual level.

What is Sensory Deprivation?

Sensory deprivation is the goal of the float tank — providing as little stimulation to the senses as possible. Which means complete darkness, complete quiet plus earplugs, and no touch sensations whatsoever as you’re floating in a tank of magnesium-based Epsom salt water that’s the same temperature as your body.

Why Would You Float? Health Benefits of Float Tanks

There are many reasons why one would choose to float:

1 . Physical Health and Healing:

While floating, the body goes into a complete parasympathetic state- in this state, all healing systems are activated in full effect for cellular rejuvenation, immune/digestive/endocrine balancing, and injury healing. Basically, whatever you got going on, they parasympathetic nervous system allows your body to treat it.

Being in a float tank is literally soaking in an incredibly healing Epsom salt bath for 60-90 minutes. Epsom salt baths are known to be INCREDIBLE for your health – they infuse your body with a much-needed calming dose of magnesium, and are anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. Now try floating in 1000 lbs of Epsom salts for over an hour….That’s what I’m talking about!!

Side note- one of the reasons I love taking ocean minerals internally is for the bioavailable source of magnesium along with all of the co-factors electrolytes.

Related article: the secret to self-healing 

2. Mental Wellbeing:

Many people choose to float to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Without the constant pressure of analyzing the world around you, your body lowers its levels of cortisol and your brain releases elevated levels of dopamine and endorphins, the neurotransmitters of happiness.

3. Spiritual Connection and Creativity:

Because floating gets your brain into a super calm and relaxed state, it can put you into a deep feeling of meditation. Many people report having creative ideas and revelations flow to them when they’re inside the tank.

4. The Magic of THETA BRAIN WAVES:

 

While floating, your brain stops producing its ‘busy mind’ beta waves and starts producing Theta waves. Theta brain waves are present during deep meditation and REM dream state. It is the realm of your subconsciousness and only experienced momentarily as you drift off to sleep from Alpha and wake from deep sleep (from Delta).
It is said that a sense of deep spiritual connection and unity with God can be experienced at Theta.
Your mind’s most deep-seated programs are at Theta and it is where you experience vivid visualizations, great inspiration, profound creativity and exceptional insight. Unlike your other brain waves, the elusive voice of Theta is a silent voice.

The most powerful times to think about what you are grateful for and affirmations are right after you wake up and right before bed.

Related Article: Different Brain Wave States

My Experience

float tanksYou may be thinking- doing nothing for 90 minutes seems like a huge WASTE of time. . . I hear you- my thoughts exactly. BUT LISTEN- in the age of CONSTANT stimulation, our spirits, minds, and bodies need this more than ever before for physical health, mental health, and spiritual growth and revelation.

“May the experience of nothing give you everything.”

My first float was different and harder than I expected. The lack of sound, touch, and light left me with just my thoughts. I am used to daily prayer and meditation so I thought this would be an amazing opportunity to get some deep and uninterrupted prayer, meditation, wisdom, and revelation.

However. . .

As a laid their floating, my mind began to go WILD. Constant chatter about what I needed to do with work, the house, errands, dinner, and oh my goodness I forgot to tell my husband where the bottles were.

Worries and fears came up. I felt uneasy, unable to focus, and downright ancy.

My floating experience taught me this:

My brain is getting WAYYY to used to constant stimulation- social media, email, podcast, amazon, basically the internet in general. This is causing my attention span to go down which then makes it hard to just sit, meditate, and be present.

This is a problem because it is the ability to focus for a long period of time and enter into THETA state (in meditation and prayer specifically) that brings the wisdom, revelation, peace and healing.

Sitting for just 5 minutes has become hard for most people in the days of constant phone checking.

I want to be able to enter into a THETA brainwave state much easier for deeper connection with the Father, creative ideas, healing, and revelation- which basically means being able to GET OVER my monkey mind faster. Way faster.

The great news is, the more you practice, the EASIER it becomes!

Tips before your first float:

  1. Don’t overthink it. Just relax and see what happens. Don’t judge your experience. Don’t go in with expectations.
  2. Don’t go in hungry or having to pee!
  3. Try a place where there is a floating room instead of tank if you get claustrophobic
  4. Start with 60 minutes and then work your way up to 90 minutes.
  5. Get a little notebook to write down your post-float insights.
  6. The first float is always a little weird and uncomfortable- they get more enjoyable and effective as time goes on!

For other alternative health activities that impact your body and mind, check out red vs blue light and super brain yoga.

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