Sensory Deprivation and Meditation

In todays world we are so busy and so entirely plugged in!  You can't go to school unless you know how to use a computer and the internet these days.  While the internet and new technologies are great they can add to our stress level and lack of peace.  How many hours a day are we plugged in or running from this errand to the next only to return home and "relax" by checking our facebook or watching tv!  Who takes time to meditate and find a quiet place not externally but within?

Many doctors and scientists are now prescribing forms of meditation for overall health.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/209378341.html#.Ua0kdqILJuI.google 

Where does one start a meditation practice?  Most are not interested in taking on a new religion or philosophy, most are just interested in a little inner peace and introspection.  As flotation therapy is starting to emerge out of obscurity in the United States many are finding this peace during a one hour float in an isolation tank.  The tank takes much of the difficult work out of traditional meditation.  All light, sound, & physical sensations disappear.  You are just left with your mind and its thoughts.  It usually takes 15 to 30 mins in the tank until the chatter in your mind begins to slow and you are able to just be.   I found an interesting quote today " If everyone on the planet floated everyday there would be no war, no poverty, no crime, no hunger—and nobody on the streets..." --E.J. Gold

I don't see everyone on the planet floating anytime soon but as the numbers begin to grow I do see more people finding time to turn off the computer put away the cell phone and look within to discover what is beneath the ocean of our consciousness.  

Chronic Pain Management & Fibromyalgia

So first off I have to say that I have never suffered from Chronic Pain.  I have had some pretty bad injuries through the years but have never had to deal with long term pain.  Many people have reported that floating has decreased their pain significantly, and in some cases the pain has totally ceased.  I found one article and video about a woman suffering from fibromyalgia.  For those that don't know what that is  I have copied and pasted a description from wikipedia.

Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is characterised by chronic widespread pain and allodynia (a heightened and painful response to pressure).^[1] Its exact cause is unknown but is believed to involve psychological, genetic, neurobiological and environmental factors.^[2][3] Fibromyalgia symptoms are not restricted to pain, leading to the use of the alternative term fibromyalgia syndrome for the condition. Other symptoms include debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Some patients^[4] also report difficulty with swallowing,^[5] bowel and bladder abnormalities,^[6] numbness and tingling,^[7] and cognitive dysfunction.^[8]Fibromyalgia is frequently comorbid with psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety and stress-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder.^[9][10] Not all fibromyalgia patients experience all associated symptoms.^[11] Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–4% of the population,^[9] with a female to male incidence ratio of approximately 9:1.^[12] The term "fibromyalgia" derives from new Latin, fibro-, meaning "fibrous tissues", Greek myo-, "muscle", and Greek algos-, "pain"; thus the term literally means "muscle and connective tissue pain".


Reading that I feel bad for anyone suffering with this pain!  The woman talking about her condition reported that after her first float she had complete pain relief for 17 hours!  She talks more in-depth about the relief that flotation therapy grants her on a continued basis in the video.


Here is the link

http://floatation.biz/blog/floating-helps-woman-with-fibromyalgia-pain/

I highly recommend anyone with fibromyalgia or chronic pain to give floating a try.  It can't hurt... in fact it can heal!

Keep on Floating!

If your in Utah Check us out!

infinityfloatspa.com

Flotation Therapy

A few months ago I was doing research on binaural beats and brain waves.  If you don't know what binaural beats are I highly recommend looking it up.  I stumbled across floating or sensory deprivation. I have known about flotation therapy and the isolation tank for quite some time now but felt especially drawn to it at this time.  My first exposure to floating was probably that Simpsons episode where Homer and Lisa both float. I tried to find a place to float in Utah but the only lead I found was a Thai Chi instructor whom I discovered passed away a year ago.  I did some more research and decided to open up a float center in Provo, UT.

It has been quite the journey starting a business that specializes only in flotation therapy.  We just opened up last week and are finding our clients having wonderful experiences.  When someone asks me what are the benefits I need to take a deep breath because there are so many potential health and wellness benefits.  I will name just a few here but every individual is in need of various things and I find that what ever they need in that moment is what the floating experience focuses on.

Physical

I will share only from those that have floated thus far.

1st Relaxation

Everyone says they feel incredibly relaxed.  Many are still "floating" on their way out the door.  They have a glow about them like they just woke up from the best sleep of their lives.  Floating for one hour is the equivalent of 4 hours of restful sleep.  Everyone is in a more peaceful state after a good float!

2nd Diminished Pain

I have a friend who suffered a motorcycle accident about 20 years ago and is constantly feeling back pain.  He has a hard time bending over to pick things up.  He said the experience was like floating on a cloud.  His back felt so much better he said he could bend over without any problem.  We have not had  many clients come in for pain yet but I read an article about a women with fibromyalgia that had complete relief from her condition for 17 hours after a float and it got better with subsequent floats.

3rd Mental

While in the tank after about 15 minutes I feel a sense of clarity.  I am able to see things with an acute focus that I don't get most of the time.  You are able to have very introspective time with yourself and your thoughts.  Creativity flows as the distractions of the world are not present.

4th Spiritual

Not going deep into peoples experience but the tank can be a great or even ideal environment for meditation.  Meditation is a gateway to infinite discoveries and the float tank has produced for many people very pleasurable meditative experiences, again as the external world is blocked from our senses.

It has been a fun first few weeks listening to peoples experiences and seeing the immediate change in their mood.

We are excited to spread the word about flotation therapy here in Utah Valley.  As you can see everyone can benefit from the float tank in some aspect.  Ill end with a quote from the inventor of the float tank John C. Lilly.

"I personally find the tank is an absolute necessity in order to recover during the day quickly and easily from overloads brought about by too much activity, too much exchange with other people.  The flotation experience is a very refreshing one, a resting one.  If one wants to push further, one can do so to the limits of one's imagination...in the province of the mind, there are no limits"

Hope to see you soon to float all of your cares and worries away!

infinityfloatspa.com