Improve Thyself: Betterment by Buoyancy

Imagine yourself – who are you and where are you REALLY going?
What do you truly know about yourself?

You’ve found your parking spot, stop to take a few conscious breaths after turning off your car, and step out. You take the short walk to our float center, and as you open the door you’re greeted by our welcoming staff and feel instantly relaxed and at home. You sit down in a comfortable chair, wait for your room to be ready, and ponder on how floating has helped you connect with yourself.

As you reflect on the familiar sensation of letting go into your private sea, the question naturally arises: what else can floating help with?

Many people float to find their baseline – whether that be for general relaxation, “me” time (away from kids, partners, work, friends and family), basic physical recovery, or even just paying off some sleep debt. For others, though, floating as a practice has more of a pointed goal to it – something specific that you’re looking to achieve, whether it be physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual. Since one of the most fascinating things about floating is how versatile it can be, and how it appeals to people in so many different walks of life, we wanted to run through some different ways floating is used for self-improvement.

Physical

Researchers have explored floating in this kind of training, from tennis and archery skill practice to muscle soreness after heavy training — small studies, but interesting ones. Many athletes tell us a float helps them feel calmer and more focused before an event and more recovered after one.

Improving as an athlete, or in your physical performance, is only one of many acute goals that regular floaters come in for. Other areas for development in conjunction with floating include:

• Spinal decompression
• Comfort and relaxation for achy joints and muscles (research on floating and chronic pain is emerging)
• Stretching (something called “Floga”)
• Rest and relaxation during recovery (with your provider's OK)
• Aiding in body work and physical therapy
• Relaxation and stress relief (some early research has looked at blood pressure)
• Improving quality of sleep

Emotional

Deep relaxation in the float tank has a way of lending perspective on ourselves, or a particular relationship, as we are able to fully immerse and reflect. Whether it’s examining habits in your life that you want to adjust, or processing interactions with others that you wish were different, having a perfectly comfortable environment with no distractions is a tremendous tool.

Floaters have described their time in the tank as a kind of salty journaling session — quiet time to think things through. (It's not a substitute for working with a therapist.) Here are just a few examples of reflection people do while floating:

• Reflecting on past experiences


• Coming to terms with a breakup or divorce


• Finding balance and insight with work relationships


• Floating before or after intentional communication with a significant other


• Floating while pregnant to connect with the baby

Intellectual

In addition to pure knowledge absorption, small studies have reported more subjective creativity after floating in tasks as disparate as problem solving, writing, and jazz improvisation. Other mental goals that people float for include:

• Breaking through writer’s block
  Michael Crichton reportedly floated for precisely this purpose.


• Learning languages
  Some floaters like to review vocabulary or listen back to lessons right after a float, while the mind is calm


• Solving challenging problems
  From architects to programmers to artists to mathematicians – people have found the float tank to be the perfect place for examining complicated challenges


• Memorization and Recall
  Without constant distraction and disruption, many people find it easier to review and recall new information.

Spiritual

• Meditation
  Goals here can range in scope from practicing mindfulness, to achieving a pleasurable physical state, to separation from the mind/body, all the way to full samadhi and even out-of-body experiences.


• Breath-work
  Some people find breath-work in the tank to be a very immersive and beneficial experience. This can range from simple awareness of the breath as a point of concentration to a variety of more advanced breathing techniques.


• Self-Hypnosis
  Floating naturally puts you into a hypnogogic state, and learning to manipulate that for hypnosis is a popular strategy for self-exploration and development. Self-suggestion can be powerful, especially when deep in the theta state.


• Dreamwork/Lucid Dreaming
  With the dreamy, half-awake/half-asleep state that most floaters are familiar with, it’s easy to see how the tank could be used to encourage lucid dreaming, and work on better dream recall in general. Many people will use a “float journal” (in addition to a dream journal) as a further aid in the process.


• Self-reflection
  This comes very naturally in the float tank anyway, and is perhaps the most informal item on this list. Nonetheless, there is a lot to be gained from the simple act of reflecting on your life and goals – noticing areas that may be able to use improvement and acknowledging the progress that you’ve already made.

Next time you schedule a float, try spending a little time beforehand pondering if there’s anything specific you might want to work on during your session. You can always ask our team for ideas if you’re interested in exploring floating for a set purpose.

At Lost in Float, every float is 60 minutes in one of our two private suites, with about 1,300 pounds of Epsom salt in water kept at 93.5°F. A float is $75, and members can use credits. Learn more about float therapy at Lost in Float or book your float.

Stay inspired out there, and see you in the shop soon!