WHY FLOAT

Flotation Therapy has been shown to reliably produce a ‘Relaxation Response’ which is the lesser known counter to the ‘fight or flight’ response. The environment produces stillness, muscle relaxation and sensory deprivation which cue the nervous system to switch into recovery mode. 

Key Facts

• Effects on relaxation are considered in the top 25% of tools known to psychology
• Reductions in blood cortisol and ATCH; physiological indicators of stress have been shown
• Flotation has produced improvements in cognition under stress compared to controls
• Longer form flotation courses have lead to sustainable improvements in stress management 

Many people use Flotation Therapy to gain control of their stress by floating regularly, both to decrease their physical stress response and to build better behaviours which keep stress under control.

Flotation Therapy produces a relaxation response through cues from the body. This leaves the mind free to explore and think in a calm state, which is a novel experience for some anxiety sufferers. Pairing usual anxious thought with a calm body response may unstick cycles of worry and paralysing physical reactions. 

Key Facts

• Flotation Therapy has shown reductions in anxiety in both mentally healthy and clinically anxious people
• Justin Feinstein’s float laboratory is currently undergoing clinical trials on Flotation Therapy for a range of anxiety disorders.
• Research into long form float courses suggest remission from anxiety disorders can be achieved through flotation
• Effects on anxiety have also flowed on to improve sleep, emotional regulation, optimism and mindfulness.

Both clinically anxious people and those with run-of-the-mill daily concerns use Flotation Therapy to gain relief from anxiety and build resilience.

Flotation Therapy helps to relieve pain in a number of ways. Physically, the flotation experience relieves tension in muscles which may be causing discomfort. Pain is also exacerbated by stress, especially in chronic conditions. Flotation helps to break down stress-pain cycles. Moreover, Flotation builds mental resilience which helps sufferers to cope with and manage pain. 

Key Facts:

• Reductions have been shown in the level of pain, the degree of the worst pain felt and the areas where pain is felt in sufferers
• Decreases in the frequency of pain experienced have been shown
• Improvements have been found in the resources to cope with pain such as improving optimism and mood and decreasing anxiety
• Flotation helps to build positive health in pain sufferers by aiding stress relief and building sleep quality.

Flotation can provide short term relief from pain and can also be used as a part of a longer term solution to break stress-pain cycles and build mental resilience. 

The Flotation Environment isolates the movements of the mind, such that thoughts become much more noticeable. This means that it is much easier to ‘catch yourself thinking’ or having automatic thoughts while you are floating. This heightened awareness transfers into daily life making it much easier to step in and take control of wayward thoughts.

Key Facts

• Increases in mindfulness have been shown in flotation studies without the need for meditation inside the pod.
• Relaxation has been found to be a central part of the mindful experience.
• Flotation has been shown to be more effective in producing mindfulness than the same length of meditation

Flotation is the perfect environment for building mindfulness, both for experienced meditators to test themselves and for new meditators to get your foot in the door into mindful living.

In evolutionary terms, following a high stress situation, times of calm put the mind into it’s optimum state to plan, organise and problem solve to perform better during the next high-stress confrontation. However, because the modern world often produces low levels of stress throughout the day, the mind never get a chance to think in a truly calm state. The float experience produces relaxation which allows for open and unrestrained thought. This is where new connections can be made which lead to great insights into well-worn problems.

Key Facts

• Competitive archers have used visualisation in float pods to increase performance in competition
• Professional academics have shown increases in the quality of their ideas in-float compared to control conditions
• Flotation has been shown to improve performance in high stress conditions
• Flotation contributes to positive health functioning like sleep and emotional regulation which allows for greater cognitive performance throughout the day

Regular flotation is the perfect practice to optimise free, focused and creative thought. These cognitive enhancements can be used throughout the day to improve your ability to get into a state of flow, producing deeply innovative work.

The concentration of salts in the float pod makes it incredibly easily to lie perfectly still and relax your muscles as you are completely held up by the water. This allows your body to relax all your muscles simultaneously. After about 10 to 15 minutes your body recognises the lack of threat and goes into recovery mode, pumping blood to the restorative organs, increasing digestion and aiding toxin removal.

Key Facts

• Blood lactate levels, which slow recovery have been reduced after flotation sessions
• Elite athletes found that they felt much more relaxed following flotation - Australian Institute of Sport
• Flotation reliably decreases muscle tension pain in athletes 
• The Relaxation Response produced during flotation aids digestion and the removal of toxins

Floating after game day or to recover from injury is a great way to get the most benefit and can leave you feeling refreshed and ready to get back on the field.