The downside of a non-closed (shielded) float tank is that you have to process an expanded sensory field. By cutting down the size of the sensory field that is being processed through EM waves generated by the body, and then returned to the sensory system, a "safe" environmental threshold can be established as a baseline. This closed loop environment then allows the system to run a series of baseline checks, similar to setting up a control zone in a lab test.
The key is the preparation. The more calcium ions loaded into the system, and the more sodium you can flush from the system, the more dynamic the experience will be. Altering the biochemical ratios will result in different, and sometimes suboptimal, sensory experiences within the body. Thus why there is such a wide range of recorded experiences from this otherwise dynamic neurological experience.
I have complete aphantasia, and have been to a float tank twice, just for the experience. I didn't particularly enjoy it either time. I have no stress, anxiety, pain or insomnia, so I can't speak to that.
Some years ago (before discovering I was a total aphant) I visited a flotation room. Initially from long-held curiosity to ‘meet’ my unstimulated brain. At the time I was under a lot of work/life stress as well as chronic arthritic pain. All of which interfered with clear thinking. I chose total isolation (no light or sound) and was instantly ‘at home’. I returned for two more sessions, not only for the pain relief of weightlessness, but also because of the ease of unravelling several complex problems in my life. Were it closer to home and cheaper, I would be a regular devotee. Unfortunately, zero hallucinations (unlike LSD back in the day), but a glorious sense of Just Being with my self in the midst of It All.
When I tried a float tank, a long time ago, I experienced the time shift - felt like I was in there for hours floating through the stars and night sky. In reality it was 15min under a friends house in suburbia. I do not think I have aphantasia.
Perhaps, with the blind studies, nature does not like a vacuum, and likes to fill in the blank spots? We see with our eyes closed every night so we are very used to this process.
I first came across your research about aphantasia as I am doing creative HDR about Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS is when people with varying degrees of sight loss have pseudohallucinations). It is all so deeply interesting as to why the mind fills in the missing parts of the visual field?
I have complete aphantasia, and went to a float tank last fall.
Hallucinations and imagery:
Absolutely nothing
Boost in Creativity:
Have always struggled with creativity, no difference
Treatment for stress and anxiety:
No noticeable difference
Pain:
Couldn't get comfortable. I have bad joints and was hoping for some relief, but found myself to be too buoyant which made new and unusual pressure points while floating.
I have never wanted to do this because I am no good at doing nothing which I have recently decided stems from my aphantasia - I have multisensory aphantasia so I don't hear my thoughts, see anything etc. The thought of having external sensory deprivation worries me about what is left! I am also claustrophobic. However, we do have a local provider which does the room type, and allows you to pipe music in if you want to and I have toyed with the idea of giving it a go with the music as a backup if I freak out - it's a lot of money to spend on a panic attack if that is what it induces.
I believe I have aphantasia, but I have never tried a float tank before. I have however gone through a meditation style training where people use mental imagery- as I hadn’t heard of Aphantasia at the time, I thought I wasn’t able to create mental images because I wasn’t lowering down my brainwaves correctly, so I kept trying really hard for months on a daily basis. Eventually I was able to see some vivid images (dream like) for a couple of minutes before falling asleep - I know I was awake because I was conscious and could for example move my hands and fingers. When my wife did the same training and we discussed our experiences I couldn’t believe when she told me she was able to “see” all those things that I wasn’t able to. That’s when I found out that I have Aphantasia. Now I’m very interested in the float tanks to see how the meditation combined with sensory deprivation would work for potential mental images.
I sense connections here with a very different sensory deprivation experience I had in the ocean. June 2020, in lockdown I had a weird onshore surf dump at Terrigal. Walking towards water a wave reared up and held me down jn mid stride. Top& bottom forces tried to pull me apart & I had a time-slowdown experience. Severe hips pain and hammy tears. Walking well after 6 weeks i was back in surf floating and exercising. Took 6-7 days swimming to realise the sudden extreme hip collapse now happening when walking after swimming was caused by the sensory deprivation of solid ground.
The pain free hobble became permanent, often on different hips. Tested floating etc occasionally. Always made it worse. I have a CRPS history but it took 18 mths before my physio & I realised it was a CRPS mediated movement disorder. I was eventually able to clear CRPS by using mind/ body communing to down-regulate my red dot VDU Gene. 🤗 Brains are incredible!
I can now float in water with no reaction. Query: look at WHAT video? 🤔 Roseann
The downside of a non-closed (shielded) float tank is that you have to process an expanded sensory field. By cutting down the size of the sensory field that is being processed through EM waves generated by the body, and then returned to the sensory system, a "safe" environmental threshold can be established as a baseline. This closed loop environment then allows the system to run a series of baseline checks, similar to setting up a control zone in a lab test.
The key is the preparation. The more calcium ions loaded into the system, and the more sodium you can flush from the system, the more dynamic the experience will be. Altering the biochemical ratios will result in different, and sometimes suboptimal, sensory experiences within the body. Thus why there is such a wide range of recorded experiences from this otherwise dynamic neurological experience.
I have complete aphantasia, and have been to a float tank twice, just for the experience. I didn't particularly enjoy it either time. I have no stress, anxiety, pain or insomnia, so I can't speak to that.
Hallucinations and imagery:
Absolutely nothing
Boost in Creativity:
No effect
Treatment for stress and anxiety:
No effect
Pain:
No effect
Insomnia:
no effect.
Exercise recovery:
No effect
Time perception:
Time went slowly, as it does when you're bored.
thanks Lydia
Some years ago (before discovering I was a total aphant) I visited a flotation room. Initially from long-held curiosity to ‘meet’ my unstimulated brain. At the time I was under a lot of work/life stress as well as chronic arthritic pain. All of which interfered with clear thinking. I chose total isolation (no light or sound) and was instantly ‘at home’. I returned for two more sessions, not only for the pain relief of weightlessness, but also because of the ease of unravelling several complex problems in my life. Were it closer to home and cheaper, I would be a regular devotee. Unfortunately, zero hallucinations (unlike LSD back in the day), but a glorious sense of Just Being with my self in the midst of It All.
When I tried a float tank, a long time ago, I experienced the time shift - felt like I was in there for hours floating through the stars and night sky. In reality it was 15min under a friends house in suburbia. I do not think I have aphantasia.
Perhaps, with the blind studies, nature does not like a vacuum, and likes to fill in the blank spots? We see with our eyes closed every night so we are very used to this process.
I first came across your research about aphantasia as I am doing creative HDR about Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS is when people with varying degrees of sight loss have pseudohallucinations). It is all so deeply interesting as to why the mind fills in the missing parts of the visual field?
yeah very interesting, I do like the concept of neural competition for brain realestate
I have complete aphantasia, and went to a float tank last fall.
Hallucinations and imagery:
Absolutely nothing
Boost in Creativity:
Have always struggled with creativity, no difference
Treatment for stress and anxiety:
No noticeable difference
Pain:
Couldn't get comfortable. I have bad joints and was hoping for some relief, but found myself to be too buoyant which made new and unusual pressure points while floating.
Insomnia:
Extreme night owl, no change.
Exercise recovery:
Don't exercise enough to comment.
Time perception:
Time went slowly, as it does when you're bored.
I have never wanted to do this because I am no good at doing nothing which I have recently decided stems from my aphantasia - I have multisensory aphantasia so I don't hear my thoughts, see anything etc. The thought of having external sensory deprivation worries me about what is left! I am also claustrophobic. However, we do have a local provider which does the room type, and allows you to pipe music in if you want to and I have toyed with the idea of giving it a go with the music as a backup if I freak out - it's a lot of money to spend on a panic attack if that is what it induces.
I believe I have aphantasia, but I have never tried a float tank before. I have however gone through a meditation style training where people use mental imagery- as I hadn’t heard of Aphantasia at the time, I thought I wasn’t able to create mental images because I wasn’t lowering down my brainwaves correctly, so I kept trying really hard for months on a daily basis. Eventually I was able to see some vivid images (dream like) for a couple of minutes before falling asleep - I know I was awake because I was conscious and could for example move my hands and fingers. When my wife did the same training and we discussed our experiences I couldn’t believe when she told me she was able to “see” all those things that I wasn’t able to. That’s when I found out that I have Aphantasia. Now I’m very interested in the float tanks to see how the meditation combined with sensory deprivation would work for potential mental images.
I sense connections here with a very different sensory deprivation experience I had in the ocean. June 2020, in lockdown I had a weird onshore surf dump at Terrigal. Walking towards water a wave reared up and held me down jn mid stride. Top& bottom forces tried to pull me apart & I had a time-slowdown experience. Severe hips pain and hammy tears. Walking well after 6 weeks i was back in surf floating and exercising. Took 6-7 days swimming to realise the sudden extreme hip collapse now happening when walking after swimming was caused by the sensory deprivation of solid ground.
The pain free hobble became permanent, often on different hips. Tested floating etc occasionally. Always made it worse. I have a CRPS history but it took 18 mths before my physio & I realised it was a CRPS mediated movement disorder. I was eventually able to clear CRPS by using mind/ body communing to down-regulate my red dot VDU Gene. 🤗 Brains are incredible!
I can now float in water with no reaction. Query: look at WHAT video? 🤔 Roseann