As of this writing, I’ve floated in a sensory deprivation tank on six different occasions. Each float was different in some way and gave me exactly what I needed even if I didn’t know it at the time. Here are some things I’ve learned from my experiences thus far.
My most recent realization has to do with working through difficult and painful things in life. There is nearly half a ton of salt mixed with the water in a sensory deprivation tank, meaning that you float effortlessly on the surface. I can hold my arms or legs on the bottom briefly but once I relax, they float right to the top. In the same way, I’ve found floating clears my mind of distractions and allows the things I need to work on to float to the surface of my mind. Sometimes I’ve thought about those things while I’m floating, and other times they’ve not come to mind until I’ve gotten out and resumed my regular life. Either way, floating makes room for me to focus on those important things.
On the subject of working on problem areas, I’ve also realized that I can’t depend on floating alone to improve my life. Floating is simply a tool (and a very useful one at that) that helps me recognize where I can do better and puts me in the right state of mind to follow through. But following through is a must. If I act without regard to my values in my regular life and then expect floating to do the heavy lifting for me, I’m going about it the wrong way. I have to practice what I preach, and floating has always clearly shown me when I’m not doing that.
Something I got from my most recent float was a reminder about letting go. I kept that in mind the very next day at work when it was crazy busy, hot, and had the potential to be super stressful. Whenever I felt the stress coming on, I reminded myself to breathe, let go of resistance to the situation, and just take one step at a time until I was finished. That’s exactly what I did and it worked like a charm. I needed this reminder to work on controlling my perception of any given situation instead of letting the situation control me.
These, in addition to being reminded of the importance of relaxation, have been the biggest revelations I’ve gotten while floating. I’ve enjoyed the experience of floating as well as the insights it’s given me about my life. It’s been interesting to see some messages appear repeatedly (which I take to mean that I need to work more on those things) and others that have only shown up once or twice (probably areas where I’m doing fine). I’m excited to see what else I learn about myself through floating and how I can use it to improve my life and the lives of those around me.