There is so much to share about floating, and I will keep updating this. Lots of research, lots of cool stuff people have experienced.
Basically, what does it do? Sensory deprivation suppresses the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our ‘fight or flight’ response and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation, healing, and replenishment. Some physical symptoms of the relaxation response are decreased muscle tension, decreased blood pressure, decreased stress hormones, and increased endorphins.
Can it provide pain relief? Due to multiple injuries I have had over the years and the relief I felt in a float tank, is the primary reason I wanted to start this service. While I have personally experienced the relief, the anti-gravity environment of the float tank has been well documented to provide relief to many issues caused by ridged posture such as lower-back pain, neck pain, inflammation, tendinitis, shallow breathing, high blood pressure, and even fibromyalgia. I have personally witness improvement in someone with Bell’s Palsy after floating as well.
Stop Crowded Brain! Regular floating can alter the set-points in the endocrine homeostatic mechanism which can cause adjustments such as a lower adrenal activation threshold. Basically, regularly floating will help you become more resistant to those things in your life that cause you to be stressed.
Free Your Mind! Floating is a great way to bring greater awareness to various patterns of behavior. Floating has shown to have beneficial effects such as decreased anxiety and depression; increased calmness or sense of well-being; it has shown fantastic results towards anti-smoking assistance as well as positive effects on weight-loss programs.