Voluntary Confinement

"To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul.  
To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the answers." - Deepak Chopra

***

I cannot sit in the window seat on a plane.
In fact, I can feel my heart rate increase just thinking about it.
The sheer panic of wanting to get out and not being able to move without having to have, (usually) two, other people get up first.

I am completely and utterly claustrophobic in every sense of the word.

The irony with this, of course, is that no one can really "get out" of a plane but, psychologically, the aisle seat creates this fabulous false perception that I'm free.

So when a friend of mine asked me if I'd ever tried a Float Spa, I took one look at a photo on Google images and thought there was no shot of me ever getting into a coffin full of water in the dark and closing the lid.

Never.
Ever.

So let me get this straight.

You want me to put ear plugs in, climb into a small, cramped space that has a foot of 34.2 degree water,  turn off the light, shut the door and lie there for 90 minutes in pitch black and total silence?

Not.  
A.
Chance.

"People with severe claustrophobia generally report no problems with floating"

Well, sadly, that was my only objection.

Then I saw a new friend of mine check in to Zee Float in Hamilton on Facebook and decided I was going.

I mean, other people are doing it so I must see what this is all about.

It pretty much happened just like that.  

(But let's be clear that on a scale of 1-10, the general likelihood I would voluntarily submerge myself into a dark closed space is most definitely in the negatives.  This is important for all those who think they are too claustrophobic to do this.)

***

There is a super, zen like feeling just walking into this place.  

Fancy soy candles, mushroom coffee (Note to self : read more about this stuff) and bath bombs are for sale in the lobby.  My visit has already gone up by $25 because I can't leave without a new Sea Salt candle.  

I mean, come on, how did we ever survive without one of those?

So I pick up the brochure while I wait and read through all the perceived benefits of "floating".

The float spa tanks hold 1,000 pounds of epsom salt in ten inches of water that is kept at 34.2 degrees. This is completely "skin receptor neutral" which allows you to lose track of where your body ends and the water begins.

Once the door to the tank is shut and the lights are turned off, you float in complete and total darkness for the allotted time frame.

Physical Benefits
During the float, the outside world is gone and amazing things happen.  (so they say)
When you're not fighting gravity or constantly taking in information, your body has a lot of extra resources at its disposal.   Your mind is free to mull things over without distraction, your brain pumps out dopamine and endorphins, and your body gets to rest, de-stress and heal.

People float to relieve stress, recover from injuries, fight addiction, eliminate chronic pain, and alleviate symptoms associated with mental health disorders like PTSD and anxiety.

Epsom salts can help with detoxification, regulate blood pressure and aid in the prevention of cariovascular disease.  Floating increases your circulation, reduces the overall stress to the physical body and decreases recovery time after physical activity.

Mental Benefits
Float tanks can be thought of as training wheels for meditation.   After about 30-45 minutes of floating, your mind starts producing theta brainwaves, which are responsible for the 'between waking and sleeping' state.   Float tanks get you there effortlessly.

Learning and Development Benefits
People have cut strokes off their golf game, developed complex scientific theories, and drafted whole portions of books while floating.   With nothing to distract you, your level of concentration and knowledge absorption is astonishing.

I'm not gonna lie.

I could read this all day and I'm still not 100% confident about being buried alive in a coffin full of water for an hour and a half.

I feel the perfect combination of crippling fear of survival of this experience and a fascination and rush of trying something new.

***

As I walk into the room, there is a door to a tank and a shower in the corner.  It is dimly lit and there is a table with ear plugs and a towel.  I'm already thinking there is no chance of getting my contacts out unless they turn the lights up so I can properly see.   And as I'm scanning the wall, I see no signs of having any control over the switches myself.  Perfect.

The instructions are to shower and then get into this tank and when you're ready, close the door.  There will be music that starts to play and the lights will come on when it's time to get out.  (I find this rather interesting since I have ear plugs in.)

There is also this halo thing that you can use to lean your head back on but you also don't need to use it at all because the salt will hold you up regardless of your weight.

That's all you get.  

***

Here we go.

I open the door, again wishing the lights were way higher at this point, and I put my foot in.

The water feels warm but there really is nothing else unusual.   It's kind of like a bath in a tank.

I have totally got this.

So I get in and put that halo thing behind my head (because clearly I don't trust that I'm going to actually float).

I lay back and try to get my bearings and have this total barrage of thoughts.

I am in a tank full of water in the dark.

Well, isn't this sort of weird?

What are the odds I can shut the door?

Okay, all out Sarah.   

Shut the door.

I shut the door.
It is literally pitch black.
I can't tell the difference between where the water ends, or the air begins, or where my body is in the tank.  
It is the most bizarre feeling in the world.
There are no sounds.
I can't hear the water splashing like I would think I could, even if I move around.
I am super tense.  
I know I am because who does this???

Try and relax Sarah.
Deep breaths.
Count to 4 on the inhale and slow your breath down.

The sound of my breath is like 100 decibels.  
In fact, now I realize that's the only thing I can hear.
Just the sound of my breath in pitch black darkness.

I am floating. 
This is whacked.

I wonder if solitary confinement is like this?
I mean, how different is this except that there is no gravity.
I'm still completely alone in the dark.
Hmmm... except I suppose it's by choice.
Is that the difference?
I am surrendering to my senses and the darkness?

Then I realize this is an exercise in trust and being able to let go.
(Which we know is not likely to be my strongest suit).

These thoughts are followed closely by...

I should open the door, just to make sure it still opens.
What if I can't hear the music because of my ear plugs and I'm in here too long?
I swear it's already been 90 minutes.
Has it been 90 minutes?

So I open the door and immediately feel like a total wimp for not surrendering completely to this experience.

Go figure - the door opened.

So I shut it again.

I start talking to myself all over.

Surrender to the float.

I am floating.

How wild is this when you really think about it?

Pitch black darkness.

Let go.
Just let go.

I put my arms over my head, getting sassy at this point, and think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

I could touch the wall behind me.
So I push off and float my way down to the end of the tank.

I try and imagine all the pain releasing from my right calf.
I do a full body scan and think about anywhere I'm holding tension and try and focus in on that area to relax deeper into the floating sensation.
I try to get into a meditative state thinking that I want to release all thoughts and energy that does not serve me.

And then I think - I've totally had enough.
I have no idea how long I've been in here at this point but I actually had the thought that I was done and didn't need any more floating.
So I literally contemplated getting out and just going to hang around in the waiting room for the rest of the time.

It is 90 minutes Sarah.
Don't short it.

Finally I can hear the music start to pipe in and the really dim lights start to come back on.

At this point, I think I'm just going to get out, no problem, like it's like getting out of the tub.

So I sit up and take out my ear plugs and pull the halo thing off my head.

I'm actually not sure at this point if anything has really happened in that 90 minutes or if it did any good.  

As I put one foot on the floor, I realize I'm totally wobbly and might actually fall over.

My ears are ringing and as I take the 'after' shower and use the shampoo, the smell of the shampoo is the strongest thing I've ever been exposed to.   It is some rosemary mint shampoo but it's SO overpowering.   Wowza.

All my senses are on fire.  

It is A-mazing.

I am in this blissful, totally euphoric state with heightened awareness of EVERYTHING.

My skin is tingling and I'm giddy.  
Completely and utterly giddy.

It is so wild that I thought all the magic happened in the float but after the float I hadn't even thought of.

The sensory deprivation that I experienced had left me with such over exaggerated senses that I felt like my brain was floating.

The smell of the epsom salts, the sound of the wind chimes.

I seriously thought I was unsafe to drive and this should be illegal.

***

I walk into the recovery room.  
(I don't know that it's called a recovery room but I certainly needed one) and there is Mal.

(Side note: If you know Mal, you know he's a Tim Ferris junkie and since Tim Ferris had written about Float Spas in his latest book Tools of Titans, then there was no chance Mal was missing out on this.)

He looks like he's sunk into the furniture and isn't going to be able to function for the rest of the day.
He looks up at me with dopey eyes from the chair he's molded himself into.   He says (slurring his words) that he thinks he's 'had the sh*t kicked out of him' and doesn't think he's going to be able to get up.

I, on the other hand, am higher than a kite, jacked on dopamine, and ready to walk on Mars that afternoon.

I find it absolutely comical he can't function and I can't stop giggling and telling him that I'm so on top of the world.  

He thinks I've gone completely mad.

Clearly no two experiences are the same and the effects could be compared to two people taking a psychedelic drug.

***
Float therapy isn't new but it has had a recent surge of popularity and there are some undeniable health benefits.  Even the celebs are backing it up.

Joe Rogan (Fear Factor) swears that it is the one of the most incredible pieces of equipment for introspective thought you could ever find.

John Lennon claims that floating helped him kick a debilitating heroine habit way back in 1979.

Elle Macpherson reports to have her own tank for the natural skin care benefits and Tom Watson (UFC), Willie Mason (Rugby),  Tom Brady (NFL) all share similar claims of successful results from visualization during floats and feel it's the best recovery treatment they've had in their career.

Military combat veterans are even reporting that float therapy could actually be a major player in the cure for PTSD.

The jury is out on the exact scientific benefits per person but one thing is for sure.

There is something that happens in that tank and you come out completely different than you went in.

That is, just simply, a fact.