Forgive my language but… Go Float Yourself!

I now understand why birth can take so long, but I’ll cycle back to this point…

You may have heard about sensory deprivation tanks, magnesium baths, or dream float tanks – but have you actually experienced it for yourself? Most people I have mentioned this to had a “vague idea” about the existence of float tanks, but had little (to no) idea about the ins and outs of the process, benefits or outcomes.

So I took the plunge today with Dream Float Centre in Broome, and all I can say is Take! My! Money!!! It is worth every single penny! 

If you are curious about the how, what & why, keep reading as I take you through my personal experience and make up your own mind from there.

< WHAT THE HELL IS A FLOAT TANK >
I had a broad impression about float tanks and had always been intrigued by them (both personally & professionally), but had never had the opportunity, until now…
and there’s so much more to the tanks than I knew…

Firstly a floatation tank is a light-proof & sound-proof pod containing a shallow 30cm solution of Epsom Salt (magnesium) water, allowing effortless floatation for the person inside. The water is warmed to skin temperature, confusing and eluding the sensory perception of touch. Free from external sensory stimuli (touch, sight, sound) you are buoyant and essentially weightless … ahhh, complete physical surrender & relaxation.

Secondly the mind is also seduced into theta brainwaves, which is the meditative and hypnotic state of relaxation conducive to change and healing. This aspect of the tank definitely fanned my professional flame!

< UM, I’M A LITTLE CONCERNED >
I must admit, as I was given the induction to the tank the little voice in my head starting throwing out a handful of minor concerns… it’s a smallish tank… the lid will be closed… will it be completely dark… do I have to have all the lights off… what if I get stuck in there… what if I can’t do this… what if I get scared… but once I spoke these to Steve, they easily disappeared out of mind (and surprisingly, I’m not the only one to have mentioned these type of minor apprehensions).

< WHAT DO I KNOW NOW THAT I DIDN’T KNOW >
It’s a manual pod & self paced – you choose when to shut the lid (if at all) and when to turn off the lights (if at all), and this means you can also open the lid or turn the lights on any time throughout. Obviously the sooner you surrender yourself to the (safe) experience, the better – but you’ll see that further on…

It feels larger than it may look – though initially querying its size, when I got in I realised how amply sized it actually is. In fact the whole time I was buoyant, I hardly touched the sides. Once your physical body fully surrenders, it’s almost like you’re suspended in space with no awareness of the surroundings or pod.

It’s not possible to drown – In fact, once still in buoyancy you rarely move, other than breathing. The Epsom Salt in the water is purposely measured to enable effortless buoyancy – you cannot sink nor drown! Admittedly at first it seems slightly unnatural to not move and to fully surrender, but the sensation I got when I did was that of almost a gel-like support sensation – like the gel-like water was sculpted to perfectly caress & support my body in perfect suspension.

< OKAY, GET TO THE POINT – HOW WAS IT >
DREAMY, of course… but all jokes aside – finding the right words is harder than I thought, as it’s unlike anything I have experienced before and quite surreal. Please bear with me as I try to neatly gather my thoughts in a way that hopefully creates a clear representation…

As an international Mindset Trainer and HypnoCoach you would be right to assume I have indulged at length in many things Mindfulness over the years such as meditation, self hypnosis, sound circles – just to name a few… but this dream float experience, well that’s hashtag nek level (as trend would name it).

As I lay fully immersed, surrendered to the experience & effortlessly buoyant I expected my mind to start chattering, bouncing between here and there … but it didn’t. It’s not that I didn’t have thoughts. I certainly did, but they were significantly few and far between and simply much more streamlined. It was in this moment I felt a profound & reassuring sensation – one which is the closest I have ever been to & can only describe as true stillness or silence. The complete surrender of the physical body & the limitation of external stimuli, resulted in this surreal awareness of this stillness and silence I was immersed in! It was both excitingly new and deliciously relaxing.

After 60 floating minutes, I emerged and WOW. Just WOW! I felt super rejuvenated, like I had a glow about me. And my skin… well, mmm mmmmm… it felt like silk and not a wrinkle to be found (you know those usual water-induced ones). I felt noticeably lighter as I stepped out the tank, in both body and mind – and certainly look forward to the next time I slip back in to that beautiful environment of stillness and peace!

Should you wish to know more about the numerous physical and well-being benefits, you can find such insight in more depth by clicking on the picture below.

 

< WHAT’S BREWING >
As I mentioned, the ability to fully surrender the physical PLUS the induction of theta brainwaves piques my interest given my professional field of Mindset Training & HypnoCoaching. Steve, Dee & myself are currently brewing up some menu specialities which we hope to serve up soon!
I kindly suggest following our respective pages INDIGO PHOENIX COACHING & SERVICES and DREAM FLOAT CENTRE (or sign up to the newsletters via the websites) so that you know when first servings are dished up!

SO as I said, I now understand why birth can take so long... that dream float is what I imagine being in the womb feels like as a baby – immersed in comfort and blissfully safe – and I didn’t want to come out, so why would they! So forgive my language, but GO FLOAT YOURSELF!

 

WITH LOVE, ALWAYS ~ CHANTELLE Xx
Founder, Mindset Trainer & HypnoCoach