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Anyone else ever use a flotation/isolation tank?

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Mitakuye Oyasin

Mitakuye Oyasin

Established member
Has anyone else here ever used a flotation/isolation tank? I used to own one in college and it was pretty cool. Lots of upkeep, but I used it frequently so it was not so bad. Never really did any altered reality experiments in it though. Used cannabis once or twice and it was mostly uncomfortable, way too high of a vibration - too intense when there is nothing else but the warm darkness. That and the paranoia of being trapped in there for some reason was also an uncomfortable experience. Most of the sober experiences were very pleasurable, even when i just fell asleep in there for long periods of time. At one point I was only sleeping a few hours each night in the tank and studying and creative writing most of the rest of the time, for weeks on end.
 
Sometimes you can find places that rent them hourly for relaxation. You might want to search your area online to see, or if you are going to a major city in the future, check to see if they have them there, many do. As with entheogens it is always a good idea to go in with an open mind and let go of your fears as well as your expectations.
 
I went to a place in my area that has one and used it for an hour. The first time it was really hard to get completely relaxed. To really get some good use out of it I think I would need to be able to go back several times a week for awhile, but its just too far for me to do that.
 
Yeah, I used to go to those rental places as well, and even one or two hour sessions were not usually enough time for me to have any really meaningful experiences. It was nice and relaxing, but there seemed to be so much more possible. The idea that I was under some sort of ticking clock while I was in there, often took control of my experience in there and made it very hard to relax and just go with it. That is why I ended up researching building my own and eventually bought a used float tank that had hinges on it that folded down to a compact size that you could put a twin mattress on top of and use it as a bed. It was wonderful to be able to spend as much time in there as I wanted with no interruptions. Some rental places will allow you to go "off the clock" and use it for as long as you want and exit anytime you want, you then just pay for the time you used after your experience. This to me seems much better than the routine where they knock on the tank once your hour or two is up to let you know its time to get out and take a shower.

I've often thought that if there were a community of people researching enthoegens that building or buying a tank and splitting its costs and upkeep and usage among those explorers would be an interesting and beneficial idea.
 
Mitakuye Oyasin said:
Has anyone else here ever used a flotation/isolation tank? I used to own one in college and it was pretty cool. Lots of upkeep, but I used it frequently so it was not so bad. Never really did any altered reality experiments in it though. Used cannabis once or twice and it was mostly uncomfortable, way too high of a vibration - too intense when there is nothing else but the warm darkness. That and the paranoia of being trapped in there for some reason was also an uncomfortable experience. Most of the sober experiences were very pleasurable, even when i just fell asleep in there for long periods of time. At one point I was only sleeping a few hours each night in the tank and studying and creative writing most of the rest of the time, for weeks on end.
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Hey Now,

I replied about my one and only experience with a floatation/isolation tank in this previous thread. It was sometime in November of 1979, in Boulder Colorado. Still, I recall it in vivid detail, to this day. Mind you, I was on tripping on Liberty Cap Mushies and a wee bit of kind Ganja. :shock: This is the link: Float Tanks - Methods of Exploring Consciousness - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

Peace, love & Light
 
Thanks Rising Spirit. That is an amazing experience. I often think back to when I owned a tank and why I did not more aggressively pursue a mushroom experience in it. I think the movie Altered States had a similar experience on me, put a scare in the back of my mind that something spooky might happen in there. I was terrified of swimming in a pool at night when I was young after seeing the original Jaws. I knew it was totally stupid at the time, but fear is often irrational and sometimes very hard to work your way out of. The book Altered States is much better than the movie in my opinion, but I still do like the movie in many respects, even though much of it was cheesy and inaccurate. It did get me into John Lilly and many other things, so I am grateful for those aspects at least.
 
There's a great place near where I live . It's expensive but amazing and sometimes
They have great deals . The vibe is super mellow and
The tanks and rooms are really nice .

I would recommend floating
To anyone that hasn't tried it . It's a great experience
One of the best non drug trips I've found actually .
 
I, like KMartin, have only visited a tank once for an hour or so. It was a nice large space, and pleasant, but the experience didn't live up to what I was anticipating. I had concluded that isolation tanks aren't for me-- but after reading this thread, I want to give it another try. Perhaps a longer, less timed experience would be qualitatively different.

Mitakuye-- have you found any approach to your time in the tank that maximizes the effect? What amount of time would you recommend for a 'deep' experience? I really look forward to learning more about this. Thank you.
 
Rising Spirit,

Reading your float tank experience was profound in itself! Thank you!

Your speaking of Mother Ocean being in all of us made me realize what a beautiful thing that is. It had never occurred to me.
 
Down here in SoCal there are two places, one of which is run by a guy named Crash (its the place Joe Rogan talked about). There is another place in Newport Beach. Its a bit pricey though.

Im more interested in the poor mans Floatation tank, if anyone has any ideas :)
 
Chronic said:
I haven't yet but im very interested in doing so...
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I have used a sensory deprivation tank several times and I can say after several attempts that I never devolved into a primordal ape man, though I did my best.

(It was a movie if you're confused by this young people)

And, I'm dead serious. I did my best to lose myself. But, I was disappointed.

The truth is, you can feel yourself just the same as you can feel the water lapping against your body if you float in a pool. It is not ever true sensory deprivation, though they try.

I would say that floating naked in the ocean (not around sharks) is probably the best way to get the experience the people with the tanks are attempting.

Tanks are for people who are completely separated from the natural world too... not to get preachy.

My best advice, go find a good natural hot spring nearby and soak while taking your fav ethnogen.
 
Read an interesting article about the room N.A.S.A. built to test astronautS stress levels for something like a mission to Mars. I forgot the numbers but it is the quietest place on the planet. I believe the room was built deep underground and then layered in state of the art sound proofing. Its so quite you can hear the noise from the friction of your blood moving though your veins and arteries!
Test subjects lasted between 20 seconds to 30 min. But I think 60 min was the longest anyone lasted before asking to leave.
The main difference of float tanks and this room is that this room doesnt take any senses away from you, as in a deaf person, it keeps the sense of sound but when stiulation is fully absent minus the sounds from inside the body for some reason they're seeing its extremely uncomfortable.

Sorry not to de rail just found the article fascinating and thought others may too if interested in float tanks.
 
Oly, that is indeed interesting. Hard to deny our natural wiring. Spacecraft are actually pretty noisy- creaking and popping as sun and shadow heat and cool the exterior; the clicking and whirring of countless fans, compressors, timers... (Not speaking from personal experience here). I find myself most relaxed with gentle nature sounds in the background.

When I lived in Chicago I was fortunate enough to have access to this great place called Spacetime Tanks. It was owned at the time by friends, and my art hung in the lobby and waiting area, so it felt comfortable and familiar enough that I was able to go into some altered states there without getting myself into a weird situation (important to consider!)

First I went for an hour, and found the experience lacking. So I went again for 90 min and found that things started to get interesting right before the end of the session, when that knock on the tank came (by the way, simply knowing that the knock is coming at any moment is a big grounding factor). I found that I had entered a state of little or no thought, kind of a classic meditative state, but arrived at without trying. Time became quite murky and indistinct. Stepping into the shower, I found that re-entering classic time flow was odd and a bit giddy. Time, what a concept!

Later I went on a number of 3-4 hour floats under decent dosages (400ug acid, 3.5g shrooms) and time got even looper. These experiences were distinctly nonvisual, even the very deep places. Re-emerging from these moments onto the crowded Chicago streets was a little crazy.

And it's true that its not total sensory deprivation: the fan makes a whirring sound, there are sloshing sensations when you move, and you get little itches along the waterline where the salt is drying onto your skin. But nonetheless it gives you access to places that are quite different from being on a sling chair on the back deck.

Incidentally, I found that on the long sessions my arms floated a little funny and caused shoulder pains after a while. Solved this by rigging some elbow weights using coins and socks.
 
I've never done the tank, but I use a Lazyboy armchair with ear plugs and a sleep mask whenever I want to experiment with sensory deprivation. It works well for me (plus it's much cheaper):lol:
 
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