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An isolation tank is a lightless, soundproof tank in which subjects float in salty water at skin temperature. They were first used by John C. Lilly in 1954 in order to test the effects of sensory deprivation. Such tanks are now also used for meditation and relaxation and in alternative medicine. Isolation tanks were originally called sensory deprivation tanks. Other synonyms for isolation tank include float tank, floating tank, floater tank, flotation tank, REST tank, flotation baths, John Lilly tank and sensory attenuation tank.
History
John C. Lilly, a medical practitioner and neuro-psychiatrist, developed the flotation tank in the 1950s. During his training in psychoanalysis at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Lilly commenced experiments with physical isolation. In neurophysiology, there had been an open question as to what keeps the brain going and the origin of its energy sources. One answer was that the energy sources are biological and internal and do not depend upon the outside environment. It was argued that if all stimuli is cut off to the brain then the brain would go to sleep. Lilly decided to test this hypothesis and, with this in mind, created an environment which totally isolated an individual from external stimulation. From here, he studied the origin of consciousness and its relation to the brain. Peter Suedfeld and Roderick Borrie of the University of British Columbia began experimenting on the therapeutic benefits of flotation tank usage in the late 1970s. They named their technique "Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy" (REST).
Use
In the original tanks, people were required to wear complicated head-masks in order to breathe underwater. In newer tanks, epsom salt is added to the water in the tank to raise the density of the water above the density of the human body, so that the subject floats with his or her face above the water. However, since the ears are submerged when the subject is in a relaxed position, hearing is greatly reduced, particularly when ear-plugs are also used. When the arms float to the side, skin sensation is greatly reduced because the air and water are the same temperature as the skin, and the feeling of a body boundary fades. The sense of smell is also greatly reduced, especially if the water has not been treated with chlorine. A therapeutic session in a flotation tank typically lasts an hour. For the first forty minutes, it is reportedly possible to experience itching in various parts of the body (a phenomenon also reported to be common during the early stages of meditation). The last twenty minutes often end with a transition from beta or alpha brainwaves to theta, which typically occurs briefly before sleep and again at waking. In a float tank, the theta state can last for several minutes without the subject losing consciousness. Many use the extended theta state as a tool for enhanced creativity and problem-solving or for superlearning. Spas sometimes provide commercial float tanks for use in relaxation. Flotation therapy has been academically studied in the USA and in Sweden with published results showing reduction of both pain and stress[1]. The relaxed state also involves lowered blood pressure and maximal blood flow. Floating can be passive or active, depending on the purpose. For relaxation, one simply floats and becomes the observer of the body/mind system. Active floating has many different techniques. One may perform meditation, mantras, self-hypnosis, utilize educational programs, etc. The idea of active floating is that, when the body is relaxed, the mind becomes highly suggestible and any action taken during these states will enter the information into the sub-conscious. Flotation therapy may be used to complement other body work and healing methods. More extreme uses of the tank involve the subject taking varying doses of hallucinogens, such as LSD, and spending prolonged periods in the tank (up to tens of hours) at a time, an approach pioneered by Lilly himself—though he claims to have tried LSD in the tank only prior to 1964, when the psychedelic was still legal.
Notable users
The physicist Richard Feynman's experiences in a sensory deprivation tank were documented in the popular book Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!. Feynman was invited to try the isolation tank at John Lilly's home after Lilly attended one of Feynman's popular lectures on quantum mechanics. Joe Rogan also owns an isolation tank and can be heard talking about his experiences with it in a YouTube video.[1]
In popular culture
Isolation tanks have appeared in a number of novels, movies and television programs. In Paddy Chayefsky's novel and screenplay for the film Altered States, a scientist is able to reach different states of consciousness by using psychoactive drugs in combination with an isolation tank. Isolation tanks also appear in The Door to December by Dean Koontz and Tom Clancy's novel, The Cardinal of the Kremlin. Isolation tanks have appeared on television in episodes of The Simpsons ("Make Room for Lisa") and Absolutely Fabulous ("Iso Tank"). In the film Daredevil, the main character, Matt Murdock, although blind, has extraordinarily heightened senses (particularly hearing) that make it very difficult for him to sleep without an isolation tank to shut out the outside world. In the video game Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, as part of the "Perfect Soldier Project", Null is kept inside of an isolation tank when not in combat in order to heighten his battle abilities and hamper his memories. In Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever, the title character is put into an isolation tank for study. In the John Cameron Mitchell film Shortbus, two characters share an isolation tank in several scenes. In Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, one character jokes that his boss had a telephone built into his isolation tank. In Stanisław Lem's short story "The Conditional Reflex" (a part of the Tales of Pirx the Pilot), Pirx, being a cadet at that time, undergoes sensory deprivation testing in an isolation tank.
See also
References
Floatation Tank Introduction
Floatation Tank Scientific Research
Floatation Tank Media Articles
Floatation Tank User Testimonials
FloatFinder: A Directory of Floatation Tank Centers Worldwide
Books
- Sven-Åke Bood (2007). Bending and Mending the Neurosignature: Frameworks of influence by floatation-REST. Karlstad University. ISBN 9789170631283
- Hutchison, Michael (2003). The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea. Gateways Books and Tapes. ISBN 0895561182
- Lilly, John C. & E.J. Gold (2000). Tanks for the Memories: Flotation Tank Talks. Gateways Books & Tapes. ISBN 0895560712
- Lilly, John C. (1981). The Deep Self: Profound Relaxation and the Tank Isolation Technique. Warner Books. ISBN 044633023X
- Lilly, John C. (1990). The Center of the Cyclone. Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0714509612
- Lilly, John C. (1996). The Scientist: A Metaphysical Autobiography. Ronin Publishing. ISBN 0914171720
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