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Floatation and Creativity

23/3/2015

Ever wondered where musicians, poets and artists get their creativity? Do you often wish you had a source of some sort to get your creative juices flowing?

Look no further! The Floatation Tank, also known as a Sensory Deprivation Tank, is known to help inspire creativity and innovation in a range of individuals.

No wonder why floatation tank therapy is so popular with many creative minds, including those of designers, architects, artists, musicians, and many more.

Floatation Encourages Creativity

In fact, studies have shown that floating in a sensory deprivation tank has enhanced perceptual-motor skills in sports, and creativity in the sciences. Further studies have demonstrated an improvement in music students' technical abilities after floating once a week, for only four weeks (Vartanian & Suedfeld, 2011). Enhanced musical ability has also been noted in research, specifically with the jazz genre, in musicians who have floated. Others have found inner benefits of floating after improvements were discovered in 'creative cognition' in a range of individuals.

You may be curious as to how floating helps in this way. Increased creativity is achieved through a number of techniques explained below, which can all be experienced in as little as one hour of floating.

Sensory Deprivation
We've all heard stories of artists who claim that their sudden insight, revelation, or creative designs occurred in situations where their sensory input has been reduced. This includes circumstances where their attention has been turned inward during long walks along the beach, or while starting off in space. What you may not have realised is, that one of the fundamental elements of creative or imaginative thought, is concentration gained through some sort of sensory restriction or deprivation. What better way to eliminate the overload of sensory input of our busy lives, than floating in a floatation tank?

Brain Waves

Theta State
One of the explanations as to how many gain unexpected inspiration, physical relaxation, creativity and vivid imagery, particularly while their mind wanders off while gazing into the distance or just before entering their sleep stage, is the influence of the theta state.

Theta state is the brain wave experienced when we are in a very deep state of relaxation. This is the state that is used in hypnosis and during REM sleep. Normally we experience this theta state for a few minutes, but enclosed in a floatation tank, this state can last for longer.
Unfortunately, this does not mean reaching theta state in a floatation tank will leave us all geniuses. Rather, the floatation tank has the ability to let us easily fall into this state, which can be an essential tool in promoting innovation and creativity. The more you float, the more benefits you may discover, as the theta state becomes longer, the more often the floatation tank is used.

Visualisation and Imagery
Another vital component of creativity is visualisation or imagery. Visualisation can be a very powerful tool which helps us invent and create, which has been proven throughout history. Many geniuses over the years, well-known and not so well-known pioneers, encountered visions or mental images of their 'reality-changing ideas' or concepts before pursuing them.

The floatation tank is the perfect environment created for experiencing vivid and intense mental imagery and visualisations, and the best space to manipulate these also.

What makes the float tank so optimal for inspiration, is the profound relaxing environment. In these surroundings, your brain is so relaxed that it generates an exceptional amount of very slow, strong, rhythmical theta waves. You already know a little about theta waves (mentioned above), but the extended theta states gained from floating are associated with vivid, lifelike hypnagogic images. Deep relaxation and strong mental imagery are derived spontaneously and effortlessly while floating in the float tank for most individuals.

Visualisation can Improve Creativity

An Invigorating Float can help with Musical Ability

As described, there are a number of techniques associated with floatation tank therapy that can inspire and encourage creativity and innovation. Relaxing in a peaceful and comfortable environment for an hour or so, doesn't appear to be too hard of a job to gain some extra insight to assist with your creative activities.

Be mindful, that the longer it's been since your last float, the less prominent the effects will be - they will begin to diminish as time passes. To preserve ongoing imagination and vision, consider floating on a regular basis, or on an as-need-basis when you need to rejuvenate your creative self.

Floating for Relaxation

Comment below and tell us about your experiences: whether that be what you've seen while floating, the success of your musical band, or how your creativity has thrived.

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What is Floating?

24/1/2015

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Ever wondered what floating is? How it works? What is supposed to happen?

The video below is an introduction to the world of floating. Learn all about floating and some of its benefits by watching this video now.

We're convinced you will want to float after discovering how floatation tanks can restore your health and wellbeing. We are always interested in hearing about your experiences so please comment below and let us know your thoughts.

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Richard Meadows Interview

16/12/2014

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Recently, the creator of our Apollo Float Tanks, Richard Meadows, was interviewed on the radio.
In the interview he is asked about what floating is like, how it all works and what exactly floating is.

Below is the audio of the interview, as well as a transcript.

Sonia: “Richard Meadows is managing director of Apollo Float Tanks and a pioneer and designer of float tanks here in Australia. Richard Good afternoon.”

Richard: “Good Afternoon Sonia, Thanks for having us in.”

Sonia: “Now Richard, is it true that you were the first person to bring Floatation Tanks to Australia?”

Richard: “Not Quite, The first float centre was in 1983, and I came on the scene about 1988. But they imported tanks from America then.”

Sonia: “Okay so are these the first built in Australia, or just among those built?”

Richard: “The new ones. Well I was the first to do a new design in 20 years.”

Sonia: “Why were floatation tanks developed in the first place?”

Experience Pure Relaxation and Stillness while Floating

Richard: “In the 1950’s they were doing psychological research in America, in the medical area. And they were looking in the area of consciousness and wanting to design something that would remove stimulation from the brain. The original hypothesis was that if you remove stimulation from the brain through the environment, the brain would go blank. In fact, they were quite surprised when the opposite occurred”

Sonia: “So was it thought that the mind would go blank and that was a vulnerable state, and therefore could be filled with other things?”

Richard: “It was thought to be a state of stillness and nothing would happen. But since then, they’ve discovered that the brain is constantly searching and monitoring the environment. And so what developed from there was instead of getting into a negative state, they got to positive, generally full hemispherical states. Like balanced hemispheres of the brain.”

Sonia: “So that’s like a meditative state is it?”

Richard: “Well there are different brain rhythms, so when you go into a meditative state, you tend to utilise more of the your brain. What happened is, if you deprive the brain of the body and a lot of the functions it normally has to deal with, in particular temperature control and dealing with gravity. It actually frees itself to search itself really. And so what happens is you tend to utilise more of the brain and have a more balanced left and right hemisphere. Tends to be with most people, right hemisphere activity which has more to do with creativity and whole brain thinking.”

Sonia: “Okay, we’ll go down that path in a little bit. But for people like myself who have never seen a floatation tank. Practically and logistically, what does it look like? What does it do? Is it like a little swimming pool? What is it?”

Richard: "Well it's like a big bath. The reason you have top on it is to control the environment. Because it’s important you get that sensory deprivation result. So it's basically a big bath. There’s a few different designs. We designed on with a sliding door that’s easier to get in and out of. You have total control. So it's not claustrophobic, because claustrophobia is about not being able to get out or have control. But you can even watch TV or listen to music in the tank. You have a light, all sorts of things.”

Sonia: “But doesn’t that go against the actual purpose of it?”

Richard: “Well the issue with floating is, you need to actually wean people off of their fears to get them to that state. More and more that’s been the case. The western world has got a problem with over stimulation and sleep deprivation. And so you have to get used to not looking for stimulation and so we have to get them to lie still.”

Sonia: “That’s interesting, because I think it was only last week on the program we were talking about how most people find it impossible to be bored these days. We always want to be so stimulated, that we don’t know how to do nothing. A lot of us cant just sit and do nothing anymore.”

Richard: “Yeah well, the thing about it, is the beauty of the sensory isolation is they’ve found that you actually automatically go into that state. And then you’re not the normal person that you think you are. You actually enter in a so called ‘altered state’. SO you actually think differently while you’re in that state. So the perfect meditative state is called fearless presences mindness. It's perfectly in the present. So when you’re in the present, you have no fear and you don’t think that same way. So basically it alters the way you think. So you don’t have any of that fear or negativity that you might bring with you.”

Sonia: “And so you cant get the same response when you’re lying quietly in bed?”

Richard: “You can. But floatation, it's call R.E.S.T which is Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy. But instead of a 24 hour REST chamber stopping someone smoking, the found that floating is quicker. The thing about floating is that it’s a very quick way to get to similar state to maybe a Buddhist Monk. Maybe not in your first float, but it may take a few. So it's an induction technique. There are a lot of techniques out there; people may have tried yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, self-hypnosis, all these things help. Some people go into those states maybe while they’re watching TV or they’re knitting or even when you’re driving. Have you ever gotten to a place, but you don’t actually remember the drive? In a way you have gone into that present mind and hypnotic state. So hypnosis is really where you start to change your brain rhythms – well your consciousness is.”

Sonia: “Richard, I was surprised to learn that some countries ban floatation tanks and the CIA have looked into it. So, they must do something that at least causes concern”

Richard: “Well I’m sure some if the listeners out there have floated, or maybe at one of my centres. But when you go into a deep state, a deep relaxation response, it's very, very powerful. And your own neuro chemistry and hormonal levels do have a big influence on you. So quite a lot can happen. But yeah, I was told that a French psychiatrist banned it in the 80’s. And I know the Singapore government banned it because they didn’t want people thinking for themselves too much. I think it’s a little bit misunderstood, but really, people go into similar states, like I said, when they’re doing other things. It's just that this is a threshold experience, it’s not just a straight line experience. You can go into very deep states, which is what I found when I did my initial research.”

Sonia: “What was the CIA’s interest in the floatation tanks? Was it that you blank out people’s mind so much that they tell you everything they know?”

Richard: “Well they’re always interested in anything that makes people more suggestible. I knew a guy that used to be friends with Timothy Leary, when they used to take LSD and go in the tank. This was back in the 60’s. The famous Timothy Leary the director of psychology. This was back in the days when they could do any kind of experiment without any sort of ethics committees. This chap had a witch’s coven sort of technique, which sort of confused your mind about whether you were up or down and they actually stole that idea from him. I’m sure there’s drug now that are quicker. But they certainly would have looked into it.”

Sonia: “But the way you’re describing that, does the floatation tank experience compare with an altered state drug experience then?”

Richard: “Well drugs only elicit responses in the body, and what the body can do. All you have to do is look at the research of Buddhist monks. Your own endorphins can be 4 times more powerful than heroin. So really they just interact with receptor sites and all that.”

Sonia: “So it’s allowing your body to do that for yourself?”

Richard: “That’s right. You have control over it, rather than having an external way of doing it. Which of course, any drug you take is the external source.

                                                     - Caller rings through about bipolar and how tanks helped him.

Sonia: “Now the experience that the caller had. How typical is that?”

Richard: “People do vary a lot. Generally if you are younger you’ve already practiced techniques so you’ll go there quicker. Some people take a while as you get older or have more stress. Eventually everyone can get there. It actually automatically creates a response. The beauty of it, is that if you only do, say, 5 or 10 floats – this applies to other techniques- then you actually attain this skill. Psychological skills like that are easy to obtain physically but they don’t necessarily stay that long. So the beauty of the float tanks is that you don’t actually have to try. So what we’re trying to get people to get to is to be a human being, not a human doing. So what people generally do wrong that they try to do and not be. And that can be hard because they actually try to get there”

Sonia: “What is there to do in there? Like they’re trying to be relaxed aren’t they?”

Richard: “Well it’s like trying to get to sleep. When you try to go to sleep you just lay there”

Sonia: “Because you’re thinking about it”

Richard: “Well what used to happen was we would get people to play a video game, at least they would lie still. That wouldn’t be quite as de-stimulating, but at least they would be still and they would automatically close their eyes.”

Sonia: “We’ve been talking about the movie Altered States, that movie had a big impact on the industry here in Australia didn’t it?”

Richard: “Well particularly in America, it doubled the floating in America nearly straight away”

Sonia: “Is that right? People were so interested?”

Richard: “I sort of came on the scene in ’83 and I think the film was ’80 or ’81. But yeah, it did have quite an impact.”

                                                        - Caller says they’ve floated and never been so relaxed and peaceful.

Sonia: “But Richard, I’m yet to be convinced, because I don’t understand what actually happens. Can you explain how you’re in there? I mean, I’m not a bad floater in a swimming pool, but it does require a bit of an effort doesn’t it, to float? So how do you do it in the tank, if you’re not having to think about it?”

Richard: “The whole idea is no effort. SO basically what happens is, you have a shower, you go in. The water is kept at skin temperature, which is less than core temperature, which is 34.5 degrees. And basically you enter the tank, go over all the controls, you don’t have to shut the door, it’s completely under your control, you can leave the light on. It doesn’t really matter too much. Basically you just get used to the controls and environment. You’ve got neck pillow if you want it. Then you just settle back. The interesting thing is that because it has 25% salt – magnesium sulphate- in there, you can completely let go. So if you don’t let go, you’ll feel very stiff and have a lot more awareness that of you do let go. Particularly for athletes, they have pretty symptomatic hamstring tightness or that sort of thing. It’s actually a layered effect. SO you actually become more and more aware of your body as you go into it. And when you come out, you feel different again”

Sonia: “So you’re not working hard to stay floating?”

Richard: “No. No, you completely let go. And that’s hard for people.”

Sonia: “So you don’t just sink?”

Richard: “No, since there is 25% salt, that means there is an upwards force that negates gravity. So the brain doesn’t have to deal with gravity. And also because it’s at skin temperature, if you lie still, virtually all the nerve fibres in your skin aren’t stimulated and your body generally disappears from your feet up. SO eventually you can just be a mind floating and no body. So it’s a very interesting experience. To get to the loss of your body is automatic and you’ll go into a very deep relaxed state.”

Sonia: “So at no point are you trying to hold your body up to float? The water is doing that for you?”

Richard: “Well people do. And they tend to get a bit of neck tension when the do, because they’re so used to trying”

Sonia: “Okay, but you don’t have to do that?”

Richard: “No, the idea of it, is that you completely let go”

Sonia: “How does it compare to the Dead Sea . I’ve floated in the Dead Sea before and that’s a weird experience because you actually turn around because it keeps pushing you up”

Richard: “And that’s the thing, you can’t sink in the float tank – if it’s the right density. The Dead Sea is interesting, I’ve heard of people reading the paper while being pushed around. The reason there is so much salt in there is because of the temperature and what’s called a super saturated solution which should be denser than the Dead Sea”

Sonia: “Now, people are asking some of these basic questions that I’m very interested in too. One is: Can you risk drowning if you turned or fell asleep during relaxation?”

Richard: “you cant turn over. Just the way you are and your centre of balance makes it hard. You’d have to sit up in order to turn over”

Sonia: “If its anything like the Dead Sea I understand, it was virtually impossible to roll on to your tummy”

Richard: “Yeah, look, I’ve had over 500 people float with me, and millions in the world, there’s never been a problem since the ‘60’s or ‘70’s.”

Sonia: “So you can’t drown?”

Richard: “Its designed to make you feel the best you have in your whole life. SO all these negative, or potentially negative comments are fair enough. But it’s actually there to male you feel great. It’s not designed to create any problem.”

                                                                                                                  - Caller says they felt great.

Richard: “Well what we want to see is more peace in the world and that starts with inner peace. That’s what meditation is about. They claim that if 1% of the population meditate, then the crime rate would go down 10%. And if you talk about war on the outside, if you have peace on the inside, you don’t really want to go to war do you?”

Sonia: “We know so many illnesses that stress cause, just to get rid of that for a short period of time would help.”

                                                        - Caller asked about mind absorption and being able to learn quicker.

Richard: “I’m glad you asked that question. That is certainly the case. Initially floating can be about relaxing, but it’s application can be even more powerful because of the suggestive state we’re in. Whereas some people may play a tape or something when they are sleeping which is a Delta state but the Alpha and the Theta state that you’re in in the tank sends it to your subliminal straight away. So just say that super learning techniques use music at 60 beats a minute to put you in a deeper state for learning, the float tank or meditative experience pushes you straight there”

Sonia: “But couldn’t that also mean it can have bad applications? Which is why I can understand that the CIA is interested. Because if you can be suggestible like that, you can be suggestible for negative things as well”

Richard: “Well that’s right. It just depends where you float I suppose.”

We hope that you found this interesting as we did and had some of your float questions answered.

Brain Waves at Different States

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5 Things to Avoid Before Your Floatation Tank Session

16/1/2014

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Floatation Therapy is such a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable experience… however there are a few things which are best avoided prior to floating to ensure that you CAN relax and enjoy all that the Floatation Tank has to offer you.

1. Avoid Stimulants such as Caffeine or Nicotine

Whilst it may be difficult to skip the morning coffee, or to avoid smoking cigarettes, if you can it is best to avoid any stimulants before you float, as this will interfere with your ability to go into a deep relaxation. People who have stimulants such as caffeine before they have a session in the float tank, struggle to mentally relax and experience the deeper states of relaxation that Floatation Therapy offers. Caffeine has a half-life of 2.5-4.5 hours, but depending on how much you have, caffeine metabolism can vary so could be longer in some people.

Caffeine content of Foods and Drinks

2. Avoid Shaving before your Floatation Therapy session

If you must, make sure you allow plenty of time between when you shave and when you float, otherwise you will have to deal with the sting of the super-salty water which can be irritating and distracting to any open skin for up to around 20 minutes of your float! When shaving your face – wait 6 hours or longer, and when shaving any other part of your body – wait 12 hours or longer.

3. Avoid Colouring your Hair

We love coloured hair – it looks great! Just not so great when it’s in the water inside our Floatation Tanks… In fact, you MUST NOT FLOAT with hair colour that is still washing out when you have a shower. It is a very expensive exercise to clean up the tank and the water inside it if hair colour leaches into the Floatation Tank! If you choose to float with coloured hair, you are responsible for any extra costs associated with cleaning or repairing damage, so it is best avoided! When you have NO colour washing out of your hair, it is safe for you to float.

4. Avoid Eating Large/Heavy Meals or Skipping Meals

If you eat a heavy/large meal, or if you don’t eat at all, you will be spending a good part of your float listening to the sounds of your digestive system… which can be kind of funny and interesting… but can also be annoying if that’s all you can focus on. It is suggested that you eat a light, easily digestible meal 1.5-2 hours before your float session to satiate your hunger and allow time for digestion.

5. Avoid Drugs and Alcohol

Whilst you may have come across information about other people deciding to get high before floating, we do NOT condone the use of alcohol or drugs at inner outer health (Floatation Tank Melbourne) – before or during your session! This is for both your and our safety. When you come in for your first float, you will sign a statement that includes your agreement to adhere to this for every session at inner outer health (Floatation Tank Melbourne). If we suspect that you are under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, you may be asked to leave, which would be disappointing for us both. On a lighter note, there is really NO NEED to consume any consciousness-altering substances, because one of the benefits of floating is an all-natural high from those wonderful brain chemicals called ENDORPHINS! These wonderful pain-relieving and feel-good neurotransmitters can leave you with a feeling of increased wellbeing both physically and mentally.

Following the above "5 things to avoid before you float" will help you to have an enjoyable and trouble-free float! If you have floated, and feel that we have missed something from this list, please comment below to share your suggestions!

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AFL - Carlton Football Club has started using Floatation Tanks

20/8/2013

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Since April 2013, Carlton Football Club has been using Floatation Therapy as part of their recovery and training.

Jason Patten, the Rehabilitation Coach for Carlton Football Club, says “Relaxation is very important for recovery. The quicker we get the players to relax, the quicker their bodies to return back to their base-line state, which is technically better for their recovery. It also does wonders to help with sleep."

According to the article on their website, it appears that the benefits of using the Floatation Tank for relaxation are already being felt and noticed, particularly when floating prior to a skills session where improvement in their skills are noticeable.

Carlton has an Apollo ELV Floatation Tank, the same as the one we have at our Floatation Center. Floatation Therapy is known to have numerous benefits to athletes, or anyone who trains or exercises on a regular basis. You can learn more about how Floatation Therapy can improve sport performance here.

Michael Jamison relaxes in Carlton Football Club's Floatation Tank. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)

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A Blog Reader Responds To Comment On Floatation Tank Benefits

15/6/2011

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Today's post is from Mike

"Research undertaken at the Human Performance Laboratory in Sweden, a Dr concluded that regular Floatation Therapy sessions can provide significant relief for chronic stress-related ailments. Studies involving 140 people with conditions such as anxiety, stress, depression and fibromyalgia found that more than three quarters experienced noticeable improvements."

Hi Mike,

As you stated in your blog, new research was undertaken at the Human Performance Laboratory at Karlstad University, Sven-Åke Bood concludes that regular floatation tank sessions can provide significant relief for chronic stress-related ailments. Studies involving 140 people with long-term conditions such as anxiety, stress, depression and fibromyalgia found that more than three quarters experienced noticeable improvements.

I did some research using Wikipedia and Dr. Bood commented: "Through relaxing in floating tanks, people with long-term fibromyalgia, for instance, or depression and anxiety felt substantially better after only 12 treatments". Research targeted the effectiveness of floatation treatment with regard to stress related pain and anxiety over the period of seven weeks. 22 percent of the participants became entirely free of pain and 56 percent experienced clear improvement.

Broken down to various symptoms, the results were as follows: 23 percent slept better, 31 percent experienced reduced stress, 27 percent felt less agony and 24 percent became less depressed or got rid of their depression altogether. The research also confirms the findings of an earlier thesis that floatation, after only twelve sessions, substantially improves sleep patterns leaving users more optimistic and with reduced nervousness, tension and pain. Relaxing in a weightless state in the silent warmth of a flotation tank activates the body's own system for recuperation and healing, said Sven-Åke Bood. What researchers find particularly gratifying is that the positive effects were still in evidence 4 months after the floating treatment ended.”

Thanks for sharing!
Lena

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Floatation and Creativity

What is Floating?

Richard Meadows Interview

5 Things to Avoid Before Your Floatation Tank Session

AFL - Carlton Football Club has started using Floatation Tanks

A Blog Reader Responds To Comment On Floatation Tank Benefits

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