You may be wondering, what is a sensory deprivation experience?
And why would someone want that?
Personally, I had been really interested in trying it out since I had first heard about float tanks or sensory deprivation tanks about 15 years ago. Back then there were only a few places in the entire United States that offered this kind of experience even though it was something that had been around for quite some time, even at that point. Their popularity hadn’t exploded yet. Today there are half a dozen places just here in Los Angeles.
So why has it become so popular?
The first people I met who were interested in sensory deprivation experiences were psychonauts, explorers of consciousness, and they were interested in the possible insights into consciousness that could be gained. These were people who were highly interested in altered states of consciousness and the many benefits, insights, and revelations they can produce. I was certainly one of them.
But over the last ten to 15 years altered states of consciousness have moved from a fringe interest to the mainstream. Interest in meditation, yoga, psychedelics, breathwork, magick and witchcraft, and sensory deprivation experiences has skyrocketed as they have become more culturally acceptable, and as the benefits have been documented and quantified through scientific research.
And these are all things I’ve been deeply interested in for most of my life. So a couple months ago when I had the opportunity to do a sensory deprivation experience myself, I was excited.
By that time I was very experience with altered states of consciousness through a variety of methods so I was pretty confident in my mental resilience but I really didn’t know what to expect. It’s hard to imagine complete darkness and silence in our chaotic world. Most people aren’t used to experiencing darkness or silence on their own let alone together.
And I was going through a pretty tough time. I had just left the safety and security of my day job and that was a very difficult decision for me. I agonized and cried over it but I’ve been listening to my intuition and trusting in divine providence for many years so I knew that it would end up being for the best. But that doesn’t mean it would be easy.
My partner knew how difficult it was for me and she could tell that I needed something to help and she knew how interested I was in this sort of thing so she surprised me with the reservation at a place nearby called Float Lab. I would have two hours in a float tank in complete darkness and silence and the water is highly saturated with salt and kept at body temperature so you hardy feel it and can float with no effort. This means you experience almost no sensory perceptions at all, hence the name.
So I showed up for my appointment excited and a little anxious, not really knowing what to expect because reading about something is not at all the same as experiencing it yourself. The location was in a basement near downtown LA but once inside it was actually pretty nice. There was a waiting room where a video was playing that talked about the experience and what to expect and some little tips on how to get the best out of the experience. The whole aesthetic felt like a spa or massage parlor so that was nice and relaxing.
Once everyone arrived, there was a short introduction and then we were sent back to our rooms. We each had a private room with a little sitting area, a shower and a big door in the back which is the entrance to the float tank. You are supposed to shower first and then enter the tank naked so there’s nothing between you and the body temp saline solution.
When you close that big door you are completely isolated from any light or sound and you just lay back into the water and float effortlessly. At first, this was a bit disorienting for me. I felt like I was falling backwards through space, through infinite blackness. It almost felt like I was backflipping over and over again.
That was pretty intense and for a moment I was afraid that sensation would continue which would have been really unbearable, but after about 30 seconds or so it went away as my body oriented itself to the very alien environment. That’s when things got really interesting… and relaxing.
Once the falling sensation went away I was able to let myself relax and sink into the water. Because of the extreme buoyancy of the solution it takes no effort to float and you feel like you don’t actually weigh anything, you don’t even really feel like you’re floating on anything. You just feel like your floating weightlessly in mid-air. But because you are being supported you can totally relax all of your muscles in a way I had never experienced before. Maybe astronauts floating in space experience something similar. I don’t know. But I could feel my back and joints decompressing and releasing all of their tension.
I felt like I melted into the water. I imagine this must be the closest thing to experiencing what it was like in the womb. Floating weightlessly in liquid in complete darkness for a couple of hours, it did feel like a sort of rebirth when I emerged. But what impressed me the most was the wonders it did for my back. For an experience that was less than the cost of a massage it provided many times the benefit. I could feel my spine decompressing the entire time and I swear I was taller when I walked out. I don’t think my back has felt that good since I was a child. It was incredible.
Judging it by the physical benefits, I would say the sensory deprivation experience was more relaxing and more healing than any spa or massage experience could even hope to be. However, I for one am not used to laying completely still in total darkness and silence so I did find it slightly challenging mentally. You almost can’t even feel your body so you are left with just you and your mind, and after some time, I did start to have little flashes of anxiety and boredom. And I’m sure that some people would find that even more challenging than I did, so this may not be for everyone. As one reviewer said, it’s great for people who already like to meditate. However, you are free to end the session and leave at anytime, so if you were to try it out and feel too uncomfortable it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. You simply open the door, shower off the saline, and head home.
For me, I found this to be one of the most interesting, relaxing, and healing experiences of my entire life. Something that I definitely want to try again and that I would recommend to anyone who is interested, especially if you’re already a meditator.
Love,
Justin
❤️🙏☀️