Sensory Deprivation Tanks

[Sarah Marie]

Does anyone have any experiences with deprivation chambers? I have gone into one once before and it really helped me get into a deep meditation. It was about 5 years ago when I really just started my daily meditation, so I am excited to go back and try it now! 

I am considering signing up for a monthly membership to our local one. I want to hear your story's about it first. 

 

[Leo Gura]

I've been meaning to try one out. I hear they're cool.

Supposedly studies have found that half the population, when taking LSD, will experience hallucinations in a tank. While the other half will not.

[Sarah Marie]

45 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I've been meaning to try one out. I hear they're cool.

Supposedly studies have found that half the population, when taking LSD, will experience hallucinations in a tank. While the other half will not.

Wow, I didn't know that. it was almost euphoric for me. An hour felt like it was only 5 minutes. Ill be interested to see how your experience is! 

[nbolt]

I haven't yet but am excited to visit www.liftfloats.com soon  : )

[Sarah Marie]

33 minutes ago, Neill Bolton said:

I haven't yet but am excited to visit www.liftfloats.com soon  : )

Those look less scary then the one I went into. Mine literally looked like a coffin with water.  I had to talk myself out of my anxiety. Once I got in it was fine but it creeped me out at first.

[Simon Zackrisson]

Omg, This is something I am longing to try.

[Psychonaut]

I have been wondering if you can replace meditation with a session in a sensory deprivation tank? I haven't tried a Sensory Deprivation Tank, but want to and then eventually build or buy one myself. Just have to make sure I have space for it in my next flat.

[Lucylou]

Oh this is totally something I would be interested in and I would be disappointed if I didn't hallucinate. I watched a kids science programme (good mythical morning) on you tube and the two presenters  are put into the tank separately. The second fella comes out laughing hysterically.  im going to make it a goal this year. Altered states amaze me. I shall report straight back!

[The Professor]

Sensory deprivation tanks are great places to learn how to let go.  Rather than seeing them as vehicles to other altered states one can see them as useful chambers to meditate in.  When your in there its pretty much completely dark and your normal tendency to latch your attention onto something visual or physical as a distraction fails so one has to really accept ones mental state. Great place to do Leo's "Do nothing" meditation or "Strong Determination Sitting" in this case "Strong Determination Floating"... 

[Psychonaut]

@The Professor I was wondering if you could replace meditation with floating meditation if you bought your own tank and could float everyday.

I think the benefits are not exactly the same but I am not sure. You can most likely reach far deeper when meditating in a tank. But I think it is also important to meditate with the external stimuli, to be able to stay calm with lots of things going on. 

[The Professor]

I agree with your point both types of meditation are beneficial.  Also you can definitely buy or possibly make a flotation tank if you are handy enough.  One needs to really account for the space and there are many more concerns with upkeep than one might first assume.  One has to keep the water sterile and heated etc... I would recommend just going to a "float lab", where you can pay to float.  They are common nowadays but I also commend anyone who has the means, space and money to make and maintain their own.

   

[Steven]

Flotation tank should not be thought of as a tool for mediation, because it is not. The whole point of mediation is not about making your body and senses comfortable.

[Pav]

Richard Feynman on sensory deprivation tanks: https://www.dmt-nexus.me/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=51786 

It sounds interesting, I'm keen to try it.

[Richard Alpert]

i have tried only once. It was cool but took some time to get comfortable.

 

[Outsidian]

i tried it out last year. Its an amazing experience! went to difrent city to check it out and its worth to metion that i was realy sick that time. It was on the weekend. On the monday everyone were asking me what happend cause i was glowing with energy and were just so alive. IT WAS AMAZING! Its hard to describe. I left that tank with an unstopable grin on my face . definitly recoment it for meditation purpose or not but i think that if you meditate you will experience it better. Just do it.

[Psychonaut]

I went for a 90 min float once. It was cool. That's all. I don't know.

I sometimes get more just from regular meditation if I want to go real deep. My next 2 floats are both going to be 120min. I just hope I get more out of it. To me it feels like people that don't do regular meditation would gain most from it. Because they can't achieve that state of calmness in their everyday life so they seek it in the float tanks. Just another reason to dive even further and deeper into the float tanks.

[Pav]

Tried one out for the first time a few days ago. It was nice. I didn't really hallucinate that much though, no outer body experiences like Feynman had. For the majority of the session thoughts kept appearing, at first the content of these thoughts were of the same nature as before entering the tank (ie thoughts about what I was planning on doing in the near future; thoughts of the people that I love; thoughts about the sensory deprivation experience; and thoughts noting and conceptualising any interesting occurrences in the tank), minutes in the thoughts got a little stranger, I began thinking of Feynman as an old friend, and I can remember thinking that the tank was too small and that they should fill the room with water instead, which I quickly realised was impractical. These thoughts were occurring at quite a slow rate, since my mind was already calm prior to entering the tank, but at some point my brain seemed to have given up thinking all together, leaving to perceptions and no thoughts either, just blackness (for a period of time which is impossible to say, since your brain has no references with which to use to keep track of time, it may have to 10 minutes or it may have been 10 seconds).

I experienced no visual hallucinations, but I can remember having a slight auditory hallucination three times throughout the session lasting only a few moments, I would hear a rumbling noise, the type you heard from a star destroyer's engines in the old Star Wars movies. I also had the sensation that I was flowing down a stream of water, and even though I knew I was lying horizontally my proprioception began playing up, a few times I felt as if I was vertically upright. 

Once I got out I felt different for about an hour afterwards. This feeling is difficult to describe. All the new sensory input was a little overwhelming, as if my brain was not used to keeping up with so much information. My mind felt clearer, although I believe this feeling was merely an illusion since I did not notice anything which wasn't normally their. All my muscles felt very relax and my skin felt smooth. 

I highly recommend this for meditation purposes. It would be especially useful for those who find themselves easily distracted by external stimuli.

[poimandres]

I have done 2 floats, both were about 45 min a piece (I can't seem to stay in longer than that).  I loved it.  Each time I emerged back out, I realized how much distraction there is in the world.

[JustinS]

@Psychonaut

On 2/11/2016 at 8:22 AM, Psychonaut said:

I have been wondering if you can replace meditation with a session in a sensory deprivation tank? I haven't tried a Sensory Deprivation Tank, but want to and then eventually build or buy one myself. Just have to make sure I have space for it in my next flat.

I would not replace meditation with the float tanks. Meditation should be your base and foundation and should not be replaced. I would meditate an hour even before going into a float tank for a 2 hour session just to maximize your experience and to get a head start in emptying the mind. It's quite ridiculous how much of your mind will think of the same stuff over and over again and how loud and projected they are in complete darkness. So no, I would not replace! Unless if you have a tank at home and will use it everyday for an hour, than yes

[Falk]

I´m going for a float next week, i try to prepare by meditating so i´m already "not distracted" when i go in the tank  looking forward to this!