The Abyss

So last night I had my very first experience floating in a sensory deprivation tank.  Let me recount the experience for you...

I got to the place, it didn't seem like anything special, looked like more of a spa with a very chillaxed attendant manning the front counter.  The guy reminded me of a cheery cross between Doug Benson and Tommy Chung, with a slow smile and zen-like demeanor. He offered me some tea or water and had me sign a waiver which stated that if I regressed into a primordial state like something out of the movie 'Altered States,' that I wouldn't sue them for it.

After a brief discussion on how excited he was that this was my first "float" as he called it, he led me down a hallway and into my designated twelve by six feet floatation chamber.

In the room was a shower, some towels, a hanger with a bathrobe, a bench and a large long white hexagonal tank.  The attendant explained that you have to shower and use this special pre-float soap to ensure any perfumes or sweat or any other nastiness is completely off of you before entering the tank.  I was given some earplugs and told that soft music will start to play when my time in the tank is up.  He stresses that I should dry my face off completely before entering to ensure I'm not tempted to wipe my face as the Epson salts would cause me great discomfort if they got in my eyes.

The attendant left and I showered off, giving myself a good scrub down removing that fantastically wonderful underarm deodorant I'd applied so lovingly earlier in the day.  I towel off completely and installed the little orange foam earplugs snugly.  I turned the main florescent lights off and was left with the soft blue glow of an overhead neon lamp(I was told that I can choose between blue, orange, red, or even a strobe if I wanted depending on the experience I wanted. Though not sure why anyone would want a strobe light going as they exited the tank... strange.)

The tank itself is about eight feet long and has a large hatch on one end for you to enter.  Inside the tank is about two feet of liquid and a plastic blue bottom

I climbed in and reached for the hatch.  As I was closing the lid, my bare ass slipped on the bottom of the tank and I slid into the tank onto my back plunged in darkness.  The water(?) felt almost slimy as it sloshed around briefly while I tried to adjust to my new environment.

Laying on my back I tried to relax and found that I was incredibly buoyant with my face, stomach and legs completely out of the water.  I stretched my legs and arms out beside me in order to steady myself.  It was pitch black.

After bobbing for a moment the water became still and I found a comfortable position with my arms lazily drifting above my head with my palms facing up.  I tried to relax further, sort of focusing on all the parts of my body which still held tension.  My back, my legs, my shoulders, my neck, even my jaw which for some reason I had been clenching...

I wasn't sure if I should close my eyes or keep them open, but it didn't seem to matter as there was no light.  I thought to keep them open so I wouldn't fall asleep.  Small sparks of light danced around my vision as is normal when first exposed to any kind of darkness. I attribute this to my endless hours of staring at electronic devices.

For a long moment I just floated there, almost waiting, anticipating what might happen.  I thought to myself, "now what?"

As I floated there, I felt my body becoming more and more relaxed.  The air was roughly the same temperature as the water, which was warm at first and then sort of just disappeared.

After a while I could no longer feel the water or really the air, or anything for that matter.  The only physical sensation I had was the air entering and leaving my lungs.  It was a really strange sensation.  It felt like my legs were dropping down and for a moment I had this bizarre feeling of vertigo.  I lifted my hand up and splashed the water slightly and was instantly situated as to where I was as the water rippled from the impact points.

I waited for the water to calm down and felt again plunged into an abyss, no sound, no light, no physical perception, just a vast empty space.  The muscles in my legs and lower back twitched slightly as the last vestiges of tension eased away.  All sense of orientation then disappeared.  As I drifted there, the thoughts in my head were like a torrent of noise crashing through my brain. Thoughts from earlier in the day, things I had read, things I had done, things I had not done yet, things I should have done...

I tried focusing on the darkness and then picturing a white wall as I had practiced before in my previous forays into meditation.  As my mind calmed, and my body equally tranquil I felt my consciousness drifting and I think I may have fallen asleep.  It was a really strange sleep, like I was awake but not awake at the same time if that could happen.  I think I had thoughts, though I don't quite remember what they were.  I remember them being at least pleasant.


Before I knew it soft music began to play indicating my time was up.  I couldn't believe I had been in there an hour and a half..!  I slowly started to move my body again, which was an odd sensation as it had been completely relaxed.  Opening the hatch I blinked painfully at the assault of the blue light that had been so soft previously(I couldn't imaging what it would have been like with a strobe...).  As I slowly, lethargically climbed out of the tank, it was like being pulled from a warm womb and back into the the world.

After showering off, I felt so relaxed as I toweled dry and got dressed again.  That whole evening I felt light, as if I'd just had a long restful sleep that I was allowed to slowly wake from.  My mind felt clearer than it had in a while.  Like as if the things that I had been worrying about so intensely lately seemed so small and insignificant.  No meditation has ever left me feeling like this.

I think this first time it took me a while to get into it, and not knowing what to expect made it all that much more difficult to relax completely at the beginning.  It felt like I was finally relaxed and drifting and then my time was up.

I will definitely go again.  I think this will take some practice...  I'm excited to find out what things I can discover about myself.