Brainwaves & Floatation Tanks

The brain is definitely one of the most complicated and least understood organs in a living specimen, especially the human brain. Human thought, emotions, creativity, behaviour, hand to eye coordination, balancing, solving complex mathematical equations and everything else we do is controlled by the brain through a labyrinth of neurons within the brain that are constantly communicating with each other through electric pulses.

These electric pulses are known as brainwaves that scientists’ measure using Hertz (cycles per second). The bandwidths that our brains function at largely depend on what we are doing within our continuous spectrum of consciousness. These brainwaves are:

· Gamma Waves (38 Hz to 42 Hz) — Very little is known about these waves and how they are generated.

· Beta Waves (12 Hz to 38 Hz) — These waves dominate the human brain as it is in control of our conscious state of mind that deals with the outside world and keeps the brain busy with various tasks when we engage the outside world in general.

· Alpha Waves (8 Hz to 12 Hz) — The state of the brain when it is quite and resting

· Theta States (3 Hz — 8 Hz) — The state of mind when in deep sleep or deep meditation — The brain withdraws itself from focusing on the external world and focuses on signals from within the body.

· Delta Waves (.5 Hz — 3 Hz) — These slow, but loud brainwaves occurs during dreamless sleep, extremely deep meditation when external awareness is suspended.

So, what has all these brainwaves got to do with floatation tanks, sensory deprivation tanks, isolation tanks or whatever one would prefer to refer to it as? Well, the connection is that these psychedelic era floatation tanks have been scientifically proven to help people to achieve a lower ‘frequency’ state of mind quickly and effectively.

This lower ‘Theta State’ allows the floater’s mind to focus on signals that are emanating from within themselves, leaving individuals who undergo just an hour of therapy in a better state of mental and physical health. The reason for this is that the lesser the brain has to deal with its external surrounding, the more it focuses on its internal constructs based on the fact that floatation tanks aid people to disconnect from their external surrounding.

The Epsom salt solution used in floatation tanks allow people to float which disengages the force of gravity, while the earplugs and dark interior of these floatation tanks disengage sight and sound while the brain’s sensitivity to skin temperature is neutralised because the Epsom salt solution is maintained at skin temperature.

The lack of tasks for the brain to process allows it to ‘slow down’, refocus and reset. According to various researches, floatation tanks are beneficial for a variety of illness including chronic pain, injury recovery, stress alleviation, sleep disorders, enhancing creativity and problem solving skills, muscle recuperation and the list goes on.

Although it is the brain that is ultimately fixing us from within, it is the sensory deprivation tanks that allow it to do so during lunch breaks!