So It Began…
My personal story of how I entered the world of sensory deprivation float tanks and Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy or REST for healing and wellness.
Disclaimer: None of the posts in this publication are considered to be medical advice or a replacement for treatments from a medical professional. These stories are personal, self-experimental, and exploratory.
I was diagnosed with Palindromic Rheumatism sometime around 2015. It is a lesser known, somewhat confusing inflammatory arthritis condition that most consider a precursor to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
One way that Palindromic Rheumatism is different from RA is that the autoimmune inflammation of various joints comes and goes over the course of hours or days, starting as a slow build up to a painful peak that then goes away, and more importantly, it does not seem to cause the structural damage that RA often does.
The worst flare-ups are incredibly painful and can affect any part of the body with connective tissues such as toes, ankles, knees and hips of the lower body and the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, and jaw of the upper body. I even had a minor flare in my sternum at one point.
While I have experienced a flare in every part of the body mentioned, the shoulder impacts are by far the most painful and do not respond to medications well. Multiple joints on one side of the body may be affected at once, though usually less intensely. The worst flares will keep me awake all night long (all types of pain typically worsen at night when there is less mental distraction).
I had already made an appointment with a rheumatologist, but before I could get there, I had the worst shoulder flare yet and ended up driving myself to the ER at 4:00am because the pain was excruciating. The doctor there gave me a shot of Toradol, shamed me for researching my own ailments, told me it was carpal tunnel syndrome and that I just needed to get surgery and have my wrist ligaments cut to release the nerve.
Two days later as a new patient at the rheumatology clinic, I was x-rayed and gave a few tubes of blood. There was no sign of damage in the x-rays, but my blood showed elevations of inflammation markers tested during standard diagnostic labs. After more visits, more x-rays, and more and more blood tests with flares coming and going, I was eventually told: Palindromic Rheumatism. I was prescribed high dose NSAIDs (800mg ibuprofen) and thankfully this doctor respected me enough to provide prednisone and trusted me to use only as needed to deal with more intense flares. I am not a fan of steroids, so I used them sparingly, and found that I never had to take more than 20mg and always tapered correctly to none.
The Paradigm Shift
Not long after starting at the rheumatologist, I discovered that there was a floatation tank therapy business in my area called Driftaway Float Center (now sadly closed). I had known about sensory deprivation float tanks since I came across one of Dr. John C. Lilly’s books in the library way back in my early 20's. Dr. Lilly was a genuine mad scientist who is responsible for the creation of sensory deprivation tanks and may have been well ahead of his time, but I will leave that debate for another day.
I had been following the increasing popularity of floatation tank centers across the country and had a one-hour float scheduled the weekend after I realized I had access to one 20 minutes away! Saying I was ready for the first experience is an understatement. I have practiced different forms of meditation off and on over the years and have always been interested in consciousness research. The placebo studies program at Harvard Medical School was also on my radar as a casual interest, so I was a believer in the potential of what I was about to experience.
For readers who have no idea how float centers work or what REST is all about, here is a primer on the history of floating and a description of one type of tank (I do not have any financial interest or connection to their brand or any other brand of tank). Here is a brief description of some of the research about the benefits of floating in general.
My First Float
Floating, in my experience, has a threefold purpose for healing and wellness practice. It can be a useful method for physiological work, psychological work, or spiritual work. My first experience was intentional focus on discovering the physical benefits.
After locking myself in the private room with the tank/pod, I took a before picture and a shower before stepping into the ten inch depth of water with a concentration of Epsom salt near thirty percent. This salt ratio is similar to the Dead Sea, and floating in such a solution requires no effort. There is no need to flex the core muscles. One could fall asleep and still float.
While there are options such as keeping a low LED light on and new age music on through speakers built into the tank, I knew that I wanted to do full darkness and silence and made sure everything was off and the pod lid was closed. I never once experienced any claustrophobia or uncomfortable anxiety, as I was well-oriented by my long-held eagerness.
Fantastic Voyage
Buoyed by this eagerness, and the salt, I allowed my mind to drift away (ah…nice brand name guys) through the darkness and silence that was punctuated only by my breathing. I used the free ear plugs as this intensifies the sound of my breath even more. I chose to use a well-practiced standard 4–7–8 breathing technique. I noticed the sensation of slowly spinning in the darkness, as if my body was rotating inside the tank, but someone later suggested that this is simply becoming aware of circulating blood. As I settled farther and farther down into breathing, I noted how it didn’t seem to matter whether my eyes were open or closed. Towards the end of the hour, I actually was so deep in the theta waves that I could almost forget whether they were open or closed, as it didn’t really matter at that point.
But visualizations did come (I wouldn’t say hallucinations yet, those would come in subsequent floats). Since this was primarily about my body and autoimmunity at the outset, there was one visualization that stood out like a scene from a movie.
As a child I remember watching the 1966 sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage on daytime TV. The plot revolves around a group of scientists and their submarine-like vehicle being shrunken down to the cellular level and sent into the bloodstream of a human. Those visual effects no doubt inspired a vivid image of myself floating through my own bloodstream, just as I was, lying naked on my back in darkness. But this cell-level version of myself was flowing slowly along my vascular system with a calmness and serenity reminiscent of childlike wonder.
As I was floating along, I visualized myself coming upon my elbow joint, then wrist, fingers, and at each joint I would stop a moment and observe what I imagined as white blood cells gnawing on the walls of connective tissue around me. Then I thought, why not speak to them? Like a gentle but firm coach I told them…
“Hey… guys… guys… that’s us! Please stop… that’s us. You don’t need to attack that. It’s us!”
Then they stopped. It was like talking to a group of lovable dogs who were in their no-longer-a-puppy-but-still-an-unruly-teenager phase. It was pretty damn amazing! And that is the only time I have ever had this visualization, but it was essential to begin the journey I have now been on for a few years and have every intention of continuing.
After the Voyage
As incredible as my first float was, I never lost sense of the need to track time, so wondering how long I had been in there was a nagging preoccupation in the first couple of sessions. It wasn’t long though before I learned how to detach from time and that is why I always recommend doing three sessions to anyone who seems interested in trying the REST experience.
First Float: You get all the weirdness out of the way and are able to troubleshoot things like keeping ear plugs in snugly and making sure the salt stays out of your eyes (trust me you DON’T want it in your eyes, but they do offer a squirt bottle with clean water and a washcloth just in case). The first one is for practice. The first 15 minutes will be the most challenging and you will soon become aware of how much you enjoy the company of your own thoughts without distraction.
Second Float: You know more what to expect and can actually set a more specific intention. It is okay to not have an intention and just allow your awareness to wander about, but intentions maximize benefit potential in my experience. The second float is when you can tell yourself to stop worrying about how long you have been there, and you can start to practice just being there and learning more about your breath. Conscious breathing is our superpower.
Third Float: By the end of this float, you will likely know whether REST is for you, or not. Everything isn’t for everybody. This wellness practice has a very high reward/low risk ratio for potential benefits. While the skeptic’s “more research is needed” mantra is not wrong, don’t limit yourself. I have a Master of Science degree, so calling myself a scientist never feels wrong. No science degree is needed though to do research. Anyone can do their own personal research. No one is doing double-blind placebo trials in the tank, but you are collecting data and hopefully making notes. I recommend using an audio recorder immediately after a session if a float was particularly interesting. The experience is always different!
And the Pain?
While I wish I could say I have never had another flare or any inflammation, it remains to some lesser degree. Still, I haven’t been to a rheumatologist in years and a steroid pack is only needed about once every 18 months. The rheumatologist ended up recommending methotrexate because the PR would probably progress to RA like it often does, but I refused it. I refused that reality because it was a future reality, and it wasn’t my reality in that moment.
Floating has become the single most beneficial part of a multi-modal approach to managing this ailment, and I stress multi-modal. The golden triad of improved diet, exercise, and adequate sleep are no-brainers (and always a work in progress for a hedonic person with ADHD). Consult experts beyond yourself as needed, of course.
Beyond Pain…
This story doesn’t end. After developing a consistent schedule of floating at least once a month, I began to create my own process of visualization and meditation as a deepening skillset.
My goal with this publication is to share more stories about my techniques as well as an increasing list of insights into the mysteries of mind-body-spirit connections. I would also love to hear the stories of others who have accessed the benefits of REST and floating. Thankfully, I still have a membership with another local center which uses an open room concept instead of tanks or pods.
If you have experiences of your own, feel free to share as I love reading responses. My next session is this weekend, and to all fellow REST people, happy floating!
