This is a comment I posted in response to the US News & World Report article on chronic pain:
The Solution To Back Pain Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About
My heart goes out to the millions of people who suffer back pain. I’ve been there, I found a solution, and my goal is to share this solution that doctors will never tell their patients about.
From 1995-2001, I suffered intermittent sciatic pain caused by a pinched nerve in my lower back. When it first started, I felt intense pain for a few hours and then it subsided. But every few months, it came back worse. It got to the point that in the spring of 2000, I was nearly paralyzed with sciatic pain for 2 weeks. I was only 28.
I took pain medications, I got massages, I spent many hours in a heated pool, I went to a chiropractor, I stretched, I got acupuncture, I got physical therapy. Nothing worked. I thought my last options were cortisone injections and/or back surgery. Desperate to find a natural and side-effect-free solution, I tried floating in a floatation tank.
For the entire week prior to visiting the floatation center in 2001, I was barely able to sleep because lying in bed was so painful. I was barely able to feed or bathe myself. Since I was living by myself, I had to drive myself to the floatation center, which was unfortunate because that made the pain far worse.
I walked into the floatation center looking like a rusted-out zombie. Every step sent shooting pain through my body. But within 45 minutes of floating weightlessly in the Epsom saltwater, I was pain free! Not only that, the muscles around the pinched nerve that were so tight from responding to the constant shooting pain were now loose and flexible.
Pain medication dulled the pain slightly, but it never eliminated it. Muscle relaxants didn’t work at all, they only made me groggy. Standing in the heated pool for hours took some of the edge off, but it was only temporary relief. I’d been living with such intense pain for 6 years, I didn’t think anything could eliminate it, but the floatation tank did just that. There are no side effects other than improved mood and lower stress, due to endorphins being released as a result of the deep relaxation.
My doctor took x-rays of my back and concluded that I should be in constant pain and have difficulty walking straight. That’s not the case any longer. After doing some research, I learned that the floatation tank is also effective for pain caused by fibromyalgia (another group of people that my heart goes out to), sore muscles (due to athletics, charley horse, restless leg syndrome) arthritis, late term pregnancy (back pain), and more.
I’ve published the most informative educational website about the many health benefits offered by floating. Since I’m not selling anything, I hope the folks who run this website won’t mind me mentioning the address – floatforhealth.net.
My desire is that everyone who can benefit from this virtually unknown therapy will be introduced to it so they can make an informed decision about how they treat their pain. Your doctor isn’t going to tell you about this. I encourage you to do your own research
Restricting Environmental Stimulation (REST) to Enhance Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder With Schizotypal Personality Disorder
W. Rand Walker, Robert F. Freeman, and Daniel K. Christensen, Washington State University
Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) was used adjunctively in an imaginal exposure plus response prevention treatment for a subject with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with comorbid Schizotypal Personality Disorder. An audio loop tape was used as the eliciting stimuli during exposure to REST. Psycholphysiological measures and self reports indicated a substantial reduction of arousal to fear-evoking stimuli, as well as a marked reduction in OCD symptoms. Additionally, imaginal ability and attention to the task appeared to improve in the REST versus non-REST condition in this data-based single case report. Restricted environmental stimulation may enhance the effectiveness of imaginal exposure in patients with treatment refractory OCD.
The isolation tank (aka floatation tank) is arguably the most relaxing activity there is. Float sessions offer a wide variety of important health benefits, as evidenced by the testimonial given toward the end of this video.
In the US, the sensory deprivation tank has long been regarded as a tool used by mad scientists, like in the movie Altered States, or the popular TV show Fringe. With a name like sensory deprivation tank or isolation tank, what would any sane person want to with it? Nowadays, the sensory deprivation tank is more commonly known as a floatation tank (or flotation tank, if you’re in the UK), and is used for many practical purposes.
A float session can be the closest thing on earth to being in zero gravity, due to 800-1000 lbs of dissolved epsom salt. This low gravity is similar to what millions of people have experienced in the Dead Sea in Israel, only the float tank is even more dense and therefore creates even greater floatation. In a floatation tank, you don’t need to know how to swim. In fact, you don’t even need to be awake in a float tank because it’s impossible to flip over accidentally. I’ve taken many relaxing naps during a float session.
The epsom salt doesn’t just make you float, it also acts as a natural muscle relaxant for deep relaxation of your muscles. I have a pinched nerve in my back that has caused my back muscles to tighten up to a very painful degree. One float session is all I need to relax those muscles. In fact, I was able to avoid back surgery and get off of pain medication thanks to the floatation tank.
Another little known benefit of the floatation tank is that your skin absorbs the epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), mineralizing your body. If you have fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, or any other health challenges that are tied to a lack of magnesium, you may benefit from a float session. I’ve intereviewed several people with fibromyalgia who have experienced greatly reduced pain and improved sleep.
A surprising number of people think they’ll be claustrophobic in a floatation tank, but the busiest floatation center in the world (10,000s of customers over the past 15 years) has confirmed that even very claustrophobic people enjoy a float session. Even though a float tank is enclosed, you can open the door anytime and end the float session whenever you like.
The floatation tank experience can be used for enhancing your creativity and problem solving ability. This is due to the float tank experience inducing the theta state. The theta state is a brainwave state that we all experience when we’re asleep, but the float tank experience is most unique in allowing people to experience the theta state when they’re awake. It’s like being in a waking dream, you can create more vivid thoughts than you may normally be used to. The total lack of distractions in a floatation tank can be a help in focusing on any challenges you’re facing, so you can work on a solution in that stress-free environment.
To learn more about the many health benefits of the floatation tank, visit www.floatforhealth.net
Graphic designers, illustrators, artists, and advertisers will continue delivering all of the persuasive, informative, narrative, and poetic visual stimuli we see every single day, but others may seek out inventive ways to create shelter from it. They will fabricate new media to help consumers escape from new media, where we turn off (or worse yet, hide) from the abundance of stimuli.
The solution to information anxiety may not lie in better visual communication, but rather, leaving it all together. Solving creative blocks may best happen without a pencil in hand, with no fingers at the keyboard. Hiding behind noise-cancelling headphones to enjoy the latest Brian Eno ambience may necessitate a sight-cancelling embodiment so we can fully appreciate the calming music without posters in our office distracting us. William Hurt’s character Dr. Eddie Jessup took that concept to a new high in the 1980 film Altered States, when he experimented with sensory deprivation tanks to achieve heightened awareness, crossing physiological planes of existence. During the 1980s, floatation tanks became the vogue method for relaxing one’s body, and some athletic teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and Bill Bergey of the Philadelphia Eagles used them to recover from strenuous play. Then, as much as now, floatation tanks and sensory deprivation appear luxurious, even bordering on voodoo; but in the future, we may require a similar means to fully shield ourselves from deafening noises and bombastic graphics.
Still, our bodies need to slip away, and we all know this, but sometimes need reminders. My reminder happened in a client’s small waiting room devoid of magazines, brochures, artwork, and disruptive noise. As luck would have it, I left my mobile phone in the car, and did not have the added tension of its ringer in my pocket for the thirty minutes I sat waiting. This small room was also equipped with a white noise machine, delivering a soothing sound. We’ve each had moments like these, sometimes they happen on accident; sometimes they happen purposefully. I would frequent James Turrell’s Skyspace, located in the Henry Art Gallery, to intentionally escape my graduate school rigors. Those who have experienced the Skyspace, or any of Turrell’s other light sculptures, can appreciate the spiritual effects. We may crave them so much, that we choose to live in a minimalist environment, similar to the one illustrated in BusinessWeek below.
Entering the vacuous apartment illustrated in BusinessWeek, sitting in a quiet waiting room for a client, or gazing out of Turrell’s Skyspace can help us take time off—even momentarily—and initiate the parasympathetic nervous system’s rest and digest process. As humans withstand more and more stimulation and interaction, through computers, hand-held devices, or televisions, we may need a greater distance from that media to relax and initiate the parasympathetic responses. Taking 30-40 minute breaks out of doors may not be good enough because a passerby has an obnoxious mobile phone conversation happening, or an iPod hooked up to portable Bose speakers with jarring music erupting at us. Selecting the right restaurant to escape our 9 to 5 jobs has become just as trying, with televisions plastering many walls and the clicking customer adjacently tapping on a Blackberry.
Creating artificial habitats that better isolate us from stimuli will require artists, designers, color theorists, or audio designers to partner with architectural, interior, or exhibition designers. James Turrell is one artist who has taken on that challenge, and while some view Skyspace as art, it looks like the future to me. Designers such as John Maeda and Peter Saville also experimented with spirituality in the DVD ColorCalm: By Design: juxtaposing sound with light for the comfort of your living room or office computer.
Because the battle to win consumer and audience attention grows bigger and bigger, covering more and more space, soothing our senses may require more extreme measures than visiting an art gallery or plugging in a colorcalm DVD. The cold war brought about a rise in bomb shelters. Crime sprees during the 1990s pressured homeowners to install panic rooms. What residential innovation will we see over the years, when the ever-growing information superhighway becomes pervasive? Futurists see hover cars, video phones, space travel, and touch-screen computing this century or next, but I believe sensory deprivation rooms will reside in every home.
As the nature of our lives evolves and changes we are constantly looking for ways to improve our creativity and production. This is not a new challenge but one that has taken a sudden sense of urgency, especially in the modern business world. One of the strategies for doing this is to step out of our daily routines, block out the world and focus on our ‘inner selves’. ‘Getting away from it all’ has taken on new meaning and relevance in our stress-filled hurried lives.
The quest for human potential has been going on for ‘eons’. Some argue that Cro-Magnon people isolated themselves from their outside world by entering caves and eventually producing pre-historic cave art. The great religious leaders often promoted meditation and introspection as a means of gaining greater understanding and ultimately arriving at a higher level of potential and production.
Today we try to get away to isolated vacation spots, stress-reducing spas and use New and Old Age methods of turning off the outside world. The premise is that by shutting down the barrage of outside stimuli we can allow ourselves to develop internally. And of course in the Modern Era we use technology to help us with our quest.
One such technological innovation is the flotation tank. No one knows when the idea for sensory reduction started but the first scientific experiments began in the early 1950s. The original premise was that by shutting down outside stimuli one could shut down brain function. The initial surprise was that the brain did not shut down but instead became more active in different ways.
A flotation tank has been described as a portable closet turned on its side and filled with about ten inches of concentrated Epsom salts dissolved in water. The typical tank will have between 800 and 1000 pounds of concentrated Epsom. Newer tanks have an air supply and a temperature regulator that keeps the solution a constant 93.5 degrees F. or skin temperature and a door that essentially shuts out all light. Earplugs are often worn and most tanks have very little or ‘no’ sound.
The floater enters the tank, closes the door and with it blocks out most external stimuli. The floating experience comes close to no gravity — one floats and physically cannot sink in the tank. There are no rules — no set procedures, no instructions, no agenda. Each floater takes into the tank what they bring with themselves. Some meditate, others work on business problems, and others let their minds go and try to enter a creative state. Many, though not all, go into a brainwave state known as the ‘theta zone’ — a brainwave pattern similar to sleep. There are no drugs, massages, or therapy processes. In short, there is no intervention of any kind — only the floater and the tank.
"Floaters" report many different types of experiences and many of these experiences are perceived as profound. I recently conducted a series of interviews with floaters and was told the following: A systems analyst uses the tank to reduce stress and become ‘less of an nerd’; a research scientist visualizes molecules and protein structures; a banker uses the tank to work on difficult projects by isolating each component of a project and visualizing how these components can come together. Athletes use floating for optimal performance, visualization and injury healing. Doctors and chiropractors recommend floating as a way to reduce pain, especially back pain. Psychologists recommend floating as a way to reduce levels of depression. Writers and inventors use floating as a way to create and innovate. Why does floating work? There are a number of theories: the anti-gravity effect, the increase of left brain activity as right brain activity is decreased, endorphin production, integration of the primitive and modern brain layers, brain waves (theta), biofeedback and homeostasis of the human brain.
But most floaters do not care so much how it works but that it works. They report that old ways of thinking simply ‘melt away’ and do not have to be ’strategically broken down’. They report a greater sense of well being and an enhanced sense of creativity and innovation. Many report that floating has significantly changed their lives. The effects can last for days, weeks, years or a lifetime.
As a matter of curiosity I tried floating. The immediate effect I noted was a sense of well being that lasted for weeks. I cannot say whether is was cause and effect, but after floating regularly for several months, I started a new business venture that I had been contemplating for over a year. As a true skeptic I cannot say what is going on but I can say that something is going on. My wild guess is that it has something to do with endorphin production but admittedly that is a wild guess.
For those of us that constantly deal with human potential in the workplace we cannot ignore the human mind. Although we do not fully understand how the mind works, we do know some of the basics. We now know that constant stimuli bombardment can lead to high levels of stress, which in turn can cause mental and physical maladies. These maladies can lead to lower production and a reduced potential.
The Brave New World of the future may not have our minds hooked up to stimuli producing machines. The Brave New World may have us float in a tank and ‘regress’ to some primordial state where we can shut out the modern world and realize ourselves and our own potential.
In a true sense, we may be returning to the cave to find ourselves.
This is a snippet of an interview Roots Of Rebellion conducted with Michael Hutchison, author of the definitive work on the floatation tank (and a great read!) The Book Of Floating
Here’s a fascinating story about a very left-brained man overcoming his shyness, John Lilly’s Flintstones-esque floatation tank, and the birth of a new industry. This is a segment from a conversation with Lee Perry, co-owner of Samadhi Tank Co.
Tim Strudwick is owner of Floatworks, the world’s busiest floatation center. We spoke this morning about how he achieved financial success in an industry that most people don’t even know exists, and how others can do the same. Here’s a snippet from that conversation.
These reviews come from the world’s largest float center Floatworks
Floating was a fantastic experience, which I must admit I totally underestimated. As a runner I found the time to relax and concentrate on my goals particularly beneficial. My race performance the next day was excellent, not only did I beat my personal best for the course by 30 seconds but I also finished ahead of a rival and training companion that had beat me by 5 seconds in the race two weeks previously, (who hadn’t had the benefit of floating prior to race day). I found that my quality of sleep was also better in the two days after floating. I would definitely recommend this to other runners. Although my muscles didn’t noticeably feel immediately relaxed I felt positive effects over the next few days and am considering returning before and after my next big race! Thanks very much floatworks!
A. (University of London Cross Country League)
The environment was extremely relaxing from the moment I walked in (I was also impressed by the fact that Nick Drake’s Five Leaves Left was playing on the stereo!). All the staff were very friendly which contributed to the relaxing experience. The fact that floating was so different to any normal leisure activity made it fun as well as relaxing. Afterward I felt refreshed and much of the tension in my shoulders had disappeared. I did feel it took me a while to switch off (I was warned this is often the case by a member of staff beforehand), but by the time the music came on the second time I could hardly believe the hour was up and wanted to stay in there longer!
R.B. (Committee member and Runner University of London Cross Country League)
Personally, I found the floating a highly enjoyable experience. I’m studying for a PhD, a time consuming activity, and when I add in all my running, social life and general chores there’s little time left for me to relax; when I am relaxing there’s normally music or TV and I always have to make cups of tea. I therefore found having an hour where there was absolutely nothing for my brain to do blissful. That night I slept like a baby (and it wasn’t until the next day I read the leaflet we were given which said I would) and for the next couple of days I was particularly peppy. Some of my friends even commented on it without me saying I’d been floating. As for the race we had after floating I did particularly well, despite adverse conditions (it was snowing and freezing cold). I beat my personal best time for ten kilometres by two minutes and though I don’t attribute all of this to floating (I’ve done an awful lot of training since I last ran a measured 10K) I do think the positive it had given me helped with the frustration of the days conditions.
G.S. (University Of London Cross Country League)
Restricting Environmental Stimulation (REST) to Enhance Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder With Schizotypal Personality Disorder
The Solution To Back Pain Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About
My heart goes out to the millions of people who suffer back pain. I’ve been there, I found a solution, and my goal is to share this solution that doctors will never tell their patients about.
From 1995-2001, I suffered intermittent sciatic pain caused by a pinched nerve in my lower back. When it first started, I felt intense pain for a few hours and then it subsided. But every few months, it came back worse. It got to the point that in the spring of 2000, I was nearly paralyzed with sciatic pain for 2 weeks. I was only 28.
I took pain medications, I got massages, I spent many hours in a heated pool, I went to a chiropractor, I stretched, I got acupuncture, I got physical therapy. Nothing worked. I thought my last options were cortisone injections and/or back surgery. Desperate to find a natural and side-effect-free solution, I tried floating in a floatation tank.
For the entire week prior to visiting the floatation center in 2001, I was barely able to sleep because lying in bed was so painful. I was barely able to feed or bathe myself. Since I was living by myself, I had to drive myself to the floatation center, which was unfortunate because that made the pain far worse.
I walked into the floatation center looking like a rusted-out zombie. Every step sent shooting pain through my body. But within 45 minutes of floating weightlessly in the Epsom saltwater, I was pain free! Not only that, the muscles around the pinched nerve that were so tight from responding to the constant shooting pain were now loose and flexible.
Pain medication dulled the pain slightly, but it never eliminated it. Muscle relaxants didn’t work at all, they only made me groggy. Standing in the heated pool for hours took some of the edge off, but it was only temporary relief. I’d been living with such intense pain for 6 years, I didn’t think anything could eliminate it, but the floatation tank did just that. There are no side effects other than improved mood and lower stress, due to endorphins being released as a result of the deep relaxation.
My doctor took x-rays of my back and concluded that I should be in constant pain and have difficulty walking straight. That’s not the case any longer. After doing some research, I learned that the floatation tank is also effective for pain caused by fibromyalgia (another group of people that my heart goes out to), sore muscles (due to athletics, charley horse, restless leg syndrome) arthritis, late term pregnancy (back pain), and more.
I’ve published the most informative educational website about the many health benefits offered by floating. Since I’m not selling anything, I hope the folks who run this website won’t mind me mentioning the address – floatforhealth.net.
My desire is that everyone who can benefit from this virtually unknown therapy will be introduced to it so they can make an informed decision about how they treat their pain. Your doctor isn’t going to tell you about this. I encourage you to do your own research