Floating

The title of this article is ambiguous. For fluctuations in exchange rates see floating (exchange rates) , for the float process in flat glass production see float glass .

Floating tank

Floating (engl. Float, float ) is a relaxation process in which people with the aid of concentrated salt water in a special floating condition (floating tank or floating basin) , sealed off from external stimuli, quasi weightless float on the water surface. In the medical field, the application in pain medicine, orthopedics, dermatology and sports medicine is being researched. In the therapeutic area, floating is used in stress management , burnout syndrome and addiction cessation. In the wellness area, floating is also offered with light and sound effects. The aim is to achieve deep physical and mental relaxation.

method

Inside view of a floating tank

In terms of structure, a floating system (synonyms: relaxation tank, isolation tank, samadhi tank, floating pool) resembles a kind of bathtub in a dark and soundproof cabin. A floating tank is around 2.30 meters long and 1.50 meters wide. Floating pools come in different shapes and sizes. They can therefore also be used by two people.

The specific density of the water is increased to 1.30 g / cm ³ by adding salts (usually magnesium sulfate ) so that the human body floats in the solution without touching the tub. At around 34.8 ° C, the water is adjusted to the outside temperature of the human skin, so that the user does not feel either warm or cold (thermo-neutral bath). A temperature of 35.5 ° C should not be exceeded as this can lead to circulatory disorders. Due to the water temperature and the lack of external stimuli, the feeling for one's own body boundary should disappear. The shallow water depth (25 cm) makes it easy to stand up and interrupt the floating.

The voluntary withdrawal of visual and acoustic stimuli can lead to deep relaxation because the brain and nervous system have practically no more external data to process.

Contraindication

Floating is contraindicated for:

• Cold with throat irritation
• contagious / infectious diseases such as B. flu-like infections, gastrointestinal diseases, athlete's foot, etc.
• Injuries to the skin such as B. abrasions, (fresh) cuts or burns, skin cracks or skin diseases with open wounds
• untreated epilepsy
• Tendency to develop thrombosis
• Problems with the sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach
• reduced kidney activity and / or dialysis requirement .
• psychiatric treatment without the consent of the attending doctor
• Mental illness, risk of suicide, increased aggressiveness, mental disorders
• Influence of certain psychotropic drugs
• Heart muscle disease and high blood pressure
• claustrophobia
• Menstruation

Because the salt content in a float tub is around 20-25 percent, you shouldn't shave your body before floating, so that the skin doesn't burn.

history

The first floating systems were developed in 1954–56 by the US neurophysiologist John C. Lilly at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In connection with his research on " Sensory Deprivation ", his aim was to examine the activity of the brain when it is completely shielded from external stimuli. Lilly found out that it then goes into a special state of relaxation, which is located between waking and sleeping in relation to the brain wave frequency.

At that time, specialist colleagues viewed Lilly's experiments with suspicion and skepticism. It was believed that total stimulus deprivation would make people insane. Lilly, however, experienced the exact opposite in the floating tank and was convinced of the positive effect; according to his own information, he benefited from "completely new inner experiences" . For the floating pioneer, it was clearly a matter of "altered states of consciousness" . John C. Lilly also claimed that in no other place can such deep relaxation be achieved for all muscle groups as with floating.

From 1956 until the first commercial floating tank was built in 1977, floating was researched exclusively scientifically and was not yet accessible to the public. Studies in the fields of orthopedics, pain medicine and behavioral research have been carried out at various US universities (mainly Harvard Medical School).

From the mid-1970s, the floating tank was first used in the USA by supporters of the New Age movement and was referred to as the “samadhi tank” according to the Sanskrit term samadhi . From the USA, floating tanks first came to Great Britain, Australia and the Netherlands around the mid-1980s. Since the end of the 1990s, as part of the emerging wellness trend, new commercial studios have emerged in all European countries and also in Asia. In Germany and Great Britain there are associations that provide information about the effectiveness and background of floating.

Scientific Research

The authors of a meta-analysis of 27 studies on the flotation-REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) come to the conclusion that floating could be superior to other relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation , autogenic training or breathing relaxation . More recent studies from 2005 to 2010 come to the conclusion that staying in a saltwater-filled floating tank lowers blood pressure, reduces the sensation of pain and can have a positive effect on the feeling of stress and tension, as well as depression. The oscillation of the so-called theta waves during floating can also be caused by meditation , autogenic training or a massage , but that is far more complex. In addition, floating has a mood-enhancing effect and strengthens the immune system. That is why floating in salt water is superior to other relaxation techniques.

Since its development, several hundred clinical studies have been carried out to investigate how floating works. These took place almost exclusively in the USA, with recent research mainly taking place in Sweden.

The most important fields of scientific research on floating are: orthopedics , dermatology , sports medicine and stress management .

Set of rules

From the German Society for Bathing e. V. the guideline "65.11 Requirements for the water treatment of floating systems - requirements for the construction" has existed since May 2014.

Reception in popular culture

• A detailed literary description of floating can be found in Stanislav Lem's short story The Conditional Reflex (1963), published in the Pilot Pirx Collection , where it is described as part of a cosmonaut training course .
• A similar technique is also mentioned in the novel The Invaders of Ganymede (1967) by Philip K. Dick and Ray Nelson , but here it is used as a means of psychological torture through sensory deprivation .
• Both the pilot film The Gigantic Cocoon (1968) of the US crime series Hawaii Five-Zero and the eponymous pilot episode of the ninth season of the remake Hawaii Five-0 deal with floating as a method of interrogation and torture .
• In the first season of the Netflix series Stranger Things , the subject of the sensory deprivation of these pools plays an important role: In order to strengthen their telepathic powers, the main character Eleven needs the absolute quiet of these tanks.

See also

• Magnesium sulfate
• Sensory deprivation
• Stress management
• Water shiatsu
• Hydrotherapy

literature

• P. Suedfeld, JW Turner Jr., TH Fine (Eds.): Restricted Environmental Stimulation: Theoretical and Empirical Developments in Flotation REST. Springer, 1990, ISBN 0-387-97348-6 .
• Arreed F. Barabasz, Marianne Barabasz: Clinical and Experimental Restricted Environmental Stimulation: New Developments and Perspectives. Springer-Verlag, 1993, ISBN 1-4684-8585-7 .
• Anette Kjellgren: The Experience of flotation-REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique): Consciousness, Creativity, Subjective Stress and Pain. Göteborgs universitet, 2003, ISBN 91-628-5872-6 .

Web links

Commons : Floating Tank  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• German Floating Association
• Adventure isolation tank: Dive in and recharge. In: Spiegel Online . Retrieved April 4, 2017 . 
• Chris Aichner: Just float away. In: sueddeutsche.de . May 17, 2010, accessed April 4, 2017 . 
• Christian Haas: Floatarien: Like a cork in water. In: Focus Online . December 21, 2012, accessed April 4, 2017 . 
• Franz Lenze: The woman chuckles spherically. In: zeit.de . April 4, 2002, Retrieved April 4, 2017 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sensory deprivation. Harvard University Press, 1961, ISBN 0-674-80115-6 .
2. ↑ German Floating Association. and Floatation Tank Association.
3. ↑ D. Van Dierendonck, J. Te Nijenhuis: Flotation restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST) ​​as a stress management tool: A meta-analysis. In: Psychology and Health. No. 20, 2005. ( PDF ( Memento from January 31, 2012 in the Internet Archive )) doi: 10.1080 / 08870440412331337093 .
4. ^ Anette Kjellgren, Hanne Buhrkall, Torsten Norlander: Psychotherapeutic Treatment in Combination with Relaxation in a Flotation Tank: - Effects on 'Burn-Out-Syndrome'. In: The Qualitative Report. Volume 15, Number 5, 2010. (www.nova.edu; PDF)
5. ↑ List of research work on the website of the German Floating Association. (www.floating-verband.de ; PDF file; 490 kB)
6. ↑ kau.se
7. ^ List of DGfdB publications.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
8. ^ Stanislaw Lem: Pilot Pirx . Suhrkamp-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2003, ISBN 3-518-45535-4 (first edition: Insel-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1978).
9. ↑ Philip K. Dick, Ray Nelson: The Ganymede Invaders . In: The Worlds of Philip K. Dick . Bastei Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1985, ISBN 3-404-24075-8 .

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !