Study shows that float tank users were more able to be in the present moment, that they were less reactive to circumstance and that they had more energy throughout the week. There was also a unique aspect to floating; that this state could not be achieved through anything else.

What is the Lived Experience of Flotation – REST? By KImberley Carder, May 2018

This study begins with a very thorough literature review which finds evidence for the  benefits of flotation therapy in areas such as:

Reduced pain

Positive effects on athletic performance

Positive effects on cognitive performance

Positive effects on behavioural habits

Smoking and alcohol reduction

Improved muscle range, tone and control

Reduced stress and tension

The researcher then explains that the study will have a very small sample size, only 6 participants (which she acknowledges later is considered very small) and it’s worth mentioning that they are all already people who have floated before (so there could be some bias here – they are all people who have already been drawn to the therapy.) She also explains that the idea behind this study is to concentrate on a deeper analysis of the results; she will use an IPA (interpretive phenomenological analysis) to deeply examine how the participants understand and create meaning from their flotation experience – the focus here is not on a large, controlled style trial but on a deep dive into the results. 

The 4 questions the researcher wanted to dive into were:

What made you try floating?

Most of the participants saw it as an escape from life and general curiosity. 

What did you expect from floating?

Interestingly, a lot of the participants mentioned that they were cautious about their first float; worried that they may have a psychological event for which they were not prepared (NB – this didn’t happen lol.) And that this initial caution prevented them from completely relaxing on their first session (I strongly agree with this – you need more than one session to really “get into” it.) 

What was it like to float?

The participants described floating as a meditative state in which they were the most relaxed they had ever been. It was a process during which they were able to watch their thoughts slow down and were able to observe them and gain more clarity. They weren’t unable to fully explain the experience – as if their awareness was somewhere between being in dream, sleep or indeed something else; although the state was predominantly conscious. They commented on the sensation of losing their body and this happened naturally and required no effort at all. They felt like they “got a break from the stressors of life.” 

Now that you have floated, what do you think about it?

Benefits that participants noted were: That they were more able to be in the present moment, that they were less reactive to circumstance and that they had more energy throughout the week. There was also a unique aspect to floating; that this state could not be achieved through anything else.