A recent study published in Scientific Reports has found that floatation therapy significantly enhances relaxation, reduces anxiety, and diminishes fatigue more effectively than resting on a warm waterbed. It also induces more pronounced altered states of consciousness, characterized by the dissolution of body boundaries and the distortion of subjective time, offering insights into how floatation therapy exerts its calming effects.
Floatation-Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (Floatation-REST) involves floating in a tank filled with water saturated with Epsom salt, heated to skin temperature, and isolated from external stimuli such as light and sound. This environment creates a sensation of weightlessness. The tank’s unique conditions lead to a significant reduction in external sensory input, known as sensory deprivation.
Previous research has highlighted the potential of Floatation-REST in improving physical and mental health, but the mechanisms behind these benefits remain poorly understood. By comparing Floatation-REST with Bed-REST (lying on a warm waterbed in a dark, soundproof room), the researchers aimed to isolate the specific effects of the float environment and understand how it induces altered states of consciousness.
“I am interested in altered states of consciousness. Floatation-REST is a safe and easily conductible induction method,” said study author Marc Wittmann, a research fellow at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health and author of Altered States of Consciousness: Experiences Out of Time and Self.
“Through extreme changes in states of consciousness we learn about the most important subject for psychology and brain sciences: consciousness. We know that in altered states of consciousness such as in meditation, the intake of psychedelics, and Floatation-REST, the senses of the self and time, self consciousness and time consciousness, are up and down modulated.”
The study employed a within-subjects crossover design involving 50 healthy participants. Each participant underwent two conditions: 60 minutes of Floatation-REST and 60 minutes of Bed-REST (lying on a warm waterbed in a dark, soundproof room). The study was conducted over three sessions: an initial familiarization session followed by the two experimental sessions.
After the Floatation-REST sessions, participants reported significantly lower levels of anxiety, stress, and tension compared to the Bed-REST sessions. They also felt more relaxed and less fatigued. This suggests that Floatation-REST provides a more profound relaxation effect than Bed-REST, which involved similar sensory reduction but without the water immersion.
Floatation-REST induced more pronounced altered states of consciousness, including a stronger dissolution of body boundaries and greater distortion of subjective time. Participants experienced a significant blurring of the line between their bodies and the surrounding water, and many reported losing track of time or feeling that time passed differently than usual.
“We have a device that safely induces deep states of relaxation and reduces anxiety levels,” Wittmann told PsyPost. “I call Floatation-REST ‘instant meditation’ because without much practice you get into deep meditation-like states.”
Mediation analysis revealed that the dissolution of body boundaries during Floatation-REST mediated the reduction in state anxiety. This finding suggests that the blurring of body boundaries and the resulting ASC are key factors in the therapeutic effects of Floatation-REST.
“In the field of psychedelic treatment research there is the big question whether one needs the altered states trip for the healing process or whether the pharmacological substance without the ‘side effect’ of the trip would suffice,” Wittmann explained. “At least with Floatation-REST, we can show that the reduction of anxiety is dependent upon the reduction of body boundaries (interpretable as becoming one with the world).
“That is, altered states are necessary for the reduction of anxiety. The loss of body boundaries mediated the loss of anxiety, revealing a novel mechanism by which Floatation-REST exerts its anxiolytic effect.”
The researchers also found that participants with a higher capacity for absorption (the ability to become fully immersed in activities) experienced a stronger dissolution of body boundaries during Floatation-REST. This indicates that individual traits can influence the depth of ASC experienced.
“Our study demonstrates that Floatation-REST is a safe and effective means to induce certain facets of ASC among healthy individuals,” Wittmann said. “People normally pay up to 100 euros/dollars for an hour to have that experience.”
Future research could explore the effects of multiple or longer float sessions to determine if more pronounced or lasting ASC can be achieved. Additionally, investigating the therapeutic potential of Floatation-REST in clinical populations, such as individuals with anxiety disorders or body image issues, could provide further evidence of its benefits.
“We are continuing to map the Floatation-REST effects, for example, the sub-acute ‘afterglow’ effects one feels after floating and which last for minutes to hours,” Wittman said. “Moreover, we try to record brain activity during floatation, not a trívial undertaking because of the supersaturated salt water.”
The study, “Induction of altered states of consciousness during Floatation-REST is associated with the dissolution of body boundaries and the distortion of subjective time,” was authored by Helena Hruby, Stefan Schmidt, Justin S. Feinstein, and Marc Wittmann.