A sensory deprivation tank, also known as an isolation tank, sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. Essentially it is just a chamber devoid of light and sound filled with salt water inside which a person floats. And while floating in a lightless, soundless chamber may sound somewhat terrifying, it is actually incredibly relaxing.
Being without sight, hearing, or other sensory stimulation for prolonged periods of time can have some rather strange effects on the human body, both physically and emotionally. In one American reality TV show, titled "Darkness", a man and a woman, unknown to each other, volunteer to spend six days in a dark cave fending for themselves, trying to find each other (as they have been descended into the cave from different locations), and ultimately show the effects extreme isolation can have on a human being. Caves, much like sensory deprivation tanks, are dark and silent. A darkness that is almost primal; so dark that one can't see their own hand in front of their face.
But we're not talking about six days in an isolation tank. Typically, most people who use sensory deprivation typically only spend one hour. And while spending several days without sensory stimulation would most likely be a special kind of hell for many people, one hour is a different story.
Many people who have used sensor deprivation tanks have described entering a state that mimics sleep, but at the same time is not actually sleep. Instead, it is an almost meditative state that inspires intense relaxation. Some have reported feeling as if they were in a drug-induced state while spending time in the tank, while others have claimed to experience hallucinations.
When you're in the tank, there is no phone to pick up and scroll through when you're in need of a distraction from your thoughts. Aside from the sounds of your own breathing, you're left alone with your thoughts. And while this ironically may actually sound more stress-inducing at first, studies have shown that this experience, also known as flotation therapy, has been known to reduce symptoms of anxiety and PTSD by shutting down the amygdala, or the part of the brain which is response for fear reactions.
Some people claim to have that centered, relaxed feeling they achieved in the tank for days after the session had ended. And as for myself, I have never tried flotation therapy, but after the ringing endorsements I've heard from other people, I'm looking forward to doing it someday.
