WELLNESS AUTHOR
Jacqueline Knox
PHOTOS
True REST
FLOATING TO FEEL BETTER n Sensory deprivation tanks provide physical, mental and emotional health benefits.
A
t first glance, it may seem daunting to step into what looks like a mini spaceship with a foot of water in it. However, once you are inside and floating on the water, you are sure to experience something incredible. Sensory deprivation tanks, also known as float tanks, are zero gravity environments used for Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy (REST). The tanks range in size but a typical tank is 8-feet-long by 4.5-feet-wide. They are filled with about a foot of
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skin-temperature water and 1,000 pounds of epsom salts to provide buoyancy for an effortless floating experience. John C. Lilly, an American neuroscientist and physician, designed the first float tank in 1954 to explore the origins of consciousness by taking away all external stimuli. By the 1970s, float tanks were commercialized and scientists started studying them for their health benefits. Today, research shows that float therapy provides multiple different health benefits, including pain relief, relaxation, decreased
