Floating Therapy

How Do Floating Therapy Works

The water used in flotation tanks contains huge amounts of Epsom salts, which make it as buoyant as the Dead Sea, allowing you to float effortlessly and feel completely weightless. It’s impossible to sink and, as soon as your body registers this, your muscles begin to relax and tension just oozes away. Not being able to see or hear anything has a similar effect on the mind. The experience is heightened by the environment in the tank, where the air is warm and the water is kept at skin temperature so that after a while, you are barely aware of your physical body. You drift into a meditative state and, as an abundance of research has shown, this can boost the immune system and optimize self-healing.

Studies have also shown that this relaxed mental state which is also induced in hypnotherapy, makes the mind more open to suggestion and many float centres offer ’self-improvement’ audio visual cassettes to use while floating. These include tapes to help you stop smoking, lose weight, increase your confidence, or even improve your sports skills. They may also feature affirmations or subliminal messages.

As well as keeping you buoyant, the salts in the water are also renowned for their detoxifying effects, helping to draw out toxic waste from the muscles, organs and circulatory system.