Have you ever transcended from your body into the air then another dimension? I have.
This was my second experience in a sensory deprivation chamber, or in other words, a float tank. To sum it up in three words… What. The. Fuck. Yes, it was that intense. This particular journey left a permanent mark on my memory and will forever hold a place in my soul.
Did I travel to the very core of existence? It’s hard to say. Did I jump to a spiritual plane accessible only to those at the highest level of enlightenment? Maybe.
The Journey Begins
Stripped naked, alone in the dimly lit room I glanced at the tank, which was covered in earthly materials and plants. It resembled a portal hidden deep within a forbidden forest. I felt a feeling of excitement pulse through my heart as my mind imagined the adventure ahead.
I took a few steps into the bathroom, in the mirror stood the physical image of my personal identity. I greeted him with compassion and smiled a signal of approval. It was time to move forward.
As I stood under the shower, the beads of water cleansed my body and also my soul. I could feel all the baggage letting gravity pull it fluidly into the plumbing below. My mind an open meadow I was ready to enter the tank.
No need to dry off, I’d soon be submerged in a body of water warmed to the temperature of my skin and filled with 1000 pounds of epsom salt.
Another moment of eye contact in the mirror wished me blessings on my journey as I made my way through the ambience to the tank.
Climbing in, I sat down on the soft, foam interior surface and closed the door.
Nothingness
In complete blackness and silence the gentle clapping of water was the only company my senses had to entertain. Until I lie down, when I am greeted by nothingness. My mind graciously received the release it had so long been looking for and thanked me for it by letting out a surge of dopamine that filled me with elation.
Feeling a natural high I let myself go. Easing up the tension in my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes I fell into deep relaxation. Gravity slipped further and further away. The sensation was as if I were sliding head first on my back down a water slide in the black of night. I was overwhelmed with disorientation. What was this that was happening to me? Am I still in the room that I was standing naked in only minutes before? Or had I been pulled to some other location beyond my control?
It took my mind a couple of moments to find comfort in this unfamiliar existence. It was as if it had suddenly arrived home, earlier than expected and caught off guard with emotion.
My consciousness reassured it that everything was OK. Beginning to accept it’s present environment and unable to rationalize any danger, my mind was at ease. Like taking steps for the first time on a foreign planet, it was time to explore.
The Mind and Only The Mind
Feeling more powerful than ever the workings deep within my brain began to take over. With no senses, no body, no gravity my mind had found itself in its element. It started by scanning my internal organs producing visuals of my beating heart and respiratory system that luminously pulsed like a highly advanced imaging system well beyond our current capabilities.
It was as if it had woken up and been introduced to the vital elements that were keeping it alive in this human form.
Next, it began to travel as if it were looking for something – trying to make the most of this place it was in it had taken full control.
When you are left with nothing but your mind it’s kind of like dreaming while awake. The images that flashed through my brain came and went faster than I could make sense of them. I was truly going for a ride and was completely paralyzed to any self directed thought or intention.
I accepted this experience I was enduring as a gift from the heavens.
The Epiphany
As lucid visions continued to pass by I began to sense another presence. Everything began to slow down and I could feel myself being pulled out of my chest. My consciousness started to faint and I felt a gentle vibration deep within my heart.
Time did not exist. I was in an empty space of calamity. I was frightened, yet more comfortable than I had ever been in my entire life. The vibration grew stronger. Lucid as ever I experienced that feeling you get right when you’re on the verge of falling asleep and you kind of feel like you are falling. Except my body made no attempt to catch itself.
The vibration was like a deep meditational OM that filled my entire being from the inside out. In a simultaneous instant it stopped… I found myself pressed forehead to forehead with a Tibetan monk. His joyful eyes opened wide and were accompanied with a giant smile; I felt myself floating backwards from him and as the vibration came back we were joined in a full circle by other monks.
This place I was in is hard to describe, it resembled a temple in the clouds. We weren’t standing or sitting; we were more so floating in the cross-legged position. It was as if we were merely all there, connected at the knees, and we were all enjoying the same moment together. Our minds were in unison. We did not exist.
Falling Awake
At this moment I felt more energy than I ever have in my life and let myself drop back into my body. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I began to laugh and cry at the same time. The sound of chirping birds and church bells were playing under the water indicating that my time in the float tank had come to an end. 90 Minutes had passed by in what felt like only 5.
A Precious Gift
The experience I had in the float tank that day remains a vital part of my existence and the memory of it is just as vivid now as it when it happened. My interpretation of the experience is that it was a gift from a place beyond the basic realms of human existence. A place where there is no sense of individuality. A place is where joy originates. A place of now.
I highly encourage anyone interested in meditation, enlightenment or simply self-exploration to seek out a sensory deprivation chamber and try it for yourself. It will be well worth it.
Happy Floating.
truspear 
I have always wanted to know what if felt to float. Amazing post. Thank you for sharing. I have a question – did you ever worry about falling asleep? How do you get over the thought of possibly drowning – I know it is not possible – but the fear?
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Hi Madeline, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, of course I was worried about falling asleep in the tank before I tried it. It’s completely natural, your body is essentially being put into the most relaxed state it has ever been in and you’re submerged in water alone in the dark. Sounds pretty dangerous, right? Without the proper mindset, that fear can be very real and you don’t want to go into the tank thinking about it. If you do I guarantee it will keep you from having a positive experience.
Here are the facts:
1) The buoyancy of your head & body is too high in the epsom salt water to submerge itself even if you were to fall asleep. When you’re in the water you literally have to push your arms down to touch the bottom of the tank, have you ever tried to hold a fully inflated beach ball under water? It’s kind of like that, but for your whole body. It’s an experience like no other.
2) If you have practiced meditation and are comfortable with letting your mind go you’ll see for yourself that the intensity of the visuals and thoughts that flow through your mind will keep you awake.
The possibility of drowning does not exist as it would take a great deal of effort to submerge yourself and to keep yourself submerged would take even more energy. From the moment you enter the tank and lie down, you’ll see what I mean and your mind should be at ease. Don’t let this fear keep you from floating and when you decide to do it make sure to read local reviews online and find a credible place. It’s an amazing experience and everyone should give it a try. Just keep your mind open, relax, and let the epsom salt do it’s job.
Hope this helps. Please come back and tell me hear about your experience when you give it a try!
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