Why people use flotation tanks | Hacker News Reader

Why people use flotation tanks

bbc.co.uk

23 pointspmoriarty10 comments

I have one next to my bed. Bought a used one that it roughly 20 years old ^^

I plan to replace the temperature sensor + controller with some 1 wire ones and use a raspberry pie to control the heater.

Some time ago I build a underwater speaker but the first experimental design is kind of quiet. It is unbelievable how expansive commercial once are. They are in fact just a speaker which use the plastic housing as membrane. Maybe I should print a housing.

As a addition I added a oxygen compressor to boost the oxygen level inside the tank. It is much more comfortable as the quite high humidity inside the tank is not that pleasant.

If you build a tank from scratch, I would say ~1500 € in material, depends how much you want to hunt for heap parts.

Nice things not many know:

you can sleep quite good in the tank. It's different form of sleep, but very relaxing. You drift more between the sleep world (DMT) and awake world (Serotonin). Very lucid dreams, sometimes multiple a day.

No, you don't rotate as those are reactions to pressures which you simply don't have. If you turn, you will awake. Usually those tanks are filled with bittersalt, which is very, very bitter and burns like hell ^^

I rotated once, because I had a very lucid dream about drowning and panicked after waking up. Funny thing, it was then when I actually rotated and drank a good sip of water ^^

You should not overdo it, as it may affect your ability to sleep in a normal bed.

If you spend longer time in the tank >9h-12h, depends on the person, you get hallucinations from sensor deprivation. A very interesting way to observe internal states without altering them first. But of course, it's only nice if you know that you can open the door anytime you want. Once you spend some time in it, you understand why this can be abused for torture as well :(

I have never tried a flotation tank but am kind of interested; can someone talk about their experience? Is it just a fad or do you do it regularly, and what do you get out of it?

Richard Feynman tried them out several times and had really interesting experiences. See https://www.dmt-nexus.me/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=51786 for his description.

I tried it once (back when Groupon was a thing), at a discount. It was ok, but nothing special. I mean not that different from lying in a bath or a bed in darkened quiet room, really not that much difference for me.

Also, if you go, I recommend you take some kind of floating neck support (or ask for one at the place where you are going) because towards the end, I could feel my neck starting to hurt (and I don't have a problem with my neck, it's just 1 hour is a long time).

Semi-regular user here (2-3 times / month). I view it as yet another tool under the "investigation of self" initiative that some people like me have taken on. What do I get out of it? Well, my experience in the tank differs every time. Some times I use it as a source of tranquility, some times I use it to focus on a certain topic I want to work out in my head, and some times I have absolutely zero intention and I just let the experience happen. Much like meditation, in the time immediately after the tank I find myself more aware, moving a bit slower, just kind of taking the environment in. First time I ever tried the tank was in NYC and I walked from Chelsea to the east side. The sounds of the city seemed much more sharp.

I definitely recommend meditating consistently before trying it, if you can. It'll make the adjustment a bit smoother because you won't be wrestling so much with "being alone with my thoughts" and you can concentrate on "holy shit, am I in outer space right now?!"

Your description is very similar to what I experience as well, but I only get to go once or twice per year (the nearest center is about two hours from my home). I always get it coupled with a full body massage just before, and my last visit was just this past Saturday.

This time I was able to, for a short while, convince myself that I was floating on the ocean at night and could see the stars. A very peaceful experience.

The outside world feels so much more harsh, sharp, and bright after a session.

I tried once and ended up falling asleep for half the period.

I'd like to use it more, but it's a little cost prohibitive for me at the moment.

The biggest benefit for me is I'm able to say I'm going into a big tank of water for an hour so I won't be available for your call/text/yelling/whatever. I have problems feeling guilty about self-care, so I need that excuse to put myself first for a bit.

I went into my first experience expecting some sort of hallucinatory, transcendental experience. I did some meditation, but it felt forced. So I relaxed. That went almost too well. When I jostled back to full awareness, that's when things got interesting.

Normally when I back-float in water, I'm aware of its 2D surface. I need to stay on the surface. Above is impossible, below is bad. In the tank, I could relax because the salinity kept me afloat. I was able to think and move in three dimensions.

The tank became this empty space of three dimensional "white" board, albeit pitch black and a little confined so I couldn't go too crazy. But I was able to think out loud without looking weird. I could thrash my arms around as I visualized things against a blank canvas. I had a really interesting conversation with myself about web design, branding content, and readability.

The closest analog I can think of is movies like The Lawnmower Man where VR was this 3D empty, private space to manipulate with your mind.

I assume that floatation tanks are not particularly conducive to folks with obstructive sleep disorders (where typically, when extremely relaxed, air pathways collapse enough to restrict breathing - usually exacerbated by sleeping on one's back)? I would think a CPAP would be too loud and provide a heavy distraction from the goal of total isolation.

Someone needs to make a "flotation desk", stat.

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