In this ongoing series, Pulse contributor Steve Morley explores the effects of sensory deprivation and reports on his experiences using the flotation tanks and other therapeutic resources at Murfreesboro’s Float Alchemy. (Previous installments can be found at boropulse.com/floativation).
Last month, in my opening installment, I reported on my first-ever float experience, courtesy of Float Alchemy (just off Old Fort Parkway, on Cason Lane). Having never learned to swim, and utterly unable to relax my muscles enough to float independently, it was a novel and enjoyable experience, something I’d wanted to try for years. Owner Amy Grimes did advise me that it can take two or three float-tank sessions to experience the full effect. No doubt—for the average person in today’s world of near-continuous sensory input, it’s a serious stretch to truly unplug, which is what a float tank invites you to do . . . once you decide to accept.
As I prepared for my maiden voyage outside normal gravity, a staffer at the front counter shared with me that her limbs had jerked rather wildly at the beginning of her first float, and that I might experience similar results. I imagined this as an instance of the brain’s need to bypass normal administrative functions: ALERT! WE MUST PROVIDE SAFETY AND BALANCE! WE MUST . . . OH, WAIT . . . never mind . . . it’s cool. Really, it’s cool, dude. You’re afloat. Relax. HEY, I SAID RELAX!
My limbs didn’t jerk, in fact. As I reported last month, I definitely experienced a relaxation benefit, despite the tap-tap-tapping of mental intrusions. Upon reflection, though, and after consulting with locally based physical therapist Dr. Jen Dickens Massie, I now realize that subconscious tension was likely impeding me from fully surrendering to the salt water and silence during my momentous first float.
Oddly, I felt a kind of burning sensation arise in my right shoulder and upper arm within a minute or two of entering a buoyant state inside the Oasis Float Pod, the smallest of the three tank varieties offered by Float Alchemy. I changed my arm position and the mild pain subsided, but I pondered this afterwards. Two years earlier, I’d seen a physical therapist to treat a nerve root injury in the same arm/shoulder area that had briefly complained inside the tank. Treatment had provided good results, but evidently this irritation was still quietly present within me. Using this new awareness to my advantage, I resumed portions of my prior PT treatment plan.
Dr. Massie, who goes by “Dr. Jen” for her wellness business, Jenergy for Life, offered a sound theory about the pain I briefly experienced in the tank. “From a musculoskeletal standpoint, it makes sense that this region may have discomfort if you are feeling anxious in any way. Anxiety causes muscle tension in these areas even if you are not in a float tank,” said Dr. Jen, adding that I was likely experiencing latent (non-active) irritation in the area of the previous injury, presenting itself as a “hyper-irritable band of tight muscle . . . a knot.” She noted that the unfamiliarity of the tank experience itself could also have added to any existing muscle tension. I didn’t think I’d felt tense in the tank. But my body was apparently telling me otherwise.
“It can be very difficult to quiet our busy minds and to let go of latent muscle tension. Subconscious fear and anxiety can cause our muscles to tense, preventing this relaxation,” Dr. Jen explained. “In a world where we are constantly overstimulated and distracted with technology and the daily multitasking required in our lives, flotation removes all of that by placing you in a space with as little sensory stimulation as possible. If you can quiet your thoughts and fully relax your muscles, this can be a very peaceful experience for body and mind!”
IF, that is. Easier said than done, son . . . which is one reason a semi-regular float can be an effective means of helping cultivate a relaxation response that, with conscious practice, floaters can increasingly carry into their day-to-day lives. Dr. Jen went on to describe her own first floating experience, which was not unlike my own.
“On my first float it took me about 10 minutes to fully relax my body, and once I did, it felt amazing! My mind, however, was a different story,” she admitted. “I was very anxious about being still, and I kept thinking about my long to-do list. I was unable to quiet my noisy mind for most of the float.” When she returned to Float Alchemy for a second try, Massie had “an entirely different experience. My body relaxed much more quickly, and I was able to settle my mind for short increments.“
Dr. Jen, who teaches others how to increase personal wellness, says she has “absolutely recommended flotation to my patients and friends who struggle with anxiety and the related muscle tension that accompanies anxiety.” The wellness practitioner and physical therapist personally floats once a month, she says, “not only for the muscular relaxation, but also as an exercise in mental discipline by attempting to keep my mind quiet for a full hour. This is very challenging, but [controlling one’s mind] ultimately leads to a more balanced mental state. I notice it becomes easier with each float, but it is definitely a work in progress for me.”
I had also mentioned my curious occurrence of arm/shoulder pain to Amy Grimes, a licensed massage therapist as well as the founder of Float Alchemy and its sister location, Float Nashville. Prior to my second float, she worked on my back, neck, arms and shoulders (massage is another of the services offered at the Murfreesboro location). Her skilled hands detected significantly limited rotation and mobility in my affected right arm. Nonetheless, this massage work helped me to relax into float number two with less difficulty. My upper arm acted up only momentarily and then joined the rest of my body in peaceful relaxation inside the Float Cabin, a larger enclosure that afforded easier entrance (and exit) than the Pod.
My mind, however, did not behave quite so cooperatively. I focused on breathing, taking slow, deep breaths, which helped . . . until my focus again slipped. As with my first float, I sensed the passage of time and exited the tank several minutes before the hour-long session concluded (with a most pleasant musical “alarm” piped into the private room). Again, forgetting I was covered in salt water, drops ran from my arm (or hair?) into my eye as I moved to exit the tank and shower off. But I felt calm as I reached for the spray bottle of pure water I had previously learned was provided in each float room.
I lingered longer in the lounge after this float, trying out varieties of scented oxygen while sipping my complimentary hot tea and reveling in my relaxed state, reinforced by the serene atmosphere. It felt good to know I was investing time in caring for myself rather than simply indulging in some hasty, easy-to-grab pleasure that would mollify my anxious mind for only a moment or two. My feeling of calm satisfaction remained throughout my 25-minute drive home, as I enjoyed scenery I had somehow failed to notice before.
Stay tuned, Murfreesboro . . . and may the freedom of the float be with you.
