7 Unbelievable Myths About Sensory Deprivation

How long has it been since you heard a big fat myth? Moreover, were you able to recognize it as such? Because often they are masterfully masked as true facts while they are nothing but fallacious misconceptions. Often, they are also commonly misspoken truths.

Every popular topic hides its myths. For instance, one of the biggest myths of history is that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. In reality, the man just found some extraordinary ways to improve the already created prototype, thus making it a groundbreaking and highly marketable product.

Another descriptive example comes from the health niche – a myth already debunked is that the eggs are bad for the heart. It is true that the eggs contain a serious amount of the so infamous cholesterol. And yes, it creates clogged arteries and heart failure. However, in recent years, studies proved that one egg per day can do us no harm at all.

Moreover, the cholesterol that comes with the food (or with the eggs in the specific case scenario), has a minimum to no impact on the cholesterol in our blood. What’s really harmful to the heart is the presence of saturated amounts of trans fats in the food. Guess what? The eggs don’t contain any.

Sure enough, the curious world of the sensory deprivation also offers a plethora of myths. With the trend increasing every day and with the rising amount of information hovering around the subject, it becomes hard to tell what’s true and what’s just a common misbelief.

The purpose of this article is to expose and bust some of the most popular myths about the sensory deprivation and floatation therapy. Watch out, here they are:

Floatation Therapy is Only for the Richest

Many people believe that they need to have a large bag full of money in order to afford a few floating sessions. In addition, a lot of folks think that floatation therapy is a capricious vagary representative of the highest circles.

Indeed, the exquisite look of some of the sensory deprivation tanks found in the luxurious float spa centers creates the impression that this is quite an expensive service reserved only for those who are filthy rich.

This is a far cry from the truth. In the dawn of the sensory deprivation industry, back in the 70’s and as every innovation, the price of a regular float session was high for the living standards. Nowadays, when the floatation therapy becomes more and more mainstream this is not exactly the case. Sensory deprivation is more affordable than ever and it is destined to suit every pocket.

The cost of a float session is typically in the range of $40 – $70 / 60 – 90 mins depending on the spa center. In addition, many business owners create various promotions, which can significantly lower the prices.

Websites such as Groupon or Woot often offer big discounts on float spa sessions, which can reduce the prices even more. Moreover, the groundbreaking opportunity to float at home using float tanks intended for domestic use happens to be a great money saver. But more on that later.

Floatation Therapy Cures Everything

It’s easy to believe that given the fact that the regular practice of sensory deprivation has a plethora of proven health benefits confirmed by many people, it is a panacea for all ills. It would have been great. However, it is highly exaggerated.

Even though the flotation therapy undoubtedly has its many mental and physical positives, it can’t fight every disease. It is a wellness tool, part of the alternative medicine, which can significantly help in lightening up many symptoms related to various illnesses and conditions. For instance, it successfully treats chronic pain, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, etc. In other words, the sensory deprivation should be considered as a great example of the preventative and complementary medicine.

Sensory Deprivation Has Minimum To No Effect On One’s Health

It’s not a secret that every alternative medicine method is approached with a grain of salt and a solid dose of pessimism. A perfect example is my own curious experience with the acupuncture, for instance. It’s in our nature to call into question everything that we know very little about.

This is how the myth that sensory deprivation doesn’t work as advertised was created in the first place. Debunking that myth is fairly easy. There is a variety of resources accessible online that explicitly showcase the mental and physical benefits of the floatation therapy. Let’s mention just some of the scientifically proven positives of this preventive health-care intervention backed up by the science:

• It cures various mental conditions such as anxiety, depression, addictions, and phobias.
• It significantly lowers down the stress levels by reducing the amounts of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol in the body.
• It treats chronic pain – headache, muscle pain, lower back pain, pain in the joints, etc.
• It successfully fights fibromyalgia.
• It enhances cardiovascular health.

Sensory Deprivation Can Drive You Crazy

Many people still believe that laying down in a pitch-dark blackness, deprived of all external stimuli can negatively interfere with our sanity. They think that being in a float tank could cause hallucinations, claustrophobia and overall, the experience could drive you crazy.

Surprisingly or not, this is true. So where’s the catch? It’s simple. Our brain can react in unforeseeable ways if we are locked in a sensory deprivation tank for days. In other words, the excessively prolonged float sessions could indeed deteriorate the soundness of the mind. In fact, this was a common method of torture in the past.

However, this can happen only if you spend days or even weeks locked in a tank. The regular float sessions that usually last for 60 mins several times per week are totally harmless and can bring nothing but positive changes in our mental and physical health. Thousands of people worldwide are experiencing it.

Floatation Therapy is not Hygienic

Recently I had a conversation with a friend of mine who has barely heard of sensory deprivation before. He was very intrigued by the whole thing but at the same time, he loudly expressed his disgust of the fact that many people float in the same tank. According to him, in that way, the tank and the water in it were getting dirty and the hygiene was easily compromised.

Welcome to another myth related to the sensory deprivation! The truth is that the floatation tanks are one of the most sanitary places in which you can be. The impeccable cleanness of the isolation tank is the main duty of every respectable float center owner.

All modern float tanks have a sophisticated filtration system that maintains the water in the tank perfectly clean and germ-free 24×7. In that way, the water can be changed in every one or two years without the slightest worry. Some of the well-known filtration solutions are the UV water filters and the micron filtration system. The dirty water passes through a filter via a hose and then goes back in the tank in the cleanest possible state.

You Have to Be Sick in Order to Start Floating

We people, are funny creatures. We often tend to start taking care of our health only after it gets progressively worse. And after that we regret it.

This is just one of the reasons because of which the common belief that you have to suffer from a certain disease in order to jump in the tank exists in the first place. And it’s true that many folks start to float only after exhausting all other options. This is wrong.

Nowadays floatation therapy is one of the most celebrated methods of holistic medicine. It’s a powerful wellness tool that treats many illnesses. But most importantly, it prevents them, thus helping us stay in a better physical and mental shape no matter if we are sick or not.

Floating is Possible Only in Dedicated Spa Centers

Again, this is not true.  In fact, floating at home is more popular and affordable than ever. In recent years, the large part of the float tank manufacturers started to fabricate sensory deprivation tanks intended entirely for home use.

The comfort of floating at home is undoubtedly something that every keen floater would like to experience. Now, you don’t have to bother booking a float session in a spa center that is miles away from your home. You don’t have to do a research in order to find the best option in terms of price, quality, and location.

You can be your own boss and decide how long and when to float. You can do it in the mornings or in the evenings after a busy day at work. Why not both? The greatest part is that once you own a home float tank you save money from paid float sessions in the long term.

Unarguably the cheapest option on the market as of this writing is the zen float tent or the zen float tank. Another popular float tank intended for domestic use is the Samadhi tank even though it is more expensive.

Conclusion

I really hope that with the help of this article I managed to shed a light on some of the most widely held myths about the sensory deprivation and the floatation therapy. As you can see, it’s always worth it to take the most popular beliefs with a grain of salt. Often, they are nothing but big fat misconceptions. Happy floating!