Sensory Deprivation Vs Sensory Awareness
About a month ago we posted a sandwich board outside of the clinic that read “SENSORY DEPRIVATION / FLOAT” and it served its purpose in generating attention and great conversation with many people.
We here at Thera are personally not very fond of the word “Deprivation” as it seems like something more frightening than healing. Let us explain;
Deprivation: Floating allows the cerebral cortex of the brain to rest, (and other parts of the brain) by removing over stimulation that triggers the senses such as: light, sound, scent, and tactile of nothing touching the skin. This is not new knowledge for many frequent float participants.
Sensory Awareness: Today more people are more aware and getting involved in some form of mindfulness, and floating actually works very well for people that may have a hard time getting into a meditative state. The bouncy of the water and the sound of your own heartbeat is more calming than one would expect.
For people that have high levels of anxiety find that the pool room at our clinic allows for extra space, room to move, and breathe without encapsulation.
Regular float treatments support the body to maintain homeostasis (a balanced state) by placing the body in a relaxed state and removing additional cortisol which is a stress hormone.
When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated it releases cortisol to protect our body when in fight or flight mode, such as running from a lion. (if this happens in your daily life)
More common is the cortisol that is released in the body due to low-grade daily stressors which leaves residual cortisol circulating in the body. This makes us feel more tired, anxious and puts additional strain on the heart, adrenals and other systems of the body.
Studies have shown floating regularly helps to reduce the inflammation process, lower blood pressure and help reduce anxiety.
The float industry is constantly growing evolving and here at Thera, we like to think of floating as “SENSORY AWARENESS” and inward focus.
It takes more than one float to make a change, and once you get there it’s a great place to be!
Be Well.
