I was surprised how easy it was to arrange to use a float tank. I simply called up and asked how I could use one, and the guy on the phone said he could have it ready in 30 minutes. I drove ten minutes to Venice, found a parking spot by the beach and walked down. The office itself was located about 30 feet from the beach behind a small divider in a building that houses several other offices.
I never caught the name of the guy running everything, but he looked like a cast member from A Scanner Darkly. He had crocs on and goggles even though it was not particularly bright. He explained to me that I would need to take my contacts out and shower before and after, as well as that I should keep my face very dry before going into the tank. Other than that I could use it as long as I wanted and only had to let him know when I was done. He recommended that I stay in for as long as I could.
They provide earplugs which cuts down on hearing your own heartbeat and breathing. My allergies were acting up so I was swallowing pretty regularly but it didn't seem to interfere too much with me reaching a pretty deep meditative, dream-like state. First I showered and then stepped into the pool. I had some concerns that I would panic about being in an enclosed space, but as soon as I closed the somewhat heavy door those fears subsided. I floated very easily and only had to focus on relaxing my neck.
Earlier in the day I did yoga, and then had a light lunch so as not to interfere with the whole tank experience. Sometimes when I meditate regularly I become restless and fidgety. This did not happen in the tank until very late on when I had a very urgent need to take a piss. After the liquid in the tank stopped moving me around I settled in and began to mull some questions that had been on my mind over. Answers came easily but I wouldn't say that the tank is the best place for very focused thinking. I focused on my outbreath for some time and before I knew it I was in theta which is the deepest brain wave state you can reach. It was very lucid dreaming, I was imagining things and seeing them in my mind's eye - there wasn't any very strong visual component just some bizarre things I imagined. I would think about one subject and it would gradually morph into something else and I felt little control over what I was thinking of.
Periodically my hand would brush up against the edge of the tank and I would be perplexed as to what the sensation was. Before reaching this deep theta state I experienced a series of myoclonic jerks, which are those large muscle spasms you may sometimes have right as you are about to fall asleep. Supposedly they are caused by your brain panicking at a drop in bloodpressure and heart rate. I noticed very small muscles twitching in ways that I had never felt before. I felt somewhat removed from myself but in a relaxed sort of way.
During the deeper state I did my best to make use of it in productive ways, I thought of what I had in common with people I hated or thought were completely different from me - and quickly dispelled any misconceptions I had about things. I also cut through some of my own bullshit and looked at ways that I still would like to grow. After all of this I became curious about how much time had passed and how full my bladder was. I reached up to find the handle and was surprised by how weak my body felt. I touched the warm, damp handle and pushed open the door which felt much heavier than before. I sort of struggled to my feet and got out feeling very much like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix when he is cut loose.
I was freezing and also shocked by how bright everything was around me. I jumped in the shower in hopes of warming up but even the water in there felt freezing. I had acclimated to feeling only my own body temperature and missed my mechanical womb. As I washed off, I felt how thick and sharp my stubble was and how coarse my arm hair felt. Every touch felt rich and vivid after that short period of deprivation. After the shower when I put my clothes on I felt odd feeling something touching my skin and noticed small details about my shoes. It was somewhat disorienting but also a very pleasant and calm feeling.
It felt a little bit like a good high, one where there isn't any panic or paranoia - but with a great deal more clarity. I understood what was going on around me mentally, my senses were just warming up - it was like a very exaggerated version of waking up at the wrong time from a nap and taking forever to acclimate. From there I went upstairs and let Scanner Darkly man know I was done. He told me every time it goes a little deeper and that I should come back. I said that I would like to, and felt like the music he was playing would stay in my head forever.
I walked out onto the venice boardwalk just as the sun was setting on the horizon of the ocean and bumbled my way to my car. I really recommend sensory deprivation and I hope to do it again soon - it also has given me a better idea of how far I would like to go with meditation and what can be achieved.
Anyways, goodluck!
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