When Hollywood gets the chance to portray real world things, it always takes ample creative license. You can pick out a dozen random topics and discover how these things are shown on screen don’t always mesh with real life experience. This is especially true with floating and isolation tanks. TV shows and movies are quick to take floating and shroud it in mystery, danger and fantasy. “The Pretender,” a TV series which aired from 1996 to 2000, offers a good example of this trend. An episode from the second season, titled Over the Edge, deals with the impact of an isolation tank on the series’ main character Jarod – played by Michael T. Weiss. Jarod helps reunite an estranged mother and son. This plot device serves as a jumping off point for Jarod in his efforts to reconnect with his own long lost mother. Jarod uses an isolation tank to revisit his past experiences with floating. The audience witnesses flashbacks where a younger Jarod is compelled to float inside an isolation tank as a relaxation tool. He is forced to float so he can be used for scientific experiments conducted by a shadowy group known only as The Centre. Young Jarod’s time inside the isolation tank produces hallucinations of his mother. He attempts to connect physically with these hallucinations. Since Jarod was kidnapped and used for experimentation from a young age, he cannot even remember hugging his mother and longs to feel her touch. The tank offers a chance at the physical contact Jarod craves in the form of hallucinations. In there, he can touch his mother and speak to her once more. Young Jarod enjoys floating in the tank. There, he can enjoy a taste of freedom away from his kidnappers. Floating is portrayed in a positive light on “The Pretender.” Jarod uses floating as a relaxation tool at different points in his life and he uses it to access memories as an adult. Still, “The Pretender” does bend reality as it relates to isolation tanks to suit its own purposes. Young Jarod frequently hallucinates inside the tank. Adult Jarod is shown using the tank for days at a time without taking a break – a practice that isn’t recommended or safe. One disturbing aspect is the role an isolation tank plays in scientific experimentation. Young Jared is forced to float as a method of relaxation, so he is refreshed enough to be experimented on by his captors. Real isolation tanks are not used for such diabolical purposes. Real-life floating is an experience designed to improve your life. It creates an environment where stress and pain melt away. Floating is the perfect way to recharge your internal batteries when the pressures associated with work, school, family and daily life wear you down. Hollywood once again fails to pass the reality test with floating in “The Pretender.” Isolation tanks need no embellishment. The effects and realities of what it can do are better than fiction.
It’s no secret that floating inside an isolation tank makes you feel better. Can spending time there also make you look better? The simple answer is yes. Floating can be a fountain of youth. It works better than applying facial masks and creams to recapture a younger and healthier looking face. Stress can age a person prematurely. The tension it creates in the muscles and joints doesn’t just result in stiffness and pain. It can also cause facial muscles to tighten and wrinkles to form on the forehead and around the eyes. Only a short time passes before stress takes a visible toll. The skin’s surface is covered with wrinkles. Visible aging only adds to stress. This in turn increases aging. It all turns into a vicious cycle that becomes nearly impossible to break. Floating in a float tank is the best antidote to stress and premature aging. The tranquility inside the tank relaxes the tightened facial muscles. It doesn’t take long before the skin looks and feels smooth again. People can take several years off their appearance after a few sessions. They feel more attractive and are much more energetic. This leads to increased confidence and makes it tougher for stress to come back and attack again. Beauty may only be skin deep. Still, there’s nothing wrong with making your skin look as good as you want it to look. Floating is a good tool for realizing that goal.
Going green does not need to be limited to physical actions alone. Recycling cuts down on garbage. Riding a bicycle to work instead of driving your car reduces dangerous emissions. These things are just a beginning to being at one with the environment. You need to be green on the inside before you are green on the outside. Attitude directs behavior. A person must gain a concern for their environment in their hearts to motivate themselves to protect it in their own portion of the world. Where does floating fit into this picture? Spending time in an isolation tank can foster this fundamental shift inside our brains. Floating gives us time to reflect. Our thoughts are revealed as we delve deeper in the subconscious mind. It is like peeling off a new layer on an onion and discarding the old layer. We see what really matters to us. And we get a better perspective on what is important on a universal scale. When people float, it inspires them to cast away stress and fear. They embrace a more relaxed attitude. They are more calm in the face of problems and produce solutions that help themselves and others. Creativity and optimism come alive in this mental environment. People work to improve their lives and the lives of others. They care about the future and the selfishness of the present no longer seems as important as it once did. Taking care of the environment is a natural outgrowth of these new attitudes and desires. A healthier planet begins with a healthier human race. Floating can help people take those first few steps forward in the right direction.
Many medical experts agree depression can be a crippling condition. It negatively affects a person’s physical, mental and emotional health. Finding a cure for depression can involve years of expensive therapy to uncover the root causes and then treat those problems. Does it need to be this way? Why do we accept being told that the best treatment for depression involves seeing a psychiatrist and taking anti-depressants? This is not the only alternative for making ourselves feel good. Spending time in an isolation tank can work wonders when it comes to how we feel about ourselves. Our minds and our bodies need a rest from the stresses and pressures of everyday life. Floating can offer a channel for obtaining that break. When we do not get a release, those negative elements take a toll on our emotions. We start to feel trapped and helpless. We feel like there is nothing we can do to change or improve our situation. These thoughts cause us to slowly lose hope that our lives can be better. At this point, we sink into a state of depression that changes everything about us. Depression does not just affect our mood. It can influence how we sleep and how we eat. It can impact how we approach daily activities from working at our job to hobbies we pursue on the weekend. Floating in an isolation tank can relieve the burdens that cause depression. During a floating session, a person’s brain switches from beta waves to alpha waves to theta waves. When it reaches theta waves, the subconscious mind takes over. That allows a person to see what is causing their depression and deal with those issues at a subconscious level. Regular time in a floatation tank can rejuvenate a person in the physical, mental and emotional realm. It may not be exactly what the doctor ordered, but it is still an effective treatment for depression.
Insomnia can feel like a waking nightmare. When you can’t sleep, everything else suffers. Your brain can’t focus on simple tasks. You feel aches and pains in your body. You go from fun and happy to angry and depressed. In a nutshell, sleep is what makes a better you. If getting enough sleep is a problem, floating is a great solution. Floating in an isolation tank offers a perfect time to relax and disconnect your body and mind from those external and internal stresses that are causing so much damage. Studies done on frequent floaters reveal some eye-opening numbers. Among people who did weekly floating sessions, 23 percent slept better, 31 percent experienced reduced stress and 24 percent reduced or eliminated feelings of depression. Floaters who did at least 12 floatation sessions showed improved sleep patterns at night. They felt less tension, anxiety, nervousness and pain during the day as a result. Why does floating work better than a sleeping pill at curing insomnia? Simply put, it is designed to rejuvenate your body. Floating in an isolation tank leaves your body in a weightless state and peaceful environment where it can heal and recover from the forces dragging it down. It pays to float because floating has such a positive effect on everything else connected to our lives. You can set up a session at your local spa or build your own isolation tank from any number of isolation tank plans. The smart choice is to make floating a part of your weekly routine. A good night’s rest is your reward.
Thousands of people make resolutions at the dawn of each new year. One of the most common resolutions involves weight loss. It can mean dropping a few unwanted pounds or completely overhauling a lifestyle. The problem is that many such New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside in a matter of days or weeks. People find that breaking bad unhealthy habits and creating new healthy ones is easier said than done. Their weight loss goal gets put on the shelf for an undetermined period of time and life goes on as it did before. This scenario does not have to play out over and over again. Floating is a nice tool that can actually help break the cycle of disappointment. Spending time in an isolation tank can help you reach your weight loss goals and feel like a new person. How do floating sessions work where fad diets fail? The simple answer is floating helps you get at the root cause of what is causing your weight gain. When you float, you can relax your mind and body. You can shut out the distractions of the outside world and focus on yourself. This allows a chance for self-discovery and the opportunity to sort out health problems and emotional issues contributing to your weight. Floating lets you cleanse negative emotions and stress that can prevent your physical body from functioning at a healthy level. When you master your emotions, you can control how much food you put into your body and what kind of food you put into your body. Spending time in a floatation tank can be just the sort of dieting tool you need. Anything that promotes peace and relaxation will promote a healthier body in all forms.
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