Isolation tank

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An isolation tank is (ideally) a lightless, soundproof tank in which subjects float in salty water (denser than the human body) at skin temperature. It was devised by John C. Lilly in 1954 in order to test the effects of sensory deprivation. Such tanks are now also used for meditation, prayer, relaxation, and in alternative medicine.

Isolation tanks were originally called sensory deprivation tanks. They were renamed because it was found that the terminology of "sensory deprivation" negatively prejudiced people prior to experiencing the use of the device. Dr. Peter Suedfeld and Dr. Roderick Borrie of the University of British Columbia began experimenting on the therapeutic benefits of this technique in the late 1970s. They renamed the technique Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) or Floatation REST. Other synonyms for isolation tank include float tank, floating tank, floater tank, floatation tank, flotation tank, REST tank, floatation baths and John Lilly tank.

Dr John Lilly, a medical practitioner and neuro-psychiatrist, developed floating in the 1950s. During his training in psychoanalysis, at NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), Dr Lilly commenced experiments with physical isolation. In neurophysiology there had been a longstanding question of what keeps the brain going and where are its energy sources. One answer was that the energy sources are biological and internal and don’t depend upon the outside environment. It was argued that if all stimuli is cut off to the brain then it would go to sleep. Lilly decided to test this hypothesis and with this in mind created an environment which totally isolated an individual from external stimulation. From here he studied the origin of consciousness and its relation to the brain.

In the original tanks, people were required to wear complicated head-masks in order to breathe underwater. In newer tanks, epsom salt is added to the water in the tank so that the subject floats with his or her face above the water. However, since the ears are submerged when the subject is in a relaxed position, hearing is greatly reduced, particularly when ear-plugs are also used. When the arms float to the side, skin sensation is greatly reduced because the air and water are the same temperature as the skin, and the feeling of a body boundary fades. The sense of smell is also greatly reduced, especially if the water has not been treated with chlorine.

A therapeutic session in a flotation tank typically lasts an hour. For the first forty minutes it is reportedly common to experience itching in various parts of the body (a phenomenon also reported to be common during the early stages of meditation). The last 20 minutes often end with a transition from beta or alpha brainwaves to theta, which typically occur briefly before sleep and again at waking. In a float tank the theta state can last for several minutes without the subject losing consciousness. Many use the extended theta state as a tool for enhanced creativity and problem-solving or for superlearning. Spas sometimes provide commercial float tanks for use in relaxation.

Floatation rest has many physical and mental benefits because it provides an unparalleled level of relaxation.^{[citation needed]} With the elimination of external stimuli relaxation is promoted.^{[citation needed]} The healing of old wounds and injuries may be aided.^{[citation needed]} This deep level of relaxation also benefits the cardiovascular system.^{[citation needed]} Known as the vasodilatory effect, the body's circulation is increased while the blood pressure and heart rate are reduced.^{[citation needed]} Furthermore, the effect of floatation on the body allows muscles and joints to release tension and heal more rapidly.^{[citation needed]} For this reason, people suffering from musculoskeletal and rheumatic conditions greatly benefit from floatation rest, as can women throughout the length of their pregnancy.^{[citation needed]}

More extreme uses of the tank involve the subject taking varying doses of hallucinogens, such as LSD, and spending prolonged periods in the tank (up to tens of hours) at a time, an approach pioneered by Lilly himself – though he claims to have tried LSD in the tank only prior to 1964, when the drug was still legal, a decade after his first experiments with the tank itself.

[edit] In popular culture

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Some of Lilly's books deal with experiences in isolation tanks. Many accounts from other people can also be found in books as well as on the Internet. Other movies, books, or publications that deal with isolation tanks or devices that can somehow be compared are the following:

Paddy Chayefsky's novel Altered States and the film based on it deal with a scientist who is able to reach different states of consciousness by use of drugs and the isolation tank.

Richard Feynman, a famous physicist, writes about his experiences with sensory deprivation in a floatation tank in one of his popular books, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!. Feynman was invited to try the isolation tank at John Lilly's home after Lilly attended one of Feynman's popular lectures on quantum mechanics.

On the TV show The Simpsons, Lisa and Homer both use an isolation tank. Lisa experiences altered consciousness and is led to a better understanding of her father. Homer has a wild ride when his tank is first removed by repo men, falls out the back of their truck, is buried by the Flanders (who believe it to be a coffin), sinks through thin earth into a sewage drain, is carried out to sea by a sudden gush of sewage water, washes up on the beach, and is then returned by Chief Wiggum to the store from which it was originally repossessed.

Joe Rogan talked about owning and using an isolation tank on the Opie & Anthony show. He described taking several hits of DMT and using the tank.

In the film Daredevil, the main character, Matt Murdock, while blind, has extraordinarily heightened senses (particularly hearing) that make it very difficult for him to sleep without an isolation tank to shut out the outside world.

In the episode "Iso Tank" or "Adoption" in the British series Absolutely Fabulous, the isolation tank is satirized by referring to it as a Robin Reliant as well as a warm puddle. It is also responsible for Edina's dream and subsequent hallucination, which is the premise for the episode.

[edit] Books

Tanks for the Memories: Flotation Tank Talks. Lilly, John C. & E.J. Gold.
The Deep Self: Profound Relaxation and the Tank Isolation Technique. Lilly, John C.
The Center of the Cyclone. Lilly, John C.
The Scientist: A Metaphysical Autobiography. Lilly, John C., M.D.