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{"id":3671,"date":"2017-01-04T16:36:40","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T16:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/?p=3671"},"modified":"2020-11-28T20:32:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-28T20:32:08","slug":"floatation-therapy-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/floatation-therapy-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindful Mama: My Floatation Therapy Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Image by Ryan Moreno)<\/p>\n

Darkness surrounds you, except for a few twinkling lights. You\u2019re weightless, your arms outstretched, palms to the sky. You close your eyes and give in to the calm, quiet water.<\/p>\n

There are no children calling your name. No lunches to be packed, no toys to put away. For one, blissful hour, you leave the stress of your day behind you and gently, peacefully, float.
\nFloatation therapy is the newest way for tired moms (and everyone else) to get away from it all.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In cities like New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC, you can relax in an egg-like chamber designed to deprive you of your senses. A favorite of athletes like the Golden State Warriors\u2019 Steph Curry<\/strong><\/span>, retired NBA player and \u201cInside the NBA\u201d analyst Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/strong><\/span>, and Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis<\/strong><\/span>, studies show floatation therapy helps reduce stress, pain, swelling, headaches, depression<\/a>, and insomnia, while lowering your blood pressure and helping your skin.<\/p>\nNeed a vacation? Try floatation! @liftfloats <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

\u201cSeveral studies show ongoing flotation chamber sessions can positively \u2018reset\u2019 stress response hormones like cortisol, ACTH and epinephrine,\u201d says Mia Kyricos, Spafinder Wellness Trend Report\u2019s chief brand officer. \u201cMuch of the research found that these positive effects last months after \u2018floats.\u2019 Studies on flotation\u2019s brain impact showed it improved creativity\u2026and boosted focus in academic examinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just winning athletes who praise the benefits of floatation therapy. Tim Ferris<\/strong><\/span>, entrepreneur and author of the New York Times best seller, \u201cThe 4 Hour Work Week\u201d calls floatation therapy \u201cone of the most anxiety reducing experiences I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d The Beatles\u2019 John Lennon<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong>credits floatation therapy with helping him kick his addiction to heroin. Saturday Night Live<\/em> and \u201cBridesmaids\u201d star Kristen Wig<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong>told David Letterman, \u201cYou come out and everything is great!\u2026and your skin feels really good.\u201d
\nAnd I, your friendly parenting journalist, say it\u2019s amazing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

DaddyVents and I visited LIFT\/Next Level Floats<\/a> (where your faves from OITNB<\/strong><\/span> have floated) to experience what some say is like \u201cmeditating<\/a> for years.\u201d After stepping into a spa-like area with couches, philosophical books, and herbal teas, we got a run through of floating basics.<\/p>\n

\"floation-therapy-tanks\"
Image by LIFT\/Next Level Floats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pods (for the adventurous) and rooms (for the claustrophobic *waves hello*) are filled with about 10 inches of skin-temperature water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt. Remember that scene in Stranger Things<\/strong><\/span>, where Eleven\u2019s in the kiddie pool of rock salt in the school gym? It\u2019s kind of like that, only much more relaxing.<\/p>\n

To help dull your senses, you can turn off the lights and pop in earplugs (which also come in handy for keeping the saltwater out of your ears).
\nOh, and you\u2019re naked.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nekkid. Nay-ked. Bare. But don\u2019t worry. Each suite locks from the inside, and comes with its own shower with and dressing area. The experience is heightened if there is no barrier between skin and water, says Jim Hefner, founder of Just Float in Pasadena, California. If you want to wear a bikini <\/a>instead, no one will force you to get in the buff.<\/p>\n

I stepped into a tub with a six-foot-high ceiling, closed the door, and tried to relax. I told myself to be open to the experience, but as soon as I felt my body start to drift, I\u2019d panic. Once I realized I could touch the bottom of the tank and there was absolutely no possible way for me to drown, I closed my eyes and opened myself up to the possibilities.<\/p>\n

I started to fall asleep\u2026I think.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re deprived of outside stimulation, your brain makes its own. A 2000 study found that visual cortexes became more active after less than an hour of visual deprivation. You can see, and even hear things, that aren\u2019t really there. Other studies say that floating increases theta waves, the type of brain waves we produce in that half asleep, half-awake state\u2013like after that 3am feeding. They\u2019re also the kind of brain waves produced during meditation, so floating can feel like you\u2019re dreaming while you\u2019re awake.<\/p>\n

The twinkling lights began to look like stars, and I thought I saw them start to move. I heard my husband\u2019s voice in my ear. \u201cRelax, babe. You\u2019re okay. Everything\u2019s okay<\/em>.\u201d I heard my children telling me, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Mommy<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Floaters say they\u2019ve experienced intense relaxation, out-of-body experiences, spiritual awakenings, total mindfulness, feelings of lightness and peace, alternate universes, and an \u201coverwhelming sense of happiness.\u201d One writer says, \u201cThis is the closest you will ever come to having a drug-like experience without taking drugs.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When it was all done, I felt relaxed. I took a long, hot shower and headed to have some herbal tea and decompress. My mind felt clear, my hair felt luxurious, and I felt ravenous. We headed to a Mexican restaurant to grab lunch and talk about the experience.<\/p>\n

Everyone who floats doesn\u2019t have the same sensations. While I heard my family\u2019s voices telling me to chill out and had dreams, my husband stayed awake the entire time. \u201cYou are getting into your own brain waves during a session,\u201d says Kimberly Boone, who runs Hope Floats in Bethesda, Maryland, one of the most well-known floatation spas in the country. Sandra Calm, co-owner of the Float Shoppe in Portland, Oregon, says \u201cEach float is dependent on that day\u2019s psychology and physiology.\u201d<\/p>\n

People with injuries like back and neck pain, physical therapy patients, and fibromyalgia patients have shown improvement in their symptoms after floating. As someone who spends most of the day hunched over a keyboard, I was able to sit up straight with no pain in my neck, shoulders, or lower back\u2013the way I can after a session with my chiropractor.<\/p>\n

So, would I go back? Definitely. At $99 a float ($85 for first timers), it\u2019s a self care treat, but the benefits are amazing. I plan to go back every three months. I got out of my head for an hour and got rid of my nagging back pain, and guess what? I even missed my kids.<\/p>\n

Try it for yourself at LIFT<\/a>, or find a float center in your area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Image by Ryan Moreno) Darkness surrounds you, except for a few twinkling lights. You\u2019re weightless, your arms outstretched, palms to the sky. You close your eyes and give in to the calm, quiet water. There are no children calling your name. No lunches to be packed, no toys to put…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MMV-Header-Image.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3671"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4910,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671\/revisions\/4910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}