So this is it, time to give it a go and see how it feels!
These were my final thoughts as I parked my car and walked up to the unassuming building located in a semi-industrial estate in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast.
A few weeks prior I had never even heard of ‘floating’ or had any idea of its potential benefits for relaxation, recovery and mental health. It was my wife who actually told me about a program she had watched on channel 7’s ‘Sunday Night’ about a war veteran who suffered from PTSD. The program talked about how he used ‘surf therapy’ to assist him with his PTSD, it also then went onto talk about ‘float tanks’ and their benefits for helping people who were highly stressed or dealing with PTSD.
So with a bit of googling we found ‘The Float Space’ located in Maroochydore which was the type of therapy that the television show had been talking about and also happened to be the only one of its kind on the Sunshine Coast.
Next step – I did a bit of research on what ‘floating’ actually is and what do they claim it could do for someone like me has who been previously diagnosed with PTSD and Depression and is always looking for ways to relax and destress from my very busy life.
I couldn’t find any negative information about ‘floating’ but I still had a few lingering questions:
- What happens if I fall asleep, will I drown?
- Will I feel claustrophobic?
- What if I can’t ‘float’?
- Do I really have to do it naked….….. really………. seriously?
- Do they change the water between sessions or am I lying in the same water as the last person?
- Do you do your float with the different colours on inside the tank?
So off I went reading the articles on the website and watching the demonstration videos and reading reviews and blogs from other people who had been and actually given it a go. Thankfully all of my questions were answered when I went through the Float Space’s website.
Decision – Bite the bullet and give it a go!
The booking was quite an easy process as The Float Space use a system where you simply select your float room (choice of 3 individual and identical rooms) and a few other options around other complementary services and you are then given the available times left to choose from.
Float time – So in I went through the simple unassuming front door into a small but very nice front counter area.
After meeting the owners I was given the mandatory forms to fill out as you would expect when you go to a health retreat or centre. What I didn’t expect was to be then given an iPad with a set of headphones to watch an introductory instructional video! Quite Cool I thought!
Click on the following button to watch a quick interview with Janina and Felipe, the owners of The Float Space .
Then off we went into my float room for a quick run through of the do’s & don’ts of floating.
The float room had a nice shower, which you have to use before and after your float session and organic hair and body wash products are provided.
You get a set of your own ear plugs and you also get shown the basic functions of the float tank itself, things like the emergency button, light button and a water spray bottle which is located inside the tank.
With a nervous yes, yes, yes to my instructions I was left to myself to start my relaxation adventure in float room 3!
Believe me it is quite a funny sensation putting your hand into the water as it is very dense and you need to push down with some force to touch the bottom of the pod.
I chose to do my float in total darkness but you can do it with the float tank rotating through a number of colour which are meant to be relaxing and create a colour therapy. The float starts off with 5 minutes of relaxing music which also comes back on 5 minutes before the end of the float to wake you up if you are asleep.
Tip 1 – When you step into the float tank don’t put both your hands into the water like I did. Why? Because when you then reach up with your wet hand to close the float tank the water drips down on your face and it stings your eyes.
Tip 2 – When you start floating don’t worry about slowly bumping into the side of the float tank, it will slow down and actually stop in a few minutes when you stop wriggling. And yes there is plenty of room in there, I am just over 6ft tall and had plenty of spare room.
Tip 3 – It’s ok if you fall asleep, you won’t drown! (I know this personally as I did fall asleep a few times during my float).
Tip 4 – Try the different floating positions (arms by your side, arms on your stomach or arms above your head) during your float time. I found floating with my arms by my side as the most comfortable for me after I got used to my neck being arched back a bit more than usual.
Tip 5 – Don’t wear your most glamourous clothes to do a float as if you do happen to get some of the float water on your clothes it does leave a salty stain on them, it’s ok it does wash out.
The verdict – I was nervous to start with and found it a bit hard to relax but after a few minutes of just lying there listening to the introduction music I was on my way. After the music stopped the sense of being in total darkness just listening to and concentrating on your breathing is so relaxing in itself, it allowed my mind to drift away and simply think about nothing!
The time in the dark flew by even with me experimenting with the different arm positions to find the best one for me.
I floated perfectly in the 550kg laden, 10 inch deep warm water which ended up sitting just around the outside of my face area, and yes I did fall asleep at least twice and I didn’t drown!
No I didn’t get claustrophobic and am glad that I chose to do my first float in the total darkness to experience the deep relaxation that it brings.
The big question – Did I feel relaxed and do I think help with PTSD, Depression and generally relaxing from a busy lifestyle? Definitely! Floating is an experience that is honestly like nothing else I have ever come across or ever experienced before in my life!
I felt like I disappeared into the never-never for an hour only to return very relaxed, calm and chilled out. This was only further enhanced by the upstairs relax lounge where you get to go after your float to sit, relax and sip on the days specific brand of specially made herbal tea.
Where to from here? Well next time I will be adding another service from the selection (Sauna, Bio-mat, and Massage) to go with my float at The Float Space to add to the relaxing destressing experience.
Warning – Nothing good is ever without a warning section! My only warning to you is, if you are going to do a float session think about what you are going to be doing afterwards. Why? Because after my float I found myself wondering around the Sunshine Plaza in a daze of relaxation wanting to curl up on a lounge and just chill out and watch the world go ever so slowly by!
Final words – Go ahead and have a GO at floating if you need to relax, destress, recover and/or cope with PTSD, Depression, a busy life or the like. I for one will be going back!
Contact me directly at stuart@healthymindhealthyfuture.com if you have any further questions you would like to ask me about my float session. #HealthyMind #HMHFuture
Regards
Stuart Rawlins | Healthy Mind Healthy Future
Guiding you through life’s challenges!
DECLARATION – Prior to my float I have not had any dealings with The Float Space, its owners or its staff. I paid for my float session in full and am not receiving any type of payment for the completion of my review. In essence I wanted to have a go at ‘floating’ for myself and share my experience with you to see if floating may assist with dealing with PTSD, Depression and life’s general stresses.
