From: Matt poot (mattpoot@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Feb 01 2004 - 22:18:29 GMT
This post is directly related to Sensory Deprivation Theory, however the
link I placed in the original post didnt work apparently, so here is what it
linked to. please read on! (this was written by my quite awhile ago)
Well, from reading the thread posted previously on www.deoxy.org on this
subject, I thought it would be interesting if I could head to the local
sensory deprivation tank here in Toronto, to experience what it would be
like to possibly think on a higher level.
I will have to say, that for the seventy dollars Canadian that I spent, it
was well worth it. Instead of wasting that money on the equivalent price of
5 movie tickets, and some snackfood at a theatre, I went and took the
'plunge' into an experience that will hopefully shape my future.
For this seventy dollars that I paid, I was alloted 1.5 hrs of float time,
with 15 min before and after to shower. Not only did I have my own private
room, in a very relaxed setting, but the people who worked there were some
of the nicest and personable people I have ever met. They answered all my
questions, gave me useful informations, etc. It is a shame that Polythread
(original poster) never stayed in the tank longer.
For those of you who didn't read his post, I will explain the basic idea of
a sensory deprivation tank.
The purpose of the tank is very simple- to eliminate all of the senses, and
from there the 'user' can experience many things, not normally attainable.
The water in the tank (which costs about 20 000 canadian (s&h, etc.)
contains 1100lbs. of epsom salt, and has I believe 2 time the concentration
of salt that the dead sea has. This eliminates gravity.
Feeling is eliminated by heating the water to sking temperature (93.5).
Sight and sound are eliminated by being enclosed in the tank, which has
seals to prevent light from leaking in, and is relatively quiet. The tank
was originally created for nasa, to help astronauts prepare for their trips
to space.
Now to get on to the actual experience. When I first entered the tank, and
began floating in the extremely dense salt water, I found the sensation of
'weightlessness' very unusual. Since I am 6'3", the tank was not large
enough for me not to bumb in the sides every so often (more often in the
beginning), but I found that this did not effect me in any dentrimental
fashion. At first the weird sensation of this weightlessness, coupled with
the darkness and relative quiteness (I thought that I heard the filter for
the tank going, or perhaps it was the sound of nothing) were quite calming,
as opposed to frightening.
It was not until about 45min (thats my approximation of the time) into the
float, that I really started to relax deeply enough to become seperated from
my body, and for my mind to float completely independent of any physical
boundaries.
I do not want to sound like some craced up person, but I was literally
spaced out. I remember having the feeling, and belief that I was out in
space, without a spacesuit, and my tether that anchored me safely to a
spaceship broke, and I began to float free in space. I truly believe that I
know what it feels like to float freely. It was like nothing I can describe,
or that you can come remotely close to imagining or understanding, unless
you experience for yourself.
It was a very odd sensation, because sometimes I would feel as if I was
floating upon the surface of a lake (without feeling the water) being blown
by some un-sensable wind, in one direction or another, but I never bumped
into the sides, which I can assume means that I was stationary the whole
time.
While I was experiencing this comeplete freedom from my body, that I began
to think about things, and came up with a little theory, in which I will
post another thread about.
The next thing that I experienced was quite fascinating. You know how that
when you go to sleep and close your eyes, you often see concentric circles
closing coalescing into a dot, or something like that , like lines you see
or something? Well, my eyes were open, and I began to see the shape of a
cross take shape, looking much like this one here :
-------> http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/romania/images/cross.jpg
except that the main difference was that the short right arm of the cross
was dissolved, and the cross was lying down horizontally. I tried to keep my
eyes focused on this image, but it kept drifting left, and after a few
seconds, it shrank in to a small dot, which then turned into the shape of a
bright white dove (there was just the shape, no actual features) and then it
proceeded to flap it's wings and expand dramatically, turning directions and
flying off into the infinite darkness.
Shortly after this, I 'came down' from this freedom, and came back to
reality, where i was just feeling very relaxed, and trying out different
floating positions in the tank. I later came to the thinking mode again, but
in a much smaller intensity than before, and then came down to relaxation
again.
It was after I heard the knock on the door, had a shower, and headed
downstairs into the main foyer of the health and wellness centre, that the
man working told me I had been in the tank for over 2 hours! What a nice guy
to let me keep floating!!
Anyways, I know that this is a long post, so I will respond to your
responses at a later date.
_________________
Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what
happens to him." - ALDOUS HUXLEY
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