Every Float is Different

In my first float I had no idea what to expect. I was a little apprehensive yet curious. As I got settled in the tank I quickly became confronted by fear. It arrived in the form of the darkness and unfamiliarity of the tank itself, but soon I realised that it was inside of me, swirling around in my head. I was presented with how I was wrapping all the areas of my life in fear. It was pretty overwhelming and I was almost ready to stop the float early. There in the tank, alone in the darkness with absolutely no distractions there was only me and the fear. I realised that the only way to have it leave me was to acknowledge it, embrace it for it’s place in my life and then breathe it out, to let it go.

Afterwards, my head was clear. None of this swirling fear tangling up my thoughts. I felt free and content. Decisions I had been battling with seemed irrelevant altogether and I was sensitive to understanding my own needs. That was nine days ago now and the feeling still remains. I am beginning to believe that it will always remain. Once you experience freedom of the mind, it doesn’t make sense to be any other way.

My second float was an experience on the complete opposite scale to the first. There was initial feeling of trust as I settled into the float. I was more familiar with the floating feeling and with the blockage of fear removed, a playful energy radiated all around and through me. The time passed much more quickly and I tried moving around a little bit in the tank, trying different positions with my body and lying the opposite way in the tank.

After the float I felt an overflowing sense of creativity. I sat down with my journal and unleashed ideas and drawings for a good hour. I felt inspired and joyful, without limits to what I could create through these ideas.

Now, my third float. I felt a deep sense of calm and timelessness. At Float Culture there is an option to have music for ten minutes at the start of your float to get you settled into your experience. In past floats I felt myself hanging onto the security of sound, wishing I had asked for music throughout the whole float. Yet this time the music seemed to last for twice as long. I felt myself rejecting the way it pulled me into the present, away from my drifting consciousness. Yet, due to the time keeping role of the music I could tell how quickly thoughts were passing through my mind. It was as if I was racing ahead of time while it was passing over me like a wave caught in slow motion.

Once I seemed to watch my subconscious thoughts bubble to the surface, I found myself settling into a state between being awake and being asleep. I felt like I was in the womb, yet somewhere in space, among the stars.

This float was over the quickest. I felt my inner child be reborn. Happiness radiated through me and all around me. There was a deep connectedness to the world and the universe.

I am in awe of the variation in my float experiences. It is as if every time another area is addressed, another layer delved into. From talking to other people I have seen that variety in experience ranges across the board, from physical relaxation to emotional release to seeing visuals. I believe that floating caters for each person differently, with the experience that they specifically need or are ready for wherever they are in their lives.