The Big & Dandy Sensory Deprivation / Floatation Tank Thread

[Solipsis]

No suggestions on the OBE-inducing psychedelic question and stuff?

I'm not smoking DMT in a tank, you've got to be kidding. Oral 4-AcO-DMT would be much better then because it's not a short flash and much less of an instant shock. DMT is way impractical IMO.
But if any of you have an idea as to the dissociative efficacy of certain tryptamines, please shout.

 

[longtimesunshine]

ok sorry to bring this old thread back up but i didn't want to get in trouble for starting a new one...

i REALLY want to try this. are there any websites someone can recommend, OR is anyone knowledgeable of possible locations in texas? also, i'd like to get an idea of how expensive it is for one session...
this seems like such an awesome fucking experience and after my first time tripping dmt the other day i really would like to get an idea of how much you can discover about your own mind while completely sober.

 

[Flickering]

People normally aren't too grouchy about ressurecting threads.

I just went in an isolation tank for the first time two days ago. I went in half-expecting to trip out with visuals and an OBE. It didn't happen and I was kind of bored, waiting for something to happen. I realised my expectations were marring any potential experience, but I've never been too good at meditation so that didn't help.

Anyway, it was relaxing and my breathing gradually slowed and became automatic. About forty to fifty minutes in, I fell asleep... or something... but it was a very dark and deep sleep, or I just didn't remember what I dreamt about. Basically my mind became very relaxed and all my thoughts 'unwound' in a scrambled, chaotic, yet somehow alleviating way. My consciousness dimmed almost to the point of nothing. I've experienced this at least once before, using holotropic breathwork (only tried it once).

Then the music started playing, my cue to leave the tank, and I came back to consciousness in panic. I was taking deep but frantic breaths to calm myself down. Paradoxically, my body was so relaxed that the breaths came very easily, and soothed me at once. It took a few moments for the panic to subside and for me to realise I was in an isolation tank. I got out quickly, as I suddenly felt claustrophobic.

I spent the next three hours wandering the shopping centre in a quiet brooding mood. I thought about my life, the deprivation tank and my recent plane crash of a mushroom trip. I felt calm, but weird, like I was vaguely tripping. It was a process of absorption and reflection and I feel it was quite healthy, if melancholy.

Your mileages may vary; I have a lot of unresolved issues bubbling below the surface and the isolation tank, like the mushroom trip, brought them to the forefront of my consciousness. The isolation tank, however, did it in a way that was far more manageable.

I have booked in five more sessions. I plan to use one of them under the light influence of something, perhaps 2c-b (my latest craze) at about 10mg, to stimulate psychadelic or maybe hypnogogic consciousness. Don't see anything wrong with doing that but I would definitely recommend doing it sober the first time.

And if they ask whether you'd like music, no, you don't. That defeats the purpose of sensory deprivation.

 

[psood0nym]

longtimesunshine: If you're not using sensory deprivation with psychedelics I'd recommend practicing getting yourself into hypnagogic states. From my very limited experience it seems that sensory deprivation and hypnagogic hallucinations are similar, but even if they aren't learning to switch into a trance-like state is advisable if you want to get the most out of sensory deprivation.

 

[longtimesunshine]

People normally aren't too grouchy about ressurecting threads.

haha thanks, good to know. i've been on other msg boards that hate it

I went in half-expecting to trip out with visuals and an OBE. It didn't happen and I was kind of bored, waiting for something to happen. I realised my expectations were marring any potential experience, but I've never been too good at meditation so that didn't help.

yeah, i'm actually afraid this might happen to me too...
but thanks for the advice, both of you! i will definitely look into meditation, hypnosis, etc. before actually making an appt so i can really try to get the most out of it when i do try it

if anyone else can help with locating the nearest place to me, let me know. or pm me... (i'm so close! :b)

 

[Flickering]

I'm halfway across the world from you, haha, sorry. Best advice is to Google it.

Remember that you don't necessarily have to trip every time. One thing guaranteed is you will find it very relaxing and relieving. And if you're anything like me, you will be in a strange state of consciousness for the next while. It reminds me now of what I've read about ibogaine, post-trip. (Be careful if you take ibogaine - statistically, it kills .3% of users.)

Psood0nym's advice is sound; I'm going to practice hypnogogic states before my next session too.

 

[skillet]

Hey Flickering, how did you do the holotropic breathwork? Specifically I'm wondering if it's at all possible to do by yourself or you have to do it in a group? It's hard to find much information...

 

[SpecialK_]

Ketamine would be very interesting on this, especially with the sensations it already provides when lying still. I think it would be a very easy way to drift off into an intense k-hole with much more vivid images than usual.

On other psychedelics, I'm not so sure. Acid could either be fantastic, or the amount it has a person constantly think could ruin it. I've heard of this being one of the best ways to trip though, taking the acid, getting into the tank and lying for hours.

 

[Flickering]

Ketamine would be tricky to take - all this would be much easier if you had your own isolation tank. I also imagine even half a tab of acid would be really intense, but I wouldn't know. Certainly I'd start things off light.

Hey skillet - I only ever did it once and it was with someone guiding, she'd done it a fair few times before. My body gradually went numb and I fell into a dark recess similar to what I experienced in the tank. When I woke up it was hard to move. There are concerns about the safety of the process, as it revolves around disrupting oxygen flow to the brain. Basically, you might be better off taking ketamine. : ) But be careful with ketamine.

 

[skillet]

Hmm ok, maybe I'd better just forget about it and stick with drugs then! Thanks!

 

[Solipsis]

Ketamine would be tricky to take - all this would be much easier if you had your own isolation tank. I also imagine even half a tab of acid would be really intense, but I wouldn't know. Certainly I'd start things off light.

Hey skillet - I only ever did it once and it was with someone guiding, she'd done it a fair few times before. My body gradually went numb and I fell into a dark recess similar to what I experienced in the tank. When I woke up it was hard to move. There are concerns about the safety of the process, as it revolves around disrupting oxygen flow to the brain. Basically, you might be better off taking ketamine. : ) But be careful with ketamine.

Could you say a bit more about this? I am skeptical about it being as serious as you make that sound. There is epsom salt in there so isn't the magnesium supposed to relax your body if it is absorbed by the skin? I thought magnesium levels were important for ionic channels in muscles among other things so that could account for your numbness. Plus the absence of stimuli of course!

I felt a bit wobbly after an hour in a tank (under the influence of ketamine) but like I posted earlier nothing too remarkable. For relaxing, therapeutic spa-like medicinal / meditative value it is certainly something worth trying though! I followed up with a hot stone / shiatsu massage and the combination was perfect.
I'd do it again on something like mescaline but where I went it is sort of a public facility. But I'm sure you can keep your shit together being guided into the room with the tank, and if you get a cosmic experience well then it might be awkward with the employees there but I don't think there are very bad things they would do. Ask you to leave at most if you keep talking about alien landscapes.

 

[andhil]

Could you say a bit more about this? I am skeptical about it being as serious as you make that sound. There is epsom salt in there so isn't the magnesium supposed to relax your body if it is absorbed by the skin? I thought magnesium levels were important for ionic channels in muscles among other things so that could account for your numbness. Plus the absence of stimuli of course!

I felt a bit wobbly after an hour in a tank (under the influence of ketamine) but like I posted earlier nothing too remarkable. For relaxing, therapeutic spa-like medicinal / meditative value it is certainly something worth trying though! I followed up with a hot stone / shiatsu massage and the combination was perfect.
I'd do it again on something like mescaline but where I went it is sort of a public facility. But I'm sure you can keep your shit together being guided into the room with the tank, and if you get a cosmic experience well then it might be awkward with the employees there but I don't think there are very bad things they would do. Ask you to leave at most if you keep talking about alien landscapes.

I think he referred to holotrophic breathwork and not the sensory deprivation tank when talking about disrupted oxygen flow to the brain.

I have taken ~180mcg LSD (Avatar print) and went in a sensory deprivation tank once. Unfortunately the light button in the tank was defective and I couldn't turn the light off. The experience wasn't as intense as expected because of the novelty of the whole process (2nd time in a sensory deprivation tank) and me constantly thinking how much time I have left. My advice would be to train some relaxation techniques (perhaps some form of meditation) before going into the tank or you might have the problem constantly "over-thinking" everything. The best scenario would probably be if you knew someone that has a tank and you could take the time you need.

 

[ninsow8148]

Man.. I have always wanted to try this.

 

[Solipsis]

I think he referred to holotrophic breathwork and not the sensory deprivation tank when talking about disrupted oxygen flow to the brain.

I have taken ~180mcg LSD (Avatar print) and went in a sensory deprivation tank once. Unfortunately the light button in the tank was defective and I couldn't turn the light off. The experience wasn't as intense as expected because of the novelty of the whole process (2nd time in a sensory deprivation tank) and me constantly thinking how much time I have left. My advice would be to train some relaxation techniques (perhaps some form of meditation) before going into the tank or you might have the problem constantly "over-thinking" everything. The best scenario would probably be if you knew someone that has a tank and you could take the time you need.

OK thanks for clearing that up, yeah could be true about holotropic breathwork, reminds me of carbogen as well, but that only gives you the feeling of suffocating without actually doing it.

Anyway about that last remark of yours - QFT - my experience has novelty but I still wasted a lot of time trying to get used to it and bumping into the sides just by drifting left and right.
But if you would have more freedom to experiment with this then I can see profound experiences happening with better "probability".

 

[shpongle1987]

Sensory deprivation tanks and Psychedelics

So me and my gf were trying to think of something fun to do on her birthday which is coming up soon. I came up with the idea that maybe we try renting out a sensory deprivation tank while on some sort of psychedelic. I live in Ny and have been wanting to go to this place called "Blue Light Floatation" that is located about 2 hours away from me in the city. Prices are fare...around 80 bucks per hour so it seems like a cool thing to try out seeing as ive always wanted to try one ever since i saw the movie Altered States and heard Joe Rogan talking about his experiences with one. I have been doing alot of thinking about whether I even want to take a drug at all...and if I do, which one would be best for this scenario? Ive heard the experience of the tank alone without drugs is quite profound...so I figure which ever substance I decide to use I will use a small amount, enough for a threshold dose. I was thinking if I do use something I would prefer to use a dissociative, such as K, MXE or DXM seeing as the tank itself is meant to help you detach from your mind from your body and I figure since dissociatives already kinda do that then I figure adding the tank would make the experience an extremely intense experience. One thing that keeps popping into my head is the memory's I have of taking high doses of dxm, closing my eyes and finding myself going through amazingly intricate wormholes that felt so real I would be convinced I was entering a higher dimension/plane or what ever you want to call it. The thing is I haven't used DXM in a while due to the fact that its "lost its magic" so to speak, and ive never really gotten back to those wormholes and i figured if anything was going to give me a better chance of getting back to the wormholes the tank would be it. But on the other hand I know if I took some thing like LSD or mushrooms I would be bound to see some very intense CEV's which can be very prfound and amazing themselves. So does any one happen to have any experience with with isolation tanks? And if so were you under the influence during the experience? What did you take? Thanks for anyone that can help me out with some feed back because we've already decided we are going and now its just a matter of preparing P.s.- Here the site for the place im going to if anyones interested http://www.bluelightfloatation.com/

 

[Newbierock]

$80 an hour to float in a tank of water? I really don't understand the fuss...surely the same effect can be achieved by filling up the bathtub and switching the lights off?

sorry to go off topic, but this seems like a massive rip to me..a la "cherokee tampons"

 

[Flickering]

Dude, wall of text...

Dissociatives sound like a bad idea, they're the most inebriating substances so it'll be obvious to the staff that you're tripping. You want something a little more subtle like mescaline. LSD maybe, but I've heard the nothingness can be a bit much to handle. But if you really reckon you can pull it off, dissociatives would be ideal for the experience itself. John Lily and D.M. Turner used ketamine in float tanks. Of course, Turner also died in a bathtub with ketamine...

Good luck on your trip. $80 for an hour is far too much, most I've ever paid is $30. Mind you, that it's called Blue Light Floatation seems almost like providence, doesn't it. Try looking up float tanks in the advanced search here too, there are plenty of topics so you'll get to see what various Bluelighters recommend.

I'll relay my experiences too. I've been in float tanks four times. Nothing has ever happened, except the first time I fell into a deep semi-conscious state and was awakened suddenly to a near panic attack when the music started playing and I found myself in a dark enclosed space with water. This was a few days after the worst trip of my life, on mushrooms, and I was exhibiting some PTSD symptoms. I plan to do my fifth tank experience the day after a trip. I would do my sixth and final on a substance, but it would involve travelling to the city while high.

 

[shpongle1987]

@ newbie-I can't disagree with you about it possibly being a rip off, but i guess theres only one way to find out. Also it would be next to impossible set up a "makeshift" tank in your bathtub seeing as you need 800lbs of epsom salt to keep you buoyant and must be in complete darkness and silence.
@flickering- The price does seem a bit steep to me but I attribute that to being in NYC where pretty much everything is vastly over priced. Also im sorry to hear about your failed attempts at having any positive experiences with the tank, sounds like a bummer. Was the panic possibly attributed to the fact that you mite have gotten claustrophobic? Or jsut the fact that you didnt know where you were rite away when the music came on? Also, as far as me taking mescaline goes....its just not possible. I wish it was but I have not once seen it in NY Since ive wrote the post ive been thinking more and have been leaning towards taking a high 2nd plateau dose of DXM, only because I know i can hold my shit on DXM and my buddy just acquired pure powder so I dont need to drink any nasty syrup

 

[Help?!?!]

$80 an hour to float in a tank of water? I really don't understand the fuss...surely the same effect can be achieved by filling up the bathtub and switching the lights off?

sorry to go off topic, but this seems like a massive rip to me..a la "cherokee tampons"

Must not know much about sensory deprivation as true deprivation would be worlds away from a bathtub and no light.

 

[Flickering]

I also think you should have at least one experience in the tank without a subtance, to get a feel for it. Up to you of course.

Was the panic possibly attributed to the fact that you mite have gotten claustrophobic? Or jsut the fact that you didnt know where you were rite away when the music came on?

It was both of those, and I'm not usually claustrophobic, and it only lasted about a second, but it was intense - I launched upright, breathing fast, looked around wildly, and then it all came back to me. Even then I wanted to get the hell out of there. Also, I spent the next two or three hours in a deeply introspective mood, mostly dwelling on the mushroom trip and the often horrific nature of reality. I felt really vulnerable, but at the same time, it was beautiful. I think it helped me absorb that bad trip.

Also, as far as me taking mescaline goes....its just not possible. I wish it was but I have not once seen it in NY

There's gotta be a nursery somewhere in the city or on the outskirts. Keep an eye out for san pedro cactus. You don't need synthetic mescaline, in fact I'd think the organic style with the added alkaloids would be perfect for this experience.

Since ive wrote the post ive been thinking more and have been leaning towards taking a high 2nd plateau dose of DXM, only because I know i can hold my shit on DXM and my buddy just acquired pure powder so I dont need to drink any nasty syrup

That sounds safe, definitely better than 3rd plateau, and if you're sure you can pull off sobriety, I say go for it. (Can't imagine doing that, though - I get exaggerated movements and serious robo-walking.) Best of luck on your adventure!