5 Typical Responses To Your First Float

What happens when you spend an hour creating spaciousness within your skeletal system, your thoughts and your awareness? Floatation therapy is an individually unique experience with some common threads you may recognise.

What happens when you create space for yourself

After your first float you could be feeling anything from “the same as normal” to “absolutely wonderful” …it can vary that much. The general rule of thumb is

…the more floats you have the better you feel.

Benefits lasting for a few days after the first float are fairly common.  Within three floats this often builds up to a week…with the feelings also being stronger and more noticeable.

Some of the common responses might include:

  • Same as normal

    Once in a long while a floater experiences no change at all after their first float.  Usually there is a delayed reaction, i.e. the effects come within a few hours, or by the next day …but when there are no effects at all, a second float, normally within a couple of days, nearly always produces immediate results.

  • A degree of relaxation or sleepiness

    Many people feel some degree of relaxation together with a sense of tiredness, sleepiness or feeling a bit “spaced-out”.  If you can relate, remember – a couple more floats will leave you feeling better and better. Perhaps even…

  • Deeply relaxed, fresh with a clear focussed mind

    Maybe not after your first float but, by the second or third float you will feel deeply relaxed and fresh, with a clear focused mind. Energy, sense of wellbeing, mental attitude and clarity will improve.  You may begin to notice a greater sense of control over life’s situations and a true sense of calm within you. It is possible to feel this good after your very first float, but more likely after your second, third or subsequent of floats.

    It is inevitable that you will feel this good once you release your stress and trigger your body’s relaxation response – a positive response which releases a calm, clear energy – not the inertia and inactivity we associate with “doing nothing”.

  • Intense levels of energy

    Occasionally you may feel an incredible energy, or…

  • High levels of happiness, joy, or euphoria even

    These feelings are caused by an extra dose of endorphins which, together with other physically and psychologically uplifting bio-chemicals, are normally released into the blood as part of the relaxation response. You may even feel like laughing out loud.

    These endorphins give you a lovely sense of wellbeing – commonly felt amongst floaters.  But in these special cases a bigger release of endorphins triggers greater energy or wonderful feelings.

Floating is normally a lovely experience – a real pleasure. Ultimately however it doesn’t matter if it is more enjoyable or less enjoyable than other floats;

Just ask yourself…

Has this float helped me?

…Do I feel better?

Am I more relaxed?

The bottom line is – a good float is one that helps you.

Adapted from Chris Koster’s ‘Understanding Your Float…’ 1991.
Photo by Stephen Leonardi (Unsplash)