In our December 2013 newsletter, as we were laying the groundwork for our float center, we asked our readers if they’d like to come over and float in the Space Burrito. We figured we had time to handle five people, and imagined we might get about that many responses, maybe double that. We gave them some things to consider about our home float tank, and said:
If all that doesn’t seem too weird and you still want to come try out our vintage float tank, then write us a little something about floating and you. What about it appeals to you? Why do you want to try it? No need to write a term paper; a paragraph or two will do.
Almost immediately, the responses started to pop in. In the end, we had more than two dozen replies to comb through, some asserting that cat supervisors would be icing on the floating cake. It was fascinating reading through the replies, and it slowly dawned on us that we wouldn’t be able to take everyone. (Yet! We’re working hard.)
People want to float for all kinds of reasons. Most were curious about meditation, or how their bodies or minds would react to the experience; a few had heard about it through Joe Rogan and were intrigued. Some had other motives.
I’ve been interested in sensory deprivation float tanks ever since I was a kid and read Rendezvous with Rama
I have heard numerous great things about the healing qualities of floating and I would like to expand my horizons. -DP
I feel that there is something within me that I need help tapping into and I can’t quite quiet my mind and body enough to reach that place. -SR
I am your average resident with a busy life filled with over-stimulation. We are so densely populated and clobbered with every clattering sound of transportation day after day. I grew up on a farm in the woods and I long to quiet my mind as if I were back at home. -JA
I had learned about this in philosophy class and we had tried to plan a trip to try sensory deprivation, but unfortunately there weren’t any in places near enough. -CS
I’ve been grappling with depression since I was about fourteen… Floating, which I “discovered” about two months ago and have yet to try, sounds like an incredible experience for both the mind and body– and for what might be called the soul or spirit. -JM
I’ve have a great deal of interest in trying out a deprivation tank ever since I read about it as kid in a book about Richard Feynman. I’m very much approaching it from the “mind as an incredible machine left to its own devices” angle. -EB
[Feynman talks about his encounters with float tanks in Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character).
I meditate daily and have heard that Floating takes meditation to a whole new level. -CY
I have 3 children so the thought of floating in 93 degree water with sensory deprivation is just about the most incredibly relaxing thing that I can think of! -KW
One of our readers had memories that sounded rather haunting…
I have floated before in a place in Cambridge back in the late 80’s that is no longer around. It was an incredible experience. I remember coming out of the tank feeling brand new, just so refreshed and rested. The experience in the tank was one of drifting and then almost like an out of body experience. I long to get back there. -TM
I can’t wait to get you back there. Soon! As soon as we can.