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If you landed on this page, chances are you already know what a sensory deprivation tank is! For those who don’t know, it’s basically a tank which attempts to completely wipe out all of your senses when you lay in it.
The tank is designed to be soundproof (sense of sound from the outside is null), lightproof (visual senses are null as it’s pitch black inside), and the water inside the tank is heated to the same temperature as your skin (sense of touch is drastically minimised). The other 2 senses (sense of taste and sense of smell) are not as stimulated, so no design conditions need to be considered here.
Well it’s 100% exactly as the name suggests! The primary function of a sensory deprivation tank is to as much as possible deprive the senses of the user! Why in the world would anyone want to deprive their senses!? Keep reading!
Think of it like this: there’s 2 scenarios.
Scenario 1 is a busy street in downtown Tokyo – coloured neon lights flashing on/off, all sorts of sounds from car and train engines to a young mother comforting her baby as they cross the busy intersection. If you thought that was sensory overload, consider the 20 odd people who brush up against you as you try to make your way across the street.
Scenario #2 is the polar opposite of scenario #1. You’re in a pitch black room (room blinds have been shut, there’s no sound as no one is at home) and you’re sitting cross legged in a deep meditative state. In this state you have become one with your breath; your body and mind sit there utterly still.
The distinction between both scenario #1 and #2 should answer your question as to why anyone would want to use a sensory deprivation tank. If it doesn’t, I will say this much to drill the idea home!
This may sound a little “loosey goosey” for all you logical minds out there. It’s okay I don’t expect you to believe a single thing I’m saying. All i’m saying is to look at it from an open mind perspective.
This is exactly why people use sensory deprivation tanks. Whether they know this consciously or unconsciously, they enjoy the experience of getting into deep meditative states without the constant distraction of the outside world.
The first time I used a sensory deprivation tank was in the summer of 2019. Earlier that year I took up meditation and yoga and enjoyed sitting for 2 hours everyday in deep meditative states. It brought me a joy that no other thing in life ever could. Sensory deprivation tanks were a means for me to try something different from the yoga and meditation.
Some people are absolutely terrified at the thought of laying still for an hour in a pitch black tank with no light, sound or outside stimulus. I was nothing of the sort. If anything, I was super excited because I already had an idea of what the experience might be like.
It was a sunny afternoon when I drove over to the establishment, and as I reached within a couple 100 meters I was a little surprised to discover that the establishment was essentially someone’s house basically turned into a sensory deprivation tank and massage business!
When I walked into the place I was really amazed by how good a job the owner had done with the entire setup. The lighting was perfect (not too bright, not too dim), the sounds mellow, and the couches super comfortable!
After clearing up a few formalities, I was given a quick orientation about the 2 types of tanks available for use. One was the Samadhi tank: a closed tank where you remain completely enclosed for the entire 60 minute duration. If you’re looking for complete deprivation, the Samadhi is your go to tank!
The other one was essentially a massive custom built tank that was open. The idea is you’d enter the room, close the curtains, dim the lights and enjoy some level of sensory deprivation (not complete deprivation of senses though). This option was recommended for those who suffer from claustrophobia, and anyone who doesn’t want to be fully enclosed.
One of the most challenging aspects with operating sensory deprivation tanks is ensuring the water in the tank remains clean. This is especially important if multiple people use the tanks, so for a business this is absolutely critical!
First and foremost, you will have to shower before entering the tank. You’ll have to use a special unscented soap that gets rid of body oils and dirt, and you’ll have to also wash your hair with a special shampoo.
Following these preparatory steps were no concern for me. In fact, I appreciate that such stringent requirements exist as they ensure the facility is clean for everyone who uses it.
After I was done the showering process, I proceeded to enter the tank. Before doing so, I put on a pair of ear plugs. Ear plugs are great for 2 reasons:
A deep breath and an exhalation, another deep breath and an exhalation. Now I was ready to step into Samadhi! As I shut the lid and proceeded to lay down, I quickly realised what pitch black really feels like. It’s the darkest of dark, the emptiest of empty, and it’s incredibly beautiful!
I spent the first couple minutes trying to adjust my body on the incredibly salty water. Often time I’d find myself colliding with the tank walls and then re-positioning my body to try and avoid this. Those first couple minutes were when I was the most uncomfortable.
I lay there totally relaxed and still. At this point I could clearly hear my heart beating. It’s so weird because I’ve never been so in touch with my body. The simplest thing such as listening to your heart beat is simply incredible, hard to describe with words.
As the experience deepened, I’d enter into these beautiful meditative states. I can’t really characterise the experience other than saying it felt like I was no longer my body.
I don’t expect you to understand what i’m saying, but I hope you can at least appreciate the profoundness. There were times when I felt like I was the water, I was the air, I was the darkness, and I was the tank itself! These deep meditative states would only last for a short time (or what I thought was a short time!), and then I would return back to myself for a few moments.
By far one of the most profound experiences of being in the Samadhi tank was that 60 minutes quite literally felt like 6 minutes! Time went by so unfathomably fast, it blows my mind! Before I knew it, my time was up and a soothing sound played inside the room to let me know that it’s time to get out of the tank.
As I made my way out of the tank, I felt slightly disoriented but not in a bad way. For those of you who practice deep forms of meditation and yoga, this was essentially the same feeling after an intense meditation session.
I stepped into the shower again, and enjoyed the warmness of the water touching my skin. A shower never felt so good before! Once again I used the special soap to clean my body from the highly concentrated salt water. I dried myself with a towel, got redressed and then walked out of the room to relax in the living room area for a few minutes.
I helped myself to a cup of tea and proceeded to relax on the comfortable couches. As I sat there I attempted to recollect everything i’d just experienced.
As the wise mystic Sadhguru has said “Confusion is better than stupid conclusions. In confusion, there is still a possibility. In stupid conclusion, there is no possibility.”
And so I sat there blissfully confused. Honestly I would have it no other way! I picked up a book, a diary of sorts that people had filled out detailing their experiences in the establishment. Some people used the closed tank, while others used the open tank. The beautiful experiences that people had shared put a big smile to my face.
I graciously thanked the owner on my way out, and made my way onto the now rainy streets. As I walked toward my car, I noticed a rainbow on the horizon.
I stood there a few moments more taking in the all the colours of this majestic feat. “How can I be so blind?” I thought. Everyday the world throws out miracles and I’m so caught up in my own nonsense that I don’t even realise it!
This feeling of euphoria and bliss lasted over several days. A certain lightness had taken over me….and boy was it amazing!
100% without a shadow of a doubt I would use a sensory deprivation tank again! For me it’s a no-brainer.
If I had to do any thing differently for next time, it would be making sure that the ear plugs are properly plugged into my ears! The only negative from the entire experience is that the salty water plugged my ears a little and for days it wouldn’t clear. Other than this, the entire experience was absolutely incredible!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my first time experience using a sensory deprivation tank. Please consider sharing on the socials as that goes a long way in supporting my site. Thanks so much and i’ll see you next time!
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