History of Sensory Deprivation Tanks/ Flotation Tanks
By UDDALOK GHOSH
Uddalok Ghosh is the founder of Satoru, which is kolkata's first and world's biggest Sensory Deprivation Tank.
In the 1950s, research about sensory deprivation emerged as an influential newfield for behavioral science researchers, supported by the intelligence community. Within a few years, experiments in sensory deprivation were invoked to explain a
wide range of phenomena, from spiritual revelations to the very structure of psychoanalysis. However, in the old days, if you wanted to experience sensory deprivation you would be subjected to a nightmarish-looking "black-out" mask.
Now, that all changed in 1954, when neuroscientist John C. Lilly(during his tenure at National Institute of Mental Health) invented the sensory deprivation tank or isolation tank which later came to be known as floatation tanks.
Floatation therapy is based on a scientific approach to deep relaxation called Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique or R.E.S.T. Floating in a sensory deprivation tank triggers a deep relaxation response, much deeper than normal sleep. It enables us to drift into the Theta state, which is hard to achieve. Although floating was invented in the United States, it has grown quickly over the past two decades all over the world.This therapy has many physical and mental benefits because it provides an unparalleled level of relaxation. With the elimination of external stimuli and gravity computations, the central nervous system's workload is reduced by as much as 90%. This creates a parasympathetic response by which the body naturally regenerates itself and maintains chemical and metabolic balance.
