In short – yes. We know that certain conditions spark creativity, like isolation or more specifically sensory reduction as experienced in a float tank or pod. Float Therapy is at times noted as a biohack to managing stress.
When you climb into a pod and float in the water, all sensory information is eliminated. There’s nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to feel – the water temperature is matched to body temperature – nothing to taste and nothing to smell. This reduces the body to give up all sensations and the central and peripheral nervous systems to surrender to calm and relaxation.
Creativity thrives in this environment, when you’re floating your mind is free from all distractions…. And here’s the science to prove it.
By eliminating all of the incoming interference, floatation therapy leaves the mind wide open for creative intelligence to flourish.
What sensory deprivation does to your brain?
Once your body starts to relax, your body naturally releases less cortisol, the main hormone related to stress and adrenaline.
- Without the constant pressure of using your senses to analyse the world around you, stress levels start to drop.
- Without having to fight gravity your muscles, joints and bones take a break Without gravity pushing down on you your spine lengthens and decompresses, alleviating chronic pain
Instead of cortisol your body releases elevated levels of dopamine and endorphins, the neurotransmitters of happiness.
The benefits are further augmented when float therapy is undertaken regularly with many clients reporting:
- Increase in mental clarity and focus
- Increase in alertness
- Increase in energy levels
- Increase in motivation and productivity
In the pod, in stillness, we are able to expand our learning potential and evolve our minds enhancing:
- Learning capacity
- Reasoning capacity
- Speed of thought
We now know that brain performance is enhanced in this sensory deprivation state which has been likened to deep states of meditation. Being inside the float tank takes your brain from highly conscious alpha and beta waves to solid theta waves – the kind you would normally have right before falling asleep and just after waking up. Normally we only experience these theta waves for a few minutes, but having extended theta periods helps us visualise better, often giving us vivid mental images, inspirational and deep insights. It’s also this state that lends itself to hypersynchronisation of right (creative) and left (analytical) lobes with some interesting research even pointing to improvements in technical ability for musicians.
How do float tanks affect creativity and cognitive performance?
1. Creativity is heightened immediately
In a float tank the theta state can last for several minutes without the subject losing consciousness. This is when we can use this state for enhanced creativity and even problem solving.
One of the ways we can do this is through visualisation.
You might also like to add Music Therapy to your float session to enjoy its therapeutic benefits and to help you access those delta and theta brainwave states.
2. Enhanced creativity after floating
After a period of sensory reduction our senses are naturally heightened – colours are more vibrant, scents more aromatic, food may even taste better or linger for longer on the palette.
As floating induces deep states of rest and relaxation as well as sensory deprivation, it’s the ultimate downtime for our nervous system enabling much needed rejuvenation.
Floating once per week for 4 weeks has been shown to improve learning, memory as well as creative thinking.
Floating also promotes learning and memory in more indirect ways – by helping individuals sleep better. And we all know that sleep deprivation can negatively impact cognitive performance.
Our creativity and cognitive performance is constantly evolving. It’s certainly not fixed and is something we can intentionally improve over time.
To see what floating can do for your creativity, book your intro float package here – 3 floats for $177 – it’s our best value offer yet, saving $90 off the price of 3 individual floats. It takes the brain 3 experiences of something new to find it familiar. This is why we have the intro pack set for 3 floats so you understand the full benefits of floating.