JOMC 50: Electronic Information Sources (EIS)
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research Project by Jamison J Faddulla
Fall Semester, 1996

Sensory Deprivation Tanks: A Senseless Investigation


Introduction:

Click here to see what it's like to be in a sensory deprivation tank.

Basically, you're left utterly separated from all things that define the physical world.
Isolation tanks are especially interesting for their ability to completely remove you the outside world and thus help you relax. Users of sensory deprivation tanks report a renewed sense of spiritual energy when they emerge from the tanks' murky depths. Some experimenters have even reported receiving hallucinations while in a tank.
This research project attempts to give an introductory look at isolation tanks, and give the reader a general overview of the different uses of the tanks.
The World Wide Web was a somewhat useful aid in my research because there were a few sites on the Web that dealt with sensory deprivation tanks. (See general comments.)

WWW Sources:

  • The Samadhi Tank Company's Floatation Information Page
    URL: "http://www.floatation.com/"
    This is a commercial site maintained by a hot tub/spa company that wishes to promote the use of sensory deprivation tanks to "rejuvenate the spirit." The site includes a brief history of isolation tanks and references to float tank organizations. There is also an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, and an explanation of the mechanics of a tank. The company makes sure to give its address and ordering information in case you'd like to order a float tank for yourself.
  • The Isolation Tank
    URL: "http://www.garage.co.jp/lilly/isolationx.html"
    This site is an offshoot of the web site erected for John C. Lilly, the parapsychologist who invented the sensory deprivation tank. The page was created with the intention of giving more information about Lilly, and the experiments he conducted using the tanks. Thus, this page focuses more heavily upon the present and past scientific use of isolation tanks, rather than their design. One interesting feature of this page is that the viewer is able to download pictures of the face masks that the original tank users wore in the 1950's. Scary!
  • Picture Yourself in a Sensory Deprivation Tank.
    URL: "http://www.maine.com/pictureyourself/float.htm"
    Picture Yourself is a type of "lifestyle store" that specializes in the "progressive relaxation" of their clients. Picture Yourself sells a variety of organic health products and gives advice about how to relieve stress from your life. The company endorses isolation tanks as a means to achieve the perfectly relaxed lifestyle, and therefore offers information about the floating experience and about the tanks themselves. If you email the store, they'll provide you with the location of a float center near you and/or any information concerning the purchase of a tank.

  • Other Reference Sources:

  • Futrell, Johnathan, "When to let the tank take the strain." The Sunday Times  September 30, 1990, 1D.
    This British article gives a first-person account of a tank experience after the author visited a business that rents out the tanks at an hourly rate. The article gave the rate (22 pounds per hour), a brief history of isolation tanks, and long-term beneficial side effects of floating. The article gives a good general view of tanks and what it's like to float in one for the first time.
  • Hutchison, Michael, The Book of Floating.  New York,N.Y.: Quill Books,1984.
    This is just a basic book about sensory deprivation tanks, with general, non-expert readers in mind as the audience. The book gives a solid history of floatation tanks, and includes numerous first-person accounts of sensory deprivation experiences. The book gives all the possible side-effects that accompany floating, both beneficial and detrimental. It is an all-around good guide to sensory deprivation tanks.
  • Koszuta, Laurie. "Floatation tanks: giving athletes an edge?" The Physician and Sportsmedicine  volume15, May, 1987, pp 44-48.
    This article focuses upon the debate surrounding athletes' use of sensory deprivation tanks to gain a competitive edge. Some say that floating away in a tank enables athletes to better visualize their competitive success. Others say that it's just a waste of time. The story offers a good look at the practical (or not so practical) applications of floatation tanks, with athletes and trainers being the target audience.
  • Lilly, John C., The Deep Self.  New York, N.Y. : Warner Books, Inc.,1977.
    This book, written by the inventor and most frequent user of the sensory deprivation tank, John C. Lilly, details the construction of an isolation tank and gives instruction on how to use it. The Deep Self is written with the belief that the isolation tank is the perfect device for discovering one's true inner self. includes numerous first-person accounts of others' sensory deprivation experiences.
  • Young, Gayle. "Flotation Tanks Science Today." BC Cycle  October 30, 1986, pp 30-34.
    This is a scientific-based article concerning sensory deprivation tanks' ability to help people overcome psychological addictions. The article includes testaments from doctors who say that their research shows that time spent in isolation tanks helps reduce certain hormones that lead to alcoholism and other chemical dependencies. Tank time also helps addicts by giving them ample time to themselves cope with their problems. In Australia, doctors regularly prescribe isolation tanks as treatment.


    General comments



    25 November, 1996
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    Jay Lennon Ballenger, Journalism and Mass Communication, Class o' '98

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