So, I decided to do one float a week for the remainder of my pregnancy and blog about my experiences and any benefits I saw.
Background on float/isolation tanks if you're not familiar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_tank
Here's a site that talks all about the therapeutic benefits of floating on pregnant mothers:http://ovarium.com/lang-en/content/48-bain-flottant-therapeutique-benefices-pour-les-femmes-enceintes-lors-de-la-grossesse
Float #1:
I did a night float (7-8:30pm) in their open tank - which is not an isolation chamber like the wikipedia picture above but more like a big rectangular hot tub (that only has about a foot of water). I really like the open tank and feel the same benefits of sensory deprivation as I did in the other tanks but I feel a little more comfortable in the open room vs. the tank.
As soon as my body hit the water, I swear my back and hips were rejoicing! The weightlessness was heaven!!! I just kept thinking for a good half hour "I'm in heaven". The relaxation that all my muscles felt after just an hour was equivalent to how I feel after a 2-hour massage (because 1-hour massages can only go deep in some areas of your body, there's never time to get that deep, full-body zen in one hour).
During my float, I decided to try flipping over onto my stomach and drape my arms and chest on a long float log they provided. This was wonderful because for the first time in 6 months, I was able to lay on my stomach! And I'm normally a stomach sleeper, so this felt so great! After what seemed like a half hour or so (time disappears in the float tank), I felt I wanted to experience that weightlessness on my back again before time was up, so I laid like that for the remainder of my 90 min. session.
For this session, I decided to use the inflatable neck/head rest they provided and take out my ear plugs. I had always done floats before without the neck/head support and with earplugs in and it always took longer to adjust to being able to hear myself breathe so loudly in my own head. I really liked not using earplugs and using the head rest so I didn't feel I was always an inch away from salt water getting in my eyes. I think I will do it like this from now on.
I also remember falling asleep in all of my last float sessions. I didn't fall asleep in this session. I think my body was just so excited to feel relief and enjoy the sensation of being on my stomach and having no pressure on my back & hips. I did zone in and out mentally though...
I just love and missed the feeling of the water gently supporting my body. Since the water temperature is about the same as my body temperature, and since you're floating in a dark, silent room, after a while, you don't know where your body ends and the water begins. I feel one with the water and it easily takes me on brief out-of-body experiences where I feel like I could be floating in space. It's such a cool feeling!
I felt like I floated home! Every muscle in my body as well as my mind were feeling so relaxed and zen. This feeling extended into the next day too! The extended physical benefits were amazing! I didn't have a single leg cramp all week! I also was able to get a good night's sleep several nights after the float whereas before, I would wake up with hip pain and need to switch sides every couple hours. My back pain disappeared for several days and it only came back with minor pain that I could manage and improve with stretching.
Float #2:
I did the open tank again. This time, I tried a mid-afternoon session (3-4:30pm).I wouldn't do an afternoon session again because I wasn't able to clear my mind like I have been able to every time I do a night session. I experienced during this session, what I've heard many first-time floaters experience. Not as much physical relaxation because the mind won't stop racing and the anxiety or uncomfortable feelings that accompany this. It's interesting because after reflecting on my first session, it's clear I needed more physical healing at the time then mental healing. And, in my second session, I felt more mental anxiety, or maybe that's a strong word - maybe just that uncomfortable mental state when you feel you should be able to relax but can't and you get frustrated which causes more discomfort. I think, I needed more mental healing this time than physical. Which would make sense because I wasn't feeling as much of the physical discomforts of pregnancy over the last week after my first session but was feeling anxiety over childbirth and the transition into motherhood.
I wouldn't say I felt worlds better with my mental anxiety, which was what I was dealing with this week, after my float but I did feel a little better. The fact that becoming a parent and birthing a baby are such monumental, major life things, does not surprise me that I wasn't able to be completely "healed" after just one float session.
I think part of the mental anxiety healing process is to recognize and face those things that are causing us anxiety before we can release them. I believe my float session allowed me to block out all other life distractions and focus on nothing but the elephant(s) in the room. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. However, I know it's necessary in healing the mind and spirit.
I think a lot of people experience this during their first float, especially those who are in good physical health, because the physical body is usually the first to want to heal before the emotional body. I think giving up after just one session if you experience this is like giving up just as you're starting to make progress. I look forward to seeing more emotional relief after my next session.
