The Tank

The Tank

The tank is that place I go where all sense of vision and sound is completely gone, disappeared, next to impossible to accomplish this without the use of this brilliant, older with a hint of modern day technology. Imagine being able to get rid of the distracting noise pollution that takes over one’s mind when trying to have, “Quiet time.” Our own thoughts can even be distracting at times. I feel like it’s trying to organize a filing cabinet shoved full, nothing in proper order, papers sticking out everywhere. When our eyes are open we have many distractions as well. Television, cell phones and computer use, become overwhelmingly the worst of all distraction. We all end up filling our days with tons of distraction, it’s impossible not to in this high paced technological society we’ve created. I find meditation helps, but I still find myself getting of course, it’s very short lived. This “Tank” I speak is actually called: Sensory Deprivation Tanks or Float Tanks.

I first learned about these tanks five years ago now. One afternoon I was listening to the Jason Ellis show on serious SiriusXM, his guest Joe Rogan, had explained all about these float tanks and how beneficial they are for ones-self. He said the tanks are usually about four feet wide by four feet high and eight feet in length. 10 inches of water is added with about 1000 pounds of Epsom salts. The water temperature is 34 degrees Celsius or 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the same as body temperature. So when you go and lay in these tanks, you literally float and when the door is closed all sense of vision and sound is gone. It feels as if you’re floating in midair, nothing at all except you and your brain now. Sessions usually last an hour to hour and a half. He went on to explain about the history a bit, Dr. John C. Lilly, who invented The Tank in 1954 at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He started to discovery and what he had prophesied he would find many, many benefits.


Rogan would start to go on listing the multiple benefits this tank offered:

  1. Your body absorbs the magnesium from the salt, correcting any magnesium deficiencies, pulls toxins from the body (I recently learned 2nd to vitamin D people our deficient in magnesium. Many doctors believe magnesium is the single most important nutrient for human health. It is essential for over 300 different chemical reactions in the body, including maintaining your energy level, helping you relax, and sustaining the health of your heart and blood vessels.)
  2. Can hugely reduce anxiety.
  3. Deplete stress levels.
  4. Can totally get rid of the pain stress and anxiety causes.
  5. Lower and sometimes eliminate depression altogether.
  6. Helps getting back into a proper sleep cycle.
  7. People with fibromyalgia see huge improvements.
  8. You realize and deal with certain stresses that are on the mind.
  9. You feel like you have tons of energy when you get out.
  10. Long term you think, feel and do more positive in our hyper-productivity life.
  11. You can get tanks now that are voice activated record any idea you my find.
  12. Certain light therapy, sound therapy technology.
  13. Boosts Creativity


He mentioned he goes in there to work on certain bits for his comedy routines. Deals with certain problems in life, clears the mind.

The rest of the afternoon and night was spent researching everything I could possibly find on flotation tanks. One site found early on had, “Sensory Deprivation Tanks” within their description from a place in Red Deer. Wasn’t true, not true at all, hope was lost. Research would continue and nowhere in Alberta offered such a place unfortunately. Found a place in Vancouver and found some in California, but I wouldn’t end up going, and quickly forgetting. The interest on the subject vanished.

A few years later a friend of mine asked, if I’ve ever heard or tried a thing called a Sensory Deprivation Tanks. That was the first time I’ve heard of it from anyone I know personally. Mentioned he wanted to go and try out one of these things, had a decent discussion about it among a few friends. Then didn’t really hear or talk about it much after.

Closer to a year later or so, I would have a similar discussion with the same friend. This time he had gone to British Columbia with a friend of his and tried a float tank out. He had such a great experience; it was now his and his buddy’s mission to bring these things to Central Alberta, which would be accomplished soon enough after.

So far, I’ve tried floating three times now within the last couple months. I was going to wait some time to write about this, but as soon I tried it I had to. It’s like I’m 16 again thinking about girls, doesn’t ever stop. Each experience is so vivid I remember it very clearly, very dream like but less cloudy. Started to jot down the 1st experience but still remember with clarity and didn’t have to. Next blog will be broken down into 3 parts for each experience spent by myself just floating there doing nothing.


Check their website out at

Enjoy this short  5:44  YouTube video of Joe Rogan’s narration on floating:


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