Flotation Tanks
Another method for inducing profound relaxation involves the use of sensory deprivation. This is based on the discovery of the Ganzfeld effect,
whereby individuals exposed to an unvarying visual field (such as in a
white-out produced by a blizzard) enter an altered state of
consciousness and begin to experience a wealth of internally stimulated
visual imagery. The most effective application of the Ganzfeld effect
involves the use of flotation tanks (Hutchinson, 1984).
The Float Experience
A float tank
is an enclosed container roughly the size of a large bathtub with a
lid. Inside is ten inches of warm water, heated to a constant
temperature of 93.5°F (equal to the temperature on the surface of your
skin) and inundated with Epsom salts to enable you to float
effortlessly. When you shut the door you are enclosed in total darkness.
All sounds are blocked out by earplugs. But this sensory deprivation
chamber goes beyond a simple Ganzfeld situation by restricting other
sensory input as well. Tactile sensations are eliminated by lying back
and floating in a pool of water at body temperature, causing you to lose
your sense of separation from the liquid. The boundaries of your body
seem to disappear, thus eliminating sensations of touch, pressure, or
friction. The effects of gravity are also nullified by the fact that
your body is totally suspended in fluid. The result is that you are
almost completely deprived of external sensory stimulation. Scientists
estimate that at least 90 percent of our brain's activities are involved
in processing the wealth of external stimuli that bombard us at any
given moment. When we are freed of the need to monitor external stimuli,
our mind opens up to internal, often unconscious mental processes that
are ordinarily obscured. One of these processes is internal imagery.
Positive Effects of Floating
Numerous studies, as summarized by Michael Hutchinson (1991), in his books MegaBrain, and MegaBrain Power
(1994) document that floating has dramatic stress-reduction effects.
Most people find the float experience profoundly relaxing. Studies
reveal that periodic float tank exposure leads to decreased heart rate,
blood pressure, and oxygen consumption, along with reduced levels of
stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, in the bloodstream.
Furthermore, levels of stress chemicals remain lower for days, and in
some cases weeks, after the float sessions. Float-induced relaxation
also leads to vasodilation (enlargement of blood vessels, causing
increased blood flow), which boosts the supply of oxygen and other
nutrients to the brain. This, along with the effects of sensory
deprivation, results in enhanced mental functioning.
Along with documented
stress-reduction benefits, the flotation experience has been shown to
produce many other beneficial effects. Studies have revealed that
endorphin levels rise after float tank exposure, a common result of the
deeply relaxed state. Floating also appears to increase access to
right-brain functioning, thereby making it easier to get in touch with
creative and problem-solving abilities, visualization skills, and memory
functions. Many professional athletes who have combined visualization
practice with floating have succeeded in improving their sports
performance. Learning appears to be enhanced when floating. Many
individuals combine floating with specific learning tasks, such as
mastering a language or memorizing complex material. This involves
taking advantage of what noted researcher Thomas Budzynski, Ph.D.,
refers to as a “twilight learning state” where relaxation (in
particular, the achievement of a theta brainwave state) leads to
improved mental clarity, concentration, synthesis, and recall. In a
study (Taylor, 1983) that compared the learning ability of a float group
with that of a nonfloat group, the results revealed that people who
floated learned at a significantly superior level. As the difficulty and
complexity of the learning material increased, the superiority of the
floaters over the nonfloaters increased sharply. Check out whether your
community has a flotation center and treat yourself to this enjoyable
and healthy relaxation experience.
Light and Sound Technology
Sound and light machines
that alter brainwave activity via a combination of stroboscopic lights
and synchronized rhythmic tones may seem new, but the knowledge that
flickering lights and rhythmic tones can lead to profound relaxation,
altered states of consciousness, and visual images is something humans
have known since the discovery of fire. Can you remember staring into a
campfire or fireplace and feeling a sense of calm and tranquility
pervade your body? Meanwhile, you may have found yourself watching
images dance in the glowing embers. When you first see a sound and light
machine it may appear bizarre, like something out of a science fiction
movie. But while the hardware is new, the techniques being used are
ancient.
Human Brainwaves
To understand how light
and sound machines work, you must first learn a bit about human
brainwaves, which were first discovered in 1922 and can be measured by
an EEG. Human brainwaves range from 0 to approximately 40 cycles per
second (cps). They can be divided into four categories based on distinct
changes in consciousness associated with different frequency levels.
The following relationships can be observed between brainwave ranges and
subjective states:
Beta waves
(13–40 cps), the highest frequency range, are associated with normal,
waking alertness. We operate within this frequency range during most of
our waking hours. It is here that we carry on most of our daily living
tasks. The high end of this range includes arousal frequencies, which
can be associated with tension.
Alpha waves
(8–13 cps) are generated while we are relaxed but alert and also when
we are engaged in creative, absorbing endeavors. Meditators strive to
achieve the alpha state. An excellent measure of whether you are relaxed
involves determining whether you have reached an alpha state.
Theta waves (4–8 cps) are usually produced when we are just falling asleep or waking up (also known as the hypnagogic state),
and rarely do adults manifest a theta state while fully awake. Waking
theta states generally occur during bursts of highly creative activity
or peak experiences.
Delta waves (0–4 cps) are produced when we are deeply asleep or in other similarly unconscious states.
Entrainment
Light and sound
machines work by gently guiding your brainwaves into a slower frequency
cycle, thus lulling you into a more deeply relaxed state. This is done
with only gentle tones and flashing lights. The devices affect your
brainwaves through a process known as entrainment (or the frequency following response),
which is a very well researched and empirically validated phenomenon.
Basically, your brain begins to match or mimic the flashing light
stimulus that is presented to it. So if you are viewing a light flashing
in the alpha range, after a while your brain begins to shift into an
alpha frequency range to match the flashing light. That is entrainment.
It is the same principle by which tuning forks work. Your brain
essentially can resonate like a tuning fork, entraining to flashing
lights, pulsating tones, or both. As your brain enters into an alpha or
theta state, your muscles naturally relax.
Sound and light
technology has a distinct advantage over relaxation exercises and
biofeedback; where biofeedback merely measures levels of tension and
relaxation and helps train you to relax by providing feedback, light and
sound machines literally create a state of relaxation for you as a
result of the entrainment process. Although practice on these devices is
certainly recommended to maximize results and benefits, you do not have
to go through a time-consuming learning process to learn to relax.
Light and sound machines create the relaxed state for you, sometimes in
as quickly as five minutes. Light and sound machines are also portable,
unlike flotation tanks, and are available for home usage.
Do light and sound machines, also called brainwave synchronizers (BWS),
really work? Or are they simply a fancy placebo? Given that light and
sound technology is quite new (having been developed in the 1980s),
there is minimal controlled research. However, we conducted several
unpublished controlled studies (Brucato & Abascal, 1990, 1991)
documenting that light and sound machines do produce clinically
significant levels of relaxation. In one study with college student
volunteers, the effects of brainwave synchronizers were compared to the
outcome of activities that are considered intrinsically relaxing, such
as reclining in a comfortable chair or listening to soft music. The
experimental group reclined in specially designed recliner chairs and
received six light and sound sessions complete with melodious music.
Subjects in control group 1 only reclined in the same chair as the
experimental group and were instructed to relax. Subjects in control
group 2 reclined in the same chair and listened to the same music as the
experimental group. To minimize variations in subjects' expectations,
all groups received a blurb about stress and the beneficial effects of
relaxation, combined with an explanation that they would be receiving
state-of-the-art relaxation treatments. The results indicated that the
levels of relaxation (as measured by a variety of physiological and
self-report indices) in the group receiving exposure to light and sound
were significantly greater.
Researchers have
gone beyond verifying the phenomenon of entrainment and have begun to
document the effects of practicing relaxation with entrainment devices
such as brainwave synchronizers. Michael Hutchinson (1991) summarized
many of these findings:
Certain
frequencies, particularly within the alpha and theta ranges, are
associated with deep physical relaxation and mental clarity.
At these same frequency levels, anxiety levels are reduced.
Such
reductions in anxiety or tension levels have been shown to linger for
hours or up to several days following exposure to BWS stimulation.
In some cases the verbal ability and verbal performance of subjects was increased following stimulation.
Suggestibility and hypnotizability were markedly increased, especially by frequencies within the alpha and theta ranges.
The
flickering lights could bring the two hemispheres of the brain into a
state of greater coherence or synchronization. This state is associated
with increased intellectual capacity or functioning.
Such exposure could help stimulate vivid, spontaneous mental imagery and imaginative, creative thinking.
Experiencing Light and Sound Machines
Sound and light devices
have great potential as stress-management tools in that they produce
relaxation in a more reliable and efficient manner than many other
methods. This technology is also quite entertaining, as many people
report seeing colors, shapes, or patterns during exposure. The visual
experience has been likened to a kaleidoscopic array of vibrant colors
and designs. Spontaneous dreamlike visual imagery is also possible, and
for that reason BWS devices have been used to potentiate creativity and
problem solving in addition to relaxation. Many individuals resist the
regular practice of relaxation techniques or meditation because of the
boredom factor. Light and sound machines, due to their entertainment
value, are anything but boring, leading to higher compliance with
routine relaxation practice. For these reasons, we highly recommend
light and sound devices and feel that they represent the cutting edge in
stress-management technology.
Using a light and sound
device is as easy as pushing a button. The device consists of goggles
and headphones that plug into a small, portable computer console. All
you do is press a button to choose the program you desire. Preset
computer programs exist within the machine, varying in length, modes of
light presentation, and frequency ranges, allowing you to pick an alpha,
theta, or delta program. Once you have chosen your program, you don the
goggles and headphones, adjust the volume and light intensity to your
comfort level, and close your eyes. It's that simple.
You can enhance
your experience by playing melodic music (such as New Age or classical)
through the machine to accompany your relaxation experience. Most light
and sound devices are built to accommodate a patch cord that interfaces
with a tape or CD player. An even more elegant approach is to combine
light and sound technology with double-induction hypnotic tapes for
self-improvement. Since brainwave synchronizers can create profound
relaxation (analogous to a hypnotic state), it follows that listening to
a hypnotic tape while already deeply relaxed will maximize the
effectiveness of the suggestions on the tape. In our experience, using
hypnotic tapes in conjunction with light and sound creates a synergistic
effect where each is more powerful than when used alone.
Tips for BWS Usage
The following
list offers several guidelines to enable you to get the most out of BWS
technology, as well as to help you choose programs that will help you
achieve your goals.
If
you are not an experienced meditator, it is wise to begin with alpha
programs of twenty to thirty minutes' duration as a good way to
introduce yourself to this technology. Once you are comfortable with the
process and aware that you have achieved a relaxed state, you can move
on to other programs.
If
you have a seizure disorder or a history of convulsions, these devices
are contraindicated. Stroboscopic light stimuli can precipitate a
seizure in individuals prone to them. These devices will not cause seizures unless you have a pre-existing seizure disorder.
Not
everyone achieves the full depth of relaxation in the first experience
with light and sound. Sometimes it takes a few tries to let go and trust
in the process. If you try too hard, it is like trying to fall asleep.
You cannot make yourself sleep, as it is a process of letting go; the
same is true with relaxation. In our experience, light and sound
technology is effective with 75 to 80 percent of the population. There
is no right or wrong way to have a light and sound experience. You may
also find that each experience you have with this equipment is
different.
When
using hypnotic or subliminal tapes in conjunction with light and sound,
effectiveness is maximized by employing a theta program. You will be
most receptive to suggestion while in a theta or hypnagogic state. A
word of caution: in our experience subliminal tapes are not nearly as
effective as advertised. Studies indicate that subliminal tapes can
potentially carry some influence, but only if used properly—that is,
listened to in their entirety daily for at least thirty days in
succession.
When
using BWS machines to potentiate creativity, imagination, or problem
solving, it is also recommended that you choose a theta program
(Budzynski, 1991). It is while in theta that we are most likely to get
flashes of inspiration or develop creative solutions. Thomas Edison
taught himself to fall asleep standing up against a wall while holding a
hard rubber ball in one hand. As he began to doze off, his hand would
open and release the ball, which would fall and strike a strategically
placed metal plate at his feet. The resulting clatter would rouse him
and he would immediately jot down any thoughts, ideas, or images that
had occurred to him as he was nodding off. Many of his most famous
inventions were first glimpsed in this fashion. Edison didn't know it at
the time, but he was using the theta state to maximize his creative
juices.
Delta
programs are typically used for two major applications: to control pain
and to facilitate sleep. Avoid delta programs otherwise, for they will
make you too groggy.
Many
light and sound devices also contain short wake-up programs within the
beta range that can take the place of a coffee break. Especially during
that late-afternoon lull, it can be useful to do a six-or ten-minute
beta program to wake yourself up without the negative side effects of
caffeine.
Depending
on the nature of your job and the amount of privacy in your workspace,
it may be possible to take a light and sound machine to work. If you
feel fatigue catching up with you, it may be possible to do a short
relaxation program (for example, fifteen minutes) to recharge your
batteries and revitalize. Or you can wake yourself up with a very short
beta program. Many professionals use these devices regularly within
their offices as a way of minimizing stress and anxiety and boosting
energy.
The
relaxed state produced by light and sound use often lingers for several
hours up to a day or two after exposure. We recommend that you practice
with the device two to three times weekly. This can reduce your
baseline level of tension (your normal level of arousal) by linking
together these periods of increased relaxation—the equivalent of giving
your car a tune-up, increasing its efficiency and gas mileage and
averting future breakdowns. If you are interested in obtaining a
brainwave synchronizer for your personal use, please refer to the
appendix for more information.
