The Floating Mind

Although your body enters a level of physical relaxation which is even deeper than sleep, in the tank your mind remains awake and dreamily alert, just above the threshold of sleep  Large areas of the brain are suddenly liberated from their normal workload of processing signals from the nervous system and  sense organs. There is a sharp drop in the level of electrical activity of the brain (measured on an EEG) from the usual 20-25 Hz down to 4-8 Hz.; EEG readings show a slow, rhythmic wave pattern known as the theta state.        

This is a twilight zone of creative, inspirational thought processes, where your learning abilities are at their highest and powers of visualisation and auto-suggestion are greatly enhanced. Measurements of the brain waves produced by experienced zen meditators in deep satori show large amounts of theta activity across the cortex. For most people, however, the theta state is almost impossible to enter without falling asleep. In the tank you enter this elusive state effortlessly and enjoyably, and stay in it for most of the float session. Time seems to vanish.        

EEG measurements on floaters show that the level of activity in the two hemispheres of the brain also becomes more balanced and synchronised. This can produce a subtle shift in awareness away from the normally dominant "left-brain" thought patterns (logical, linear, analytical, detailed) towards the more intuitive, synthetic and large-scale thought modes of the "right-brain". The tank does not inhibit the left hemisphere, but simply changes its role from one of dominance to one of partnership with the other hemisphere, enabling floaters to use all their mental powers.