The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea

Everything you wanted to know on Flotation Tanks and then some. You get the history behind the tank. Thirteen chapters on how it works. Ten chapters on ways of floating. And the last chapter, which is his new addition to this book, is about the spiritual side of floating. If your interested in learning the ultimate way to relax, meditate, super learn, break addictions, loose weight, physically and emotionally heal or become one with the universe then this book is for you. It fascinated me so much, that I'm either going to buy a tank or make one, being that there are no Float Centres nearby. A must read for all, and especially for those who help others in dealing with life's problems.

Who wouldn't want a relaxing and drug-free alternative to pain and stress? That's what floatation therapy offers, but thanks to the American mindset of "newer is better", floatation therapy went out of vogue in the 80s, despite an unparalleled success rate. So how do you learn about floatation therapy when none of your friends and family know about it, the libraries don't carry any books about it, they don't teach it in school, and your doctor's never heard of it? That's easy, just read The Book of Floating. Every friend I loan my copy to is amazed that they could go their whole life without knowing about float tanks. At a time when back surgery and anti-anxiety medication is common, The Book of Floating is an important reminder of a side effect-free solution that has been widely available to Americans since the 70s. Do a Google search for "float tanks across the US" and you'll find a list of 61 businesses that currently offer floating.

The Book of Floating... I have been involved in the float tank industry since 1978; first as someone who enjoyed the experience, then in 1980, opening up a commercial float tank center in Hollywood CA - Altered States MindGym. This book has been the classic for float tank voyeurs ever since it was written, and has helped many understand the dynamics of this exceptional experience. It is GREAT; definately worth the money. Jeff Labno Los Angeles

As someone whose health and sense of well-being has been improved by using float tanks, I'm grateful for such an informative and enjoyable-to-read book as this. Most people are missing out on a myriad of benefits simply because they don't know what float tanks are and/or what they can offer. Mr. Hutchison bridges this information gap beautifully while elevating the level of appreciation on the part of the many people who have been benefitting from the float tank.

This is a book on the practice of floating in what are commonly referred to as sensory deprivation tanks. Hutchison, as a journalist, set out to basically debunk floating, and inadvertently wrote the definitive book on why floating is such a rare experience with so many transformative possibilities. In a nutshell, Hutchison tells us that not only is floating the ultimate way to relax, meditate, heal and learn, it would seem that it is the ultimate path away from addiction and fear. Powerful stuff. He writes about Dr. John Lilly's initial experiments, and the subsequent history of the development of the floating tank using epsom salts to create an ideal floating environment. The bulk of the book is a discussion of the wide range of applications, research and experiments that have been taken into the tank. The claims Hutchison makes of the potential use of the tank are quite astounding. He discusses the impact of frequent floating on learning, stress relief, visualisation techniques, behaviour modification, improving mental and athletic performance, and releasing latent creativity. This book is easy to read, end-noted, cross-referenced and anecdoted with results from studies done at universities all over North America. Floating, it is credibly argued by Hutchison and the researchers and floaters he spoke with, frees the body from gravity, allowing for accelerated healing. It also relaxes the body and the mind allowing for deep meditative states, and provides the perfect environment for self-hypnosis and accelerated learning. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, I consider myself lucky to have found it in a used book store. I whole-heartedly recommend this book for anyone who has thought about exploring the profundities of their own private sea. Floating can be transformative but, as Hutchison argues, best if you can do it for a long period of time, at least six months to realize the potential. If you are curious about the possibilities of this unique inner journey, this book will convince you that doing so is worth the effort and money.