Nice post! Good to see more people are discovering this kickass way to relax your mind and body. Isolation tanks have been around since the 50s, initially used for scientific research and today more for relaxation therapy.

I look at sensory deprivation using an isolation tank as a form of meditation accelerator. The tank removes (sensory deprivation) the distractions you normally get with standard sitting meditation. Therefore all that is left (feels like) is your mind floating in space. Usually after 3 sessions you should be able to go deep into theta state with visuals ;-)

Having floated on a regular basis I believe sensory depravation is a great tool for busy minds, like those of the software engineer. My recent blog post echoes this here: http://www.theroadtosiliconvalley.com/local-california/float...

Happy floating!

They can be a lot of fun. Great for lucid dreaming experiences as well. And don't worry, the chance of you transforming into something else[1] is vanishingly small.

[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080360/

Tips:

  * Don't have any scratches on your skin, or the salty water
    will sting and distract you from the experience.
  
  * Empty your bladder before you enter the tank, so you
    don't feel the need to get out mid-way.

  * Shower before entering and after exiting the tank.

  * Some places can play your choice of music through the
    sound system in the tank, so you might want to bring
    some of your favorite music to experiment with,
    if you like.  If you prefer silence, you might
    want to bring earplugs to minimize outside noises.

There's a new VICE documentary on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCYglCDgpu0&list=PLDbSvEZ...

I try to go to FloatLabs in Venice as often as I can, it's always been awesome. Don't eat before you go in, it just makes for a better experience. Sleeping in the tank is the best sleep I ever get.

> When time was up I got up to move and my body felt heavy. It took me two tries to sit up and get out. I was in an extremely relaxed state, my mind felt calm. But here’s the cool part - I didn’t feel tired, I actually felt very very awake and full of energy

From the description of the effects, it seems exactly like deep relaxation exercises from yoga.

I have used a Samadhi Tank, and they are awesome beyond belief. Highly recommended.

It is quite amazing. It compares favorably to some of the higher-level psychedelics, but unlike those, it's safe.

The only downside is that it's generally expensive (60-80/hour in the northeast) to find a tank if you aren't set up to install one in your house, and most apartments aren't.