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Extract from Healthy the Holland and
Barrett Magazine
July 2006
article entitled Healthy Focus
Floatation
Floatation therapy involves lying in a bath or pool of warm water
containing enough salt to allow the body to float effortlessly. There is
often a soundproof lid that closes over the bath, leaving you to relax
for around an hour with no distractions.
Dr
John Lillly invented the first floatation tank in the 1950's while
researching psychology and meditation. He discovered that when the brain
is deprived of all sensations such as sight, sound touch and gravity it
enters a deep state of relaxation that can only normally be
achieved through deep meditation. During this state of deep relaxation
the heart rate slows, blood pressure drops and you're flooded with
mood-busting endorphins.
The
benefits of floatation therapy certainly extend beyond simple
relaxation. A recent study by Karlstad University in Sweden found that
it could help patients suffering from chronic stress-related pain,
depression and anxiety. The beneficial effects lasted for up to four
months after having treatment. Researchers found this was due to two
main factors. Firstly, the level of stress hormones in the body goes
down after floating. Secondly, prolactin, a bonding hormone, is released
in larger amounts, boosting feelings of wellbeing.
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