faustus Posted March 11, 2005 1 year and a painfully large sum of money later, this little bastard is finally complete. inner dimensions are 2.15 x 1.65m, 500kg of salt (check out the pic :D ). just a few bits and pieces left to tweak but it runs like a charm. found an interesting paragraph that may in part explain the phenomena (though don't agree with their dismissal of mystical experiences) Newberg and D’Aquili found that a specific area of the brain known as the posterior superior parietal lobe (PSPL) decreases dramatically in activity during a subject’s meditation. This area is normally involved in keeping track of where the boundary of the body is so to distinguish it from the external environment. Patients with damage in this area cannot easily negotiate their movements in space. During meditation or prayer the PSPL is essentially shut down for lack of sensorial stimuli. The subjects then start feeling like there is no distinction between themselves and the environment, they literally feel “one with the universe,” which they take to be a deep mystical insight. In reality, this is quite obviously the byproduct of the fact that the PSPL doesn’t have enough information about the external environment (the same sensation may arise in a sensorial deprivation tank). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Happy Cadaver Posted March 11, 2005 How do you explain your hobbies to friends? Very cool. :cool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smogs Posted March 11, 2005 funny that 1 of these was on simpsons the otehr night heh heh what is the power cable for? light? moody music? also is the idea that you sit in a salt water bath? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
apothecary Posted March 11, 2005 You sit in the salt water bath so your body floats and you aren't touching ANYTHING but water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spacetrucker Posted March 12, 2005 Wow that is impressive twix. Did you design that yourself? I've always wanted to try one of these again. I had a few one hour session in one years back and I always felt great afterwards. When I was lying there, I used to get the feeling that I was floating and slowly turning inside a gigantic underground water cavern. Then when I'd get out I felt like the cavern was inside my skull. And really calm too. The most I ever did was 1 hour though, I'd love to try it for longer. A mate of mine, his mum was running a joint which had some tanks and he reckons he was sleeping in one. He said that he only needed about 4 hours sleep per night when he slept in it. I dont know how long he kept doing that for though... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slarty Fart Blaster Posted March 12, 2005 Well done Twix, Hope you and you friends have many a mystical experience with this baby. All the best SFB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hagakure Posted March 12, 2005 does the salt dry you out over time? looks interesting and i would like to try one one day. do gnomes experiment with their crazy substances in these things? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason Posted March 12, 2005 Very cool. Don't they normally saturate the water with Magnesium Sulphate? Does salt work as well? obviously it's a much cheaper alternative. What substances are you (dreaming of) exploring in there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amulte Posted March 12, 2005 Thats funking awesome!!! i love em. you float in the water, just high enough to cover your ears, so you cant hear, the salt would help remove the smell of wood and the stuff used to build it i think. i think the smell of salt strips your nostrills of other smells. eg i read the first ones didn't work as people could smell themselves and not acheive desired results as removing all others senses but smell hightened the sense of smell. removing all senses is clensing the doors of perception in a way. love it, good work! Pop goes your mental, have fun! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
apothecary Posted March 12, 2005 I don't think any substances are nescessary, it's supposed to be an experience on its own! Not sure how safe it would be in there if you started freaking out on a hallucinogen! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spacetrucker Posted March 12, 2005 From my experience there is a lot to explore without using drugs in one of these. But my cat says he wouldn;t pass up the opportunity... Anyone remember that movie 'Altered States'? It about some guy who does sensory deprivation experiments with LSD. After a while he goes so deep into his subconcious that he regresses to some primitive state, which causes some problems for him. I think his genes started physically regressing... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psycho0 Posted March 12, 2005 that mmovie was about dr john c lilly's(??) experiments. on the movie it alludes to the fact that he's taking some sort of mushroom but then, havent seen it 4 ages, it says something about tropane alkaloids. i think his real experiments were with stuff like ketamine?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted March 12, 2005 It was DMT (I have the vid) Glad to see you got it off the ground(so to speak ) Did you build it from those plans you sent me ages ago Twix? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faustus Posted March 13, 2005 the idea with floating is that you no longer need to take drugs. although if one were inclined one would also read into the use of ketamine, LSD etc. normal salt is dehydrating, but epsom salts are fine and feels silky. as soon as you step out the crystals start crusting on you. as well as the non-ordinary states of consciousness, there are many practical benefits - relaxation, learning, performance enhancement, one big thing for me is anxiety, so i intend to work on that inside the tank. but yeah the general premise of the tank is that if you account for all sensory input, i.e. light, sound etc then phenomena experienced in the tank "must be" internally generated. the deep self by john lilly (the floater's bible) can be downloaded here (12mb) http://www.angelfire.com/pokemon2/the_deep..._john_lilly.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasemateau Posted March 13, 2005 i spose this is way of replicating the blue lagoons in iceland. i have been in one of these lagoons, it was like 5 degrees c outside and the water was 27c from bad memory, but after being in there for 3 hours, i have never felt so refreshed, unbelivable experience, it lasted for about three days, then i went back feeling as usual TIRED!!!!!. wonder if you can also replicate the mineral levels in a home made version. its worth a look, or even a new GROOVY thing to get done after visiting the solarium, and the hair stylist. massive consumer market out there!!!!!!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted March 14, 2005 yeah, very impressed. i have only had a very limited experience w/floatation tanks, but the one thing i would build in is some kind ov thermostatically controlled heating. the water is supposed to be at body temp. every time i've used one the water cools after about 20 minutes, which is just about the time it takes to fully "get into it". so just as your mind is freeing itself to wonder, it's dragged back w/the sensations ov being chilly. looks like you've got this covered though. how DO you explain your hobbies to friends & family? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alucinare Posted March 14, 2005 That IS very impressive. How difficult was it to build? are the materials needed commonly available? and if you don't mind could you reveal the cost of that little baby? What about ventilation? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faustus Posted March 14, 2005 yeah heating is a big issue, the solution needs to be 34.5C so you neither feel hot nor cold. but i've got a thermostat accurate to .1C and 3 300watt submersible titanium heaters (though the pic shows 2) quote: how DO you explain your hobbies to friends & family? LOL with great difficulty. most people think i'm crazy but i don't mind because i probably am. i describe the practical uses to some people, the more bizarre to others. alucinare i bought plans online (if anyone wants them msg me) and it was just a matter of changing the design a bit (e.g. you can see the semi-circle roof that i replaced with a more conventional one)... the entire structure is plywood with a thick coating of a liquid rubber membrane. my dad is a builder so he taught me how to use power tools etc, overall it's easy but i had problems with motivation so i took ages. you can see the ventilation outlet in the pic, i haven't gotten round to improving it just yet. total cost was *gulp* 2500+, don't want to work out exact figure cos it'd be too painful... (though commercial ones sell for 5-10k and mine is bigger) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted March 15, 2005 don't want to work out exact figure cos it'd be too painful... (though commercial ones sell for 5-10k and mine is bigger) --geezer, i don't mean to be rude, but that really is quite funny. does the fact that it's bigger make it better? i was always told "it's not how big it is, it's how you use it" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShiningPlain Posted September 8, 2005 awesome. good job man. do you think you could send me the blueprints? i desperately want to try one of these out, but i can't find any in my country state (which is south australia). i would so love to own one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Posted December 17, 2005 Hi my name's Josh, I just wanted to post and ask if anyone knew if there are any places in either Sydney or the Central Coast that have sensory deprivation tanks? I've been doing some research on them and would love to try one. Any replies would be great. Thanks Josh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted March 13, 2009 To the floater formerly known as Twix... How have your last 3 years in this tank been? Still floating? I'd love to try sensory deprivation. Have been looking into it a bit since (ashamed to say) reading Joe Rogan's blog. Found a place in Bondi Junction that does it but I'm afraid of having trouble separating from the New Age wankery surrounding a Bondi Junction massage centre that charges $30 an hour for the privelege. That and justifying the expense considering I'd probably need at least a few sessions to fully get the most out of the experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faustus Posted March 13, 2009 i'm buckling under the strain of too much work atm but if you PM me in a couple of weeks i can sit down and give you more info Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FancyPants Posted March 14, 2009 I tried floating at a beauty salon type joint in Brisbane. Was amazing but the oily/salty water got in my eyes a bit and was very distracting so I want to do it again. LOL I also wanted to own one so much after reading the Rogan thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
