It’s easy to replace a habit, but nigh impossible to eliminate it. Flotation is the easiest way to do the latter. Issues like anxiety and PTSD are mental habits, which gives flotation an edge for treating them. Knowing the nature of a mental ailment, or even a stubborn habit, empowers us to combat it.

The subconscious is powerful, and what it wants most at any time is to continue doing the same things it currently does. That means that bad habits, and disorders like anxiety and PTSD, are likely to stick stubbornly or escalate. Trying to deny the pattern our subconscious has become familiar with can seem excruciating—like it’s going against our very nature to survive.

In a float tank, we enter a meditative brain state—one where our subconscious is free. It’s safe, quiet and restful. This can induce a state like dreaming, but we still have complete lucidity and conscious control. The tank strips away all outside influence, which means the subconscious isn’t burdened with the need to react—only to process.

One might think of being in a tank as getting back to our own “original recipe”—an interaction and alignment between the conscious and subconscious brain. This enables us to break mental patterns, not just replace them with a different habit. Not only that, but regular floating will begin to translate outside of the tank. We can become more in touch and able to cooperate with our subconscious. Many people refer to this as increased intuition.

This is only one of the many benefits of flotation, but it can be counted among the absolute most valuable.

Katt Kennedy is a Flotician at Cloud Nine Flotation who moonlights as a graphic novel writer. Connect at 520-668-4017, [email protected] or FloatTucson.com.