💦 Floatation therapy is a powerful tool for enhanced learning. 💦
The deep relaxation that results from the float experience fosters a calm receptive mind. When your mind is calm you are able to absorb and retain the knowledge more readily. Floating is helpful in developing mental clarity, focus, personal motivation and productivity, making it great to use in conjunction with exam preparation.
In 1982, Texas A&M chemistry professor Dr. Thomas E. Taylor set out to explore how floating affects learning ability. In Taylor’s earlier findings, he found that learning takes place on at least 3 different levels so he tested the subjects on each of these levels. In summary, he found that the “float group” did better in all three levels of learning than the “control group” -memorization, application, and synthesis thinking.
While analyzing the EEG results, Dr. Taylor found that floaters produced significantly greater amounts of theta waves. He discovered that at the moment of comprehension, when all the concepts are brought together in a flash of insight and the problem is suddenly solved (that “ah-ha! moment or the Eureka moment) there are sudden changes in the brain waves recorded on the EEG. This moment of synthesis takes place in the theta area – an area that the float tank is excellent for inducing.
In more recent years, there is mounting evidence indicating that the greatest amount of learning takes place when the learner is in deep relaxation combined with mental alertness. The most influential work on this topic has been that of Bulgarian psychiatrist and educator Georgi Lozanov.
Lozanov, developed a technique, to synchronize mind and body rhythms by entering a state of deep relaxation with the goal of encouraging hemispheric cooperation in the brain. This enables a vastly more receptive state of mind and can really supercharge your learning. Floating, and the relaxed state of mind that it brings on, is very much in line with Lozanov’s work and the effects of using this technique are astonishing; his subjects have been able to learn and retain up to 3000 words per day!
Interestingly, American researchers studying the Lozanov technique have found that not only is deep relaxation essential to the process, but the deeper the relaxation, the more the student is able to learn.
Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal documented a great example of floating for enhanced learning, in their book ‘Stealing Fire‘.
Kotler and Wheal gained unprecedented access to the training program of the US Navy SEAL teams headquartered in Norfolk Virginia. This area is packed with a whole host of cutting-edge tools to train their people to the maximum extent possible, including a suite of float tanks. The SEALs worked with researchers to understand how to use the float environment for accelerated learning.
By using the float tank to eliminate all distractions and stimulate specific brainwave states, the SEALS were able to cut the time it takes to learn a foreign language down from six months to six weeks.
If you’re interested in supercharging your learning or to explore the many other benefits of floatation, book a Float today. Call the Center or Book Online: https://bit.ly/JZFloatNow
💦 Stay Tuned Every Friday for a new Float Fact! 💦
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