He Tried A Sensory Deprivation Tank For 1 Hour, Here’s What Happened
Non-stop notifications, constant distractions, infinite scrolling. Do you not wish sometimes you could just switch off?
Well, that’s what YouTube challenge king Stan Browney did for a recent video. Literally. Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by digital life, he decided it was time to shut off from everything and experience nothing, spending one hour in a sensory deprivation tank. Here’s how he got on.
Browney was accompanied by his best friend, Will, on his visit to Float Valley, a sensory deprivation centre. Somewhat counterintuitively, they began their experience with sensory overload, in the fire and ice room. They each did three circuits of 15 minutes in the hot sauna, a minute and a half in the ice bath, and light therapy, before moving on to the next treatment.
Next up, was the Lucia light. For 30 minutes, the guys lay on the floor while flashing LED lights put them into a dreamlike state. Here’s their review:
Stan: “It was so annoying until my brain started to accept it. That’s when I started hallucinating.”
Will: “That felt like it went on for hours.”
After some unexpectedly intense preparation, the guys were ready for the float tank, to finally experience nothing.
nitially, neither Stan nor Will could relax. With busy lives like theirs, it wasn’t so easy to just switch off, and think about nothing.
After about 20 minutes, Stan went into a dreamlike state, going from feeling tense to “not on earth anymore”.
Will, however, wasn’t having so good a time, and was feeling increasingly anxious. By the end of the experience, he was so agitated he couldn’t calm himself down.
The Verdict
After emerging from the float tank, the verdict was clear. Will, who had a bad time, was certain he’d never again set foot in a sensory deprivation chamber. Stan, on the other hand, was open to the idea.
Take Home Message
OK, I don’t blame you if you think an hour in a float tank is bit too dramatic. Maybe next time you want to switch off, just mute your notifications for a bit.
