The Aqua Spa Float Center may have recently introduced float therapy to the Oswego community, but the practice of floating has been around since the 1960s.
For the past 60 years, researchers have been conducting scientific studies on the benefits of laying in a pool filled with 11 inches of water fully saturated with 1,500 pounds of Epsom salt. This practice allows a person to be completely buoyant – likely for the first time since birth.
Veterans are finding an extraordinary source of relief from pain and PTSD thanks to float therapy as well. A 2014 study shows that patients who underwent floatation therapy experienced reductions in blood pressure, stress, anxiety, and physical pain, as well as improvements in sleep quality and optimism. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4219027/)
Float therapy for Veterans had also made national headlines. TIME Magazine interviewed then 23-year old Australian soldier, Michael Harding, who suffered from severe PTSD. His wife discovered float therapy while researching PTSD help online and Harding decided to give it a try.
According to the article, “He fell asleep in the tank and woke up an hour later feeling refreshed. By three floats, Harding says his anxiety and hyper-vigilance had subsided. By three months of floating, so had his night sweats. “After floating, I was really mellowed out,” he says. “I’m not really sure how it does it, but I do know that floating has allowed me to feel in a more confident, comfortable headspace.” (time.com/floating/)
Wilkinson and LeRoi say they have seen the benefits of float therapy first-hand.
“We’ve experienced several Veterans and active-duty members of the military that visit our center to find relief,” they said. “We’re thrilled with their testimonials advocating float therapy as an escape from their stress and pain. We love that they leave feeling lighter and more relaxed. And we couldn’t agree more, we use float therapy daily ourselves to relieve pain, inflammation and help with post work-out recovery. We’ve been floating regularly for three years and we wouldn’t be without it!”
Learn more about float therapy here.
