Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations.
In this presentation from the 2018 Float Conference, Dr. Feinstein discusses how floating can desensitize the anxious nervous system, including in patients with PTSD, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, and Generalized Anxiety.
Justin and his team are in the midst of conducting a research study examining whether floating can help reduce the deleterious effects of stress in individuals who are suffering from mental illness. They are studying a range of different conditions that all feature high levels of anxiety including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depression. Thus far Justin has been been truly inspired by the results, with patients reporting significant short-term improvement in depression and anxiety after floating.
More than simply reducing symptoms of mental illness, the float experience seems to enhance mental wellness, allowing patients the opportunity to experience life in a peaceful and serene state. It should be noted that many of these patients have tried other forms of treatment, including medication and psychotherapy, and unfortunately none of these other treatments have provided much in terms of relief.
Dr. Feinstein’s groundbreaking publication is important because it is the first peer-reviewed study of floatation that takes a look at a clinical population with PTSD, panic disorder, and other manifestations of anxiety. Remarkably, every single participant found significant improvement in how they were feeling after just one float session. 50/50 participants and their relief lasted for 20-36 hours after the float! Even more remarkable, is that the more severe their anxiety, the more relief they experienced. To see results across the board is a wonderful testament to the potential for the clinical use of floating and the power it has for everyone to improve the quality of their lives. Dr. Feinstein’s study demonstrates that floating has the ability to reduce anxiety, uplift mood, decrease muscle tension, lower blood pressure, and improve bodily awareness and meditative states.
The data presented has recently been published in several peer-reviewed journals and can be found at https://www.clinicalfloatation.com/
