WHAT WE KNOW
Based off very good documentation
- Reduce Pain
- Improve muscle range, tone and control
- Reduced stress and tension
- Stress Management and Relaxation
- Lower Blood Pressure, Stress Hormones, etc.
- Performance Enhancement
- Increased creativity, originality (recall and recognition)
- Improved athletic performance
- Enhanced learning & cognitive performance
WHAT WE MAY KNOW
We have some data but have to be careful on what we claim
- Fibromyalgia
- Type A personality, obsessive compulsive disorder, hyperactivity, PMS, & others
- Chamber vs. floatation REST
- Altered states, hypnosis, meditation
- Pleasant memories
- Mood enhancement
- Easing physical discomfort, e.g., pregnancy; grief
WHAT WE KNOW
Many Recent and past studies with very good documenation
Reduce Pain
Turner & Fine, 1984; Wallbaum et al. 1982, Mereday et al. 1990; Borrie, 1993; Jenssen 1993; & others
Kjellgren et al., 2001; Bood et al. 2005; Landstrom et al. 2007; Edebol et al., 2008
Improve muscle range, tone and control
Francis & Stanley, 1983: Mereday et al. 1990; Turner et al. 1993: Sniffen et al. 1990: Borie et al. 1993; DeTurk et al. 1990
Aparecida et al., 2015
Reduced stress and tension
Fine & Turner, 1983; Turner & Fine, 1983,1985; Turner et al. 1987; Jacobs et al. 1985; Suedfeld et al. 1985; Schultz & Kaspar,1994; Koula et al. 1987; and others
Norlander et al., 1999; Kjellgren et al., 2001& others
Return to Work
Cahn, 1983 Asenlof, 2007; Bood 2006
Stress Management and Relaxation (multi-measure)
Jacob et al. 1985: koula et al. 1987; Turner et al. 1987
Aparecida et al. 2015; Bood et al. 2006
Lower Blood pressure, stress hormones, etc
Fine & Turner, 1982,1985; Turner et al. 1987, 1989; BUT Schultz & Kaspar,1994
REST is not just a placebo
Bood et al., 2005, Kjellgren et al. 2009, & others
Performance Enhancement
Increased creativity, originality (recall and recognition)
Baker, 1985; Forgays & Forgays, 1992; Suedfeld et al., 1987
Norlander et al. 1998; Vartanian & Suedfeld, 2011
Improved athletic performance
Mahoney, 1985: Lee & Hewitt, 1987; McAlaney et al. 1990; Suedfeld & Bruno, 1990; Suedfeld et al. 1993: Wagaman et al. 1991; Barabasz, 1992; McAleney et al. 1990
Norlander et al. 1999
Enhanced learning & cognitive performance
Taylor, 1985; Francis, 1985; Mahoney, 1990
Sandlund et al. 2001
WHAT WE MAY KNOW
We have some data but have to be careful on what we claim
Fibromyalgia
Case Study; controlled study ongoing (soon hopefully we will ahve enough to move it to the what we know category)
Asenlof et al. 2007; Fibromyalgia Flotation Project, 2012
Type-A personality, obsessive compulsive disorder, hyperactivity, PMS, & others
Pilot studies: Small N, no control group, and/or no objective measures
Forgays & Forgays, 1994: Goldstein & Jenssen, 1990; Barabaz & Barabasz, 1993; Edebol et al., 2009
Chamber vs. floatation REST
Unreplicated qualitative literature review
Suedfeld & Borrie, 1999
Altered states, hypnosis, meditation
Anecdotes, self-reports, science fiction
Lilly, 1977; Hunt, 1985; Barabasz, 1993; Norlander et al. 2001; Kjellgren et al. 2008, 2010; & others
Pleasant memories
Small N, single sutdy, self reports
Suedfeld & Eich, 1995
Mood enhancement
Self-report studies, some from float customer; qualitative “data”
O’Leary & Heibronner, 1985; Rank & Suedfel, 1978; Barabasz et al. 1993; Pudvah & Rzewnicki, 1990; Suedfeld & Eich, 1996
Easing physical discomfort, e.g., pregnancy; grief
Anecdotal (self-) reports
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW
Basis of REST effects: Theory
Budzynski, 1985; Wickramasekera, 1978; Schwartz, 1987; Bross, 1987; Hunt, 1987; Suedfeld et al. 1994
Optimal uses of chamber and flotation REST
Seudfeld & Borrie, 1999
Optimal periods & number of floats in REST effects
No data related to flotation REST
Bood et al. 2007