A floatation tank is a little larger around then a twin-size bed and chest high. It contains ten inches of water to which a large quantity of Epsom salts have been added. When you get in and lie on your back, you are pushed to the surface so you float like a cork, weightless as an astronaut in space. The door is lightweight and easily opened. It is warm, wet, dark and quiet.
The inventor, John C. Lilly, wanted to find out what happens when sensory input is reduced so it can not be detected. What was found was that the mind slowed down the brain waves to the lowest level. This is a level of deep rest.
The tank we use is the Samadhi Classic, which was developed by Lilly and the Samadhi Tank Company. The water in the tank is filtered after each float and we inject ozone into the water to keep it sparkling clean and sanitary. We have a lovely spa-like area with a private bath room / tank room for changing and showering before and after tank use, and a peaceful space to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. (See photo at bottom of page.)
The Cherry Street Floatation Tank is open
7 AM to 10 PM - 7 days a week
$60 per hour
Reservations are required.
Contact us by email or call 908-300-7455
The office wil be closed on occassion when a class is in session.
See our classes page for more information.
THE BENEFITS BEYOND MERE RELAXATION
As can be seen in the illustration to the left, there are four different brainwaves in the brain. Each one seems to have a distinct function. It even appears that we learn distinct types of programming as each of the brainwaves develop. The Physical Isolation Tank allows us access to all of the brainwaves, and with extra circuitry available, to examine and adjust the programming and other information stored in and directed from each distinct brainwave.
An illustration of this kind of enhanced activity can be found in the first Delta wave depicted at left. There is more activity as noted by the increase of line movement in the Delta line with dream activity than there is in the Delta line representing dreamless sleep.
In the tank, most people report a great deal of dream-like activity. They often emerge from the tank talking about events from their early life. These events seem always to be related to something they believe is real. Actual reality may differ from what they believe it to be and it often seems they are adjusting what they believe to be real to what is actually real.
Obviously, all the brainwaves function all of the time, even in small children, as is illustrated in the figure to the right. However, it also seems that any given brainwave can somehow take precedence within the thinking machinery under certain circumstances and, apparently, at certain ages.
In the following montage of pictures you can observe young children learning what they will believe is "real" for the rest of their lives unless they have the opportunity to recognize their belief and have the language to change that belief. Some of these little kids will be well-served by what we can observe them learning. Others may suffer throughout their life.
In the illustration on the left, it's possible to see another way of considering how the thinking apparatus is configured. If we consider that the three-year-old is learning what he or she will believe as real for the remainder of his or her life, we could say that his or her beliefs about the nature of the concept "real" are formed in Delta, between birth until about three years old. Such concepts as hot, cold, wet, safe, unsafe, comfort, need, right , wrong, and a host of other ideas and abstractions are learned at this time of life. Most of these beliefs have experiences connected with them that give credence to the idea that they are "real" events. But very few children ever experience the full definition of the concept of hot, for instance. Moms and dads instill in the children that hot is dangerous and the children, lacking physical burns, believe in the danger. It is this very characteristic of Delta brainwaves which may have guaranteed the survival of the species.
A characteristic of self meta programs is that they work directly only on meta programs. Meta programs, in turn, work directly on programs. Therefore, a property of any belief formed in early childhood is transferred automatically to the emotions which are formed subsequent to the beliefs and must then be built with those beliefs as a foundation.
As can be observed in the illustration, a blue square introduced in the Delta building block (which in the illustration is red), will automatically be transferred to the next layer of programming above it. This is a particualry important point and one reason that the Tanks are considered to be such important tools in self-exploration. To change all the blue blocks in our illustration, the first order of business would be to change the blue block on the red cube, which represets the Delta beliefs formed in childhood, usually before the age of three. This is a truth about programming which very few paths or modalities address in any fashion. That beliefs or self meta programs are not usually addressed in a path or modality does not change the effect that a belief makes on the thinking machinery or the body as we grow older.
Through the continuous use of the Tanks, it is very likely that an individual will begin to experience a gradual clearing of programmed conflicts within the thinking machinery. When we were little children we simply did not have the experience to know we were causing conflict for ouselves in later life. How could we have possibly known how much of our life could be affected by just a few minutes of misunderstanding when we were only two years old?
Fortunately, we -- for the first in our history -- have a method of accessing those early memories which became rules of our lives, and changing them so they work more to our advantage. The vast majority of the memories and beliefs we formed as little children work to our great advantage, but for those few which pose problems, we now have a way of accessing them and changing them without any interference from anyone at all.
If you are exploring the flow of energy through your body and mind like the person in the illustration on the left, or if you are merely looking to remove some of the stress from your life, the Tanks can afford you some extra time to address the issues you find important in your life. Perhaps the most astounding thing which people report is how they interact with other people as they accumulate time floating. It is usual to hear of people reporting that the life they share with their mates, their children, and even their friends takes on aspects which are calmer and beneficial. No matter how you consider energy flowing in your life, as meridians or chakras or as physical movement, the Tanks can be an important tool to improve your life.
We at Cherry Street Initiative, LLC invite you to experience
our Floatation Tank in your unique way.
If you want to learn more about the floatation tank experience, you can look it up on Wikipedia.org
or read about it in the following books:
The Book of Floating by Michael Hutchison
Tanks for the Memories by Dr. John C. Lilly and E.J. Gold
The Deep Self - Consciousness Exploration in the Isolation Tank by John C. Lilly
The Cherry Street Floatation Tank is open
7 AM to 10 PM - 7 days a week
$60 per hour
Reservations are required.
Contact us by email or calling 908-300-7455
Elise Lenhart
