Floating Away Stress

Posted on January 4, 2019February 26, 2023 by Tricia Griffith

We live in a society of near constant stimulation. Even when you come in for a massage, there’s music playing, occasional light sounds of traffic, and voices of other people in the building, along with the sensation of the massage itself.

Now, just imagine just turning it all off…

I first heard about float (sensory deprivation) tanks a few years ago, and was curious about them, but didn’t have one close enough to home to be able to check it out. Therefore, I was excited when I saw the notice last summer that there would soon be a floatation center opening a few minutes away from me in Hermon, Maine – Float 207.

What is a Float 207?

Float tanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from pods to full on float cabins. Approximately 10 inches of warm water fill the soundproofed tanks. The addition of a high concentration of Epsom salt makes you extremely buoyant. While there are options for light and sound, the basic concept of floatation is sensory deprivation, which means turning off the lights and music. The goal is that mythical beast, “turning it all off.”

Gabe Kingsbury and Roscoe Witham first experienced floating at a center in Portland before deciding to open their own center. Gabe discovered it a couple of years ago when he and his girlfriend were looking for something unique to do the morning after a concert, and immediately fell in love with it. Roscoe learned about it through his involvement in wellness and alternative medicine.

The pair began to discuss opening their own center, and through research and conversation, found that Greater Bangor could support its own center. They decided to take the plunge and started planning in February 2018. Float 207 opened eight months later, on October 19, 2018, becoming the Bangor area’s first floatation center.

What Are the Float Rooms Like?

While researching floating/sensory deprivation online, I saw that a lot of floatation centers used something like a pod, or an “oversized coffin” as one site described it. This worried me a little. Therefore, I was pleased to find that Float 207’s floatation tanks were actually a little more like small rooms, or large, roomy bathtubs.

The standard tanks at Float 207 are roughly 8’x5’, and you can move around in them quite a bit. They hold about 10 inches of water and have over 1200 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved inside. The water temperature is about 93.5°F. This is “skin receptor neutral.” After reading some rather wordy scientific explanations, I am guessing is ‘feels neither too hot nor too cold’, like Goldilocks’ porridge. Whatever the meaning, once you settle into floating, you cannot distinguish between the air and the water temperature.

The tanks are in their own private rooms and the doors to the tanks close, but do not latch. You can choose a color for the tank lighting and have the option to turn the lights off for true sensory deprivation. You can also pick music to play or bring your own music. Again, if you’re going for full sensory deprivation, you can opt for no music at all.

What are some of the benefits of floating?

Floatation allows you the opportunity to relax and disconnect from all that constant stimulation/sensory input and give your body and brain a chance to rest and reset. The benefits of floatation have been studied since the 1950s, and you can find information about many of these studies at the website Clinical Floatation. Some examples of the benefits of floatation include:

Stress reduction
Decreased muscle aches
Improved sleep quality
Fibromyalgia relief
Pain relief
Depression relief
Increased optimism and mindfulness

What is a float session like?

I met Gabe on my first visit, and he gave me a tour of the facility and explained the float process. I picked out the color of the lighting I wanted (purple), and he recommended music I might like. For my first float, I chose the “Deluxe Tank” which is larger, since I was still feeling a little apprehensive about closing myself in a small room. The deluxe room also has starry lights in the ceiling. Definitely worth the extra cost!

The tanks are in quiet private rooms. They have a sort of coziness about them while still feeling sanitary and tidy. There’s a soft, squishy rug and a bench for your clothes. There are equally soft and squishy towels provided. Along with the towels, Float 207 provides wash cloths, ear plugs, and ointment to cover any cuts or scratches (think salt water in cuts… ouch).

You need to shower thoroughly before your float to prevent gumming up the works with lotions, etc, and they provide natural, unscented shampoo and body wash, as well as conditioner you can use afterwards. You can bring your own products to use after the float. The shower is right outside the tank, making is so that you don’t have far to go between the two.

I unscenty scrubbed up, put in ear plugs, and hopped into the tank. And by “hopped”, I mean I climbed ungracefully over a kind of high edge and lowered down into the water. I closed the door and a friendly female voice recording said something about enjoying my float. It was roomy and I didn’t feel closed in. In the tank, I played with the buttons that turn the lights on and off and control the music volume before getting myself floating.

Learning to Float?

The first thing I discovered once I started floating is that I was expecting to float similar to how you do in pool or lake water. However, all that salt makes you more buoyant, and you float “higher” in the water than you do in non-salty pool water. I was having a bit of trouble finding a way to let go and relax that didn’t feel awkward. So, I opted to try the foam neck pillow provided. This helped my neck muscles stop feeling like they needed to hold my head up. I think it probably took 20 minutes for my brain and my body to work out an agreement about how to lay/float.

In between all that, there’s a certain amount of fidgeting and exploration. Like, bouncing off walls and spinning in circles because you apparently drift a lot easier when extra buoyant. I also didn’t feel as warm as I thought I would. Here’s a hint… stop fidgeting. When I stopped bouncing around I realized that the air was warm and the warmer water rose to the surface and — voila! I was warm!

Finally Settled

Once most of that (and random playing with lights and sound) settled down, then there was the inevitable squirrel brain. Thinking about the things I should be doing instead. Pondering business stuff. Remembering I need to order this and that. Trying to meditate. Getting distracted. Deciding to turn off the purple lights and see what happens. Eventually, my brain must have given up and I zoned out/napped, because the next thing I knew, the music stopped and friendly recording lady told me she hoped I enjoyed my float.

There was a short window of re-familiarizing myself with gravity in order to stand up and step out of the tank. Then I did a lot of scrubbing and rinsing to get all the salt off. I love the big rainfall style shower head and had nearly as hard a time leaving the shower as I did the float tank. Did I mention the towels? They are fabulous!

They provide a lounge to relax in after your float, have tea, gather yourself. There’s a room with a large mirror, sink, counter space, and hair dryer to help put yourself back together. Not being a “girly girl” I didn’t even really think to bring a hairbrush, let alone makeup or anything! So, I just shrugged and went with the tousled look.

I spoke with Gabe for a few minutes on my way out. He reassured me that I would not be the first person with squirrel brain in a float tank. He says it takes on average 2-3 floats for you (and your brain) to learn what to expect and be able to fully sink into the experience.

Since then, I have gone in for a second float. I definitely stopped fidgeting much sooner and got more out of the experience. It will be interesting to see how I feel after a couple more floats, but I really think it is an excellent complement to massage therapy. I highly recommend you try out Float 207 or a float tank near you.

Be Well,
~Tricia

*Note: I have not received any compensation in exchange for this post, it’s just a product of my experience and opinions!

Stress, Anxiety, & Massage

Posted on July 30, 2018February 26, 2023 by Tricia Griffith

Why get a massage? According to a survey conducted by the American Massage Therapy Association, 28% of Americans who get a massage do so for relaxation and stress reduction.

That’s a lot of people in the US who feel pretty good about how massage helps them manage their stress. But warm fuzzies aside, what exactly do we know about massage and how it relates to stress and anxiety? And what does the research have to say about that?

What is Stress?

Stress is your body’s response to demanding circumstances. Working long hours? You’re probably stressed. Studying for a big exam? Definitely stressful. Toddler throwing a tantrum? Probably stressful for both of you.

Too Much Stress?

When stressed, your blood pressure goes up. Your breathing and heart rate increase. You may feel agitated and distracted. This is useful if you’re a prey animal that needs to flee for its life. Less useful if your stress the result of a loved one in need of patience and comfort.

When exposed to occasional stress, we can usually diffuse it and recover relatively quickly. When stress becomes a chronic condition, health problems can result.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily a reaction to circumstances. Most often, it’s related to anticipated future or potential stress.

As with stress, anxiety isn’t necessarily an immediate health problem, although it’s unpleasant. Feeling a bit anxious about an exam, the birth of a baby, or a big presentation can give you a push to prepare as best you can.

Too Much Anxiety?

Anxiety becomes unhelpful when it is overwhelming, requiring you to focus all your energy on surviving your immediate feelings rather than addressing their roots. Pacing, nail biting, trembling, and vomiting are signs that anxiety is veering into unhelpful territory. Test anxiety, social anxiety, and decision anxiety are all common forms of anxiety.

Anxiety disorder is the general term for chronic, excessive anxiety in response to everyday situations. Anxiety disorders include:

Generalized anxiety disorder: excessive anxiety in general.
Social anxiety disorder: anxiety disorder related to interacting with others.
Separation anxiety disorder: anxiety disorder related to separation from specific people, often parents or caregivers.
Phobias: subset of anxiety disorders characterized by persistent fear of a specific thing.
Panic disorder: anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring panic attacks.

Many people discover that they have more than one type of anxiety disorder. Others deal with anxiety combined with depression, PTDS, eating disorders, alcoholism, or substance abuse. While stress and anxiety are more general terms that you can probably identify in yourself, anxiety disorders can only be diagnosed by a physician.

Massage & Stress Studies

Stress: Stress levels are largely subjective. However, studies focused on pain, sleep, and other outcomes often find that patients report decreased stress levels as a major benefit of massage therap.

In one study on pain in acute care settings, more than half of the patients mentioned relaxation in their survey responses. One patient described the receiving massage as “very helpful, soothing, comforting, and relaxing.” A notable result, considering the stress of hospitalization. Patients and nurses also reported improved emotional well-being and sleep – both good indicators of stress reduction.

Massage & Anxiety Studies

Anxiety: Most studies done on massage and anxiety have focused on specific populations. One study found significant improvement in both long term and immediate anxiety in children with cancer and blood diseases who received Swedish massage.

Another measured the physiological responses to stress (blood pressure and pulse) in hospitalized children and found similar results. Cardiac care patients were the focus of another study. Again, massage was helpful in reducing anxiety. Still, larger and broader studies on the matter still need to be done.

Massage & Anxiety Disorder Studies

There have been relatively few studies on massage therapy for anxiety disorders specifically. Most studies that have been done are generally small and lacking good control groups. One randomized controlled trial found that massage therapy was significantly helpful for people with generalized anxiety disorder, but no more so than other relaxation techniques.

This study only measured improvement over multiple weeks, and not feelings of anxiety in the short term, before and after treatments. Because this study didn’t have a no-treatment control group, they weren’t able to state whether all three were equally effective or equally ineffective.

What does all this mean?

People regularly feel that massage helps reduce their stress and anxiety. There are also other techniques, such as Reiki, that seem to be helpful to varying degrees, depending on the situation and the person.

This is helpful to know, because not everyone enjoys massage. For some, touch itself can be a source of stress and anxiety. Therefore, it’s helpful to know that there are other complementary therapies available that also create positive results.

Stress and anxiety are closely tied to pain, sleep, and other factors. Reducing pain reduces stress levels. Reducing stress levels can also reduce pain. Improving sleep can impact both pain and stress, and vice versa. Does massage therapy work primarily through either pain or stress reduction, or does it impact both equally? This is an area for further study.

Massage therapy is a fairly safe way to manage stress and anxiety. With relatively few drug interactions and a very low chance for injury, massage therapy can be helpful to a wide variety of people dealing with stress and anxiety in different situations. From the smallest infants to athletes to people in hospice, there are few who could not benefit from massage therapy.

There is a lot more to learn. While there is a lot of research on massage for pain, massage for anxiety (and especially massage for anxiety disorders) has less research to back it up. It will take time and money before a large body of knowledge has been built up.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, massage therapy is worth trying. The evidence is still rolling in, but what we have is promising. Are you ready to give it a try? Book your next massage today. Click HERE to book now.

Like Birch Trees, We Grow

Posted on May 7, 2018February 26, 2023 by Tricia Griffith

As I have continued the forward momentum of Birch Tree Wellness, I have been learning about the kinds of things my clients are looking for out of massage. The thing I see the most is chronic pain of one sort or another.

For many people it’s stress related. It may be unforgiving jobs, family or life stress. Sometimes the chronic pain comes from physical activity or the lack thereof, as in demanding desk jobs. Other times, it’s chronic pain associated with mental or emotional distress.

What Does All That Mean?

All of this has led me to become interested in specializing in chronic pain. Going forward, I’ll be looking into continuing education related to chronic pain, new muscle release techniques, and the effects of psychology on the human body. Some of the modalities I’ll be adding in the future include Spontaneous Muscle Release Therapy (SMRT) – a positional release modality that interrupts pain signals in the body quickly and painlessly, and CranioSacral Therapy (CST) – a form of bodywork using gentle touch release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system.
Here is some information about the programs I’m looking at, if you would like to learn more:

What’s Next?

In the process of brainstorming all of these ideas, one of the things I’ve done is streamlined the scheduling process. In my opinion, all massage is “therapeutic” whether you just need to relax, or you really need some deep tissue work and stretching. So, now when you schedule, whether it’s online or in person, you won’t have so many types of appointments to choose from. In the scheduling system, you just choose “Therapeutic Massage” and how long you want the massage to be, and we’ll chat about what exactly you’re looking for. No more decision fatigue!

What About the Goodies?

The extras are still there! You can schedule a hot stone massage, add on a mini hot stone massage, aromatherapy, or a foot scrub. In addition, you can still schedule specialized appointments like Pregnancy Massage, Intuitive Bodywork, Relaxation Training, or Massage & Reiki together. The Monday Special and Ultimate Study Break are also still available at this time.

In a Nutshell

For everyone who has been coming to Birch Tree Wellness over the last couple of years, essentially the only thing that has really changed is the name of the appointment you’re scheduling. We’ll continue with the same awesome massage therapy you’ve been getting, and as I learn new tricks, we’ll apply them where appropriate! If you have chronic pain, we’ll continue working on your chronic pain. If you are experiencing emotional or mental distress – with or without chronic pain – we’ll continue working with whatever combination of massage, Reiki, and other modalities are helping you.

Your Feedback is Welcome!

If you learn about a type of massage or other bodywork or healing modality you think I’d be interested in, feel free to send along the information! If you have more questions about any of the changes, don’t hesitate to ask them. As always, my massage practice is about all of you, my awesome clients, and what kind of wellness magic we can work together!
Be Well,
Tricia