Written by Mike Serro
A place of darkness & complete silence lowers the efficiency of the brain as an instrument for focusing the mind on the problems of life. Intrusions of biologically useless, but aesthetically & sometimes spiritually valuable material, may occur. -Aldous Huxley
A year ago, this week, I’m in my apato being awoken at 6am by the Japanese dude I had just met in person for the first time, the day before; when he speaks, his bristling salt and pepper beard animates, “do you have cleaning supplies? We must begin to clean, we don’t have much time, it’ll be here soon.” If the explanation for this was a blackout one night stand with a man, despite me being hetero, that would have been possibly less surprising to me than the real reason he was here. He came from Kyushu the morning before to help me accept the delivery of and teach me about what some say is an inter-dimensional portal, a sacred space of healing, a psycho-nautical vehicle, a hallucinogenic roller-coaster, sepulcher of the ego, or really understating the thing, a psychedelic dream inducing womb. I had yet to enter this chamber or any like it, but had to wonder if the theta wave imaginings its said to induce had already begun.
58 years ago, in a Bethesda, MD lab, a butt naked psychonaut or maybe just plain psycho, climbed into his finished DIY project. This scantily clad man was John Lilly, physician & neuroscientist, attempting to see how the brain would respond to being left completely alone. Without sound, light, or touch sensation, Lilly posited that a relaxed, untethered mind state could alter consciousness and skyrocket evolution and creative intelligence. A soundless, light proof space filled with 380 kg of salt water for floatation and heated to exact surface skin temperature was what he envisioned. Dubbed the Isolation tank or Sensory Deprivation Tank, at 93 degrees, the water inside would mimic the users own skin, obliterating the tactile boundaries of the bodies end and the waters beginning. The eyes would be bathed in darkness, making the roof of the tank four feet ahead indistinguishable from infinity. The ears, below the water’s surface would be deafened. The laws of gravity would lapse and the user would float in a starless space, totally free of all physical sensation.
In decades hence, the tank gained notoriety, being featured in the 80’s flick Altered States and The Simpsons. Forty five years after Lilly first got in his tank, Lisa Simpson, after doing the typical first few restless minutes in the tank, settles down and gains the empathy to see the world through Homer’s eyes. Today, the tank can be found in health spas, mental health/addiction clinics, sports psychology clinics, and has been extraordinarily popular throughout pre and post Hasselhoff Germany.
Lilly’s tank didn’t end up on the metaphysical therapy junk heap with crystal healing, but it also did not become as popular as yoga. This makes sense. “No you jasmine revolution motherf*cker”; “I’m not getting in your “magic box””…and “how many people have you killed in that thing” are the most common reactions to the tank. Lets be honest, the tank as a positive entity is difficult to compartmentalize, its a rectangle baby pool with calf high water that’s the same temp as piss, parked inside a large white coffin… “Honey go check on the kids” . Even if it works, what then? It will make me see to the heart of my soul and my ego will dissolve …to quote Dr. Evil…. “Right….”
Back to Nagoya last year, a Lilly tank was about to arrive in my man cave. But why? The aforementioned bearded clean freak and early riser, Kazuo Miyabe, is the grandmaster of the float tank in Japan, and through his eccoproject, has introduced thousands of Nihonjin to the benefits of the tank. Months before, after an inspiring conversation with a buddy on exploring altered mind states, I emailed Kazuo and asked if I could come up to Tokyo and try floating for the first time. Fearing Fukushima radiation , Kazuo explained, he had absconded to Kyushu and the tank center and private retreat he was now building were not yet operational, “but a friend”, he said, “in Tokyo was fleeing to Okinawa and could not bring her tank with her, would you like it?”. Sounded awesome I thought, but responsibly retorted, “No, no, no. I’ve never tried it before, I couldn’t possibly afford it either, but thanks for the offer.” Kazuo replied that because the woman was giving it away, the cost would be minimal, and he could come help me set it up. I couldn’t deny the synchronicity & compulsion to try, so I found myself saying, “Let’s give it a go” After I hung up I wondered what the hell I was getting myself into.
After Kazuo and I “purified” the apartment with Kabi killer and bleach, the magnesium salt arrived in a big truck, 380kg of it in all, packed in, 19, 20kg bags that looked like enough cement for the foundation of a house. When the tank finally arrived, about ten Japanese guys, the bearded man Kazuo’s friends, and avid tank users came to help move the tank in. Was this a cult, I thought, are they creating an ashram intent on inter-dimensional transcendence, or is this a blood pact society that has planned to dissolve my ego along with my body inside the chamber? After a full days work, there the white box stood, dominating my living space, Kazuo left with a smile and bid me good luck. “Expect nothing” were his final words to me.
After a year using the tank it’s still hard to convey what it’s like and I think it’s better that people try it for themselves as Kazuo bid me, with no expectation. Just when I’m convinced of what it is, on my next float, the tank experience complicates or simplifies itself. There’s simply too much to say and none of it might be applicable to your unique experience. The following quotes however, are from people living in Aichi, explaining their experiences in the tank. I think some roadmap of other people’s experiences in the tank will give you a clearer idea of the rationale for justifying an hour or two of your life for this admittedly “out there” experience.
One guy, more than any other today, Actor and comedian Joe Rogan, host of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, is an amazing resource for understanding the tank. This quote nicely encapsulates the tank; while I hope, avoiding the new age traps of the idea of ultimate transcendence. Joe as a comedian sees the tank as it is, a vehicle that is not a cure all, but a powerful tool for understanding the root of life experience, the mind.
“Distractions still come at you in the tank, you think when you first get in there, hmm does my dick itch?…But after a little bit It takes you out of a purely reactionary state…“It lets you know what you really think about something. If you have a jackhammer going off, birds chirping, someone asking about your schedule, it’s gonna affect everything you say and do. It allows you to pay attention to yourself”
The tank is located very close to Higashi Okazaki Station (less than 30 minutes from Kanayama Station). If you would like to experience the isolation tank for yourself, contact Mike at damianoserro@gmail.com.
