THE BOOK OF FLOATING: Exploring the Private Sea

by Michael Hutchison ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 24, 1984

Flotation tanks in tote: an exhaustive treatment of the possible benefits of ""floating atop a ten-inch-deep pool of water in a dark enclosed chamber about the size of a small closet."" Use of floating became popular in the Seventies, when it was chiefly touted as a method for stress reduction and relaxation. Hutchison, approaching the experience almost mystically, describes ""emerging with a changed sense of your own powers; a changed awareness of what is possible, probable, desirable; a changed perception of the world."" But he also sets out to establish a scientific case for floating. We hear about sensory deprivation ""as a tool for altering the human mind and body,"" and its relation to meditation and similar techniques. What makes floating different? ""It so completely blanks out what we ordinarily think of as external reality"" that the mind is open to receive information from the inner self. Finally, in the weakest section, Hutchison suggests practical uses of floating: for relaxation, weight loss, giving up addictions, relieving anxiety and depression, and ""superlearning."" (Among evidence of the last: study results showing brain wave patterns indicate a high degree of insight while floating.) Much of this is also tied in with meditation, biofeedback, and other proven stress-relieving techniques. Not an especially convincing ease for flotation--but a sincere effort to explore its possibilities.

Pub Date: May 24, 1984

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1984

Categories: NONFICTION