Floatation for Veterans and Active Service Members

Many combat veterans and active servicepeople on leave utilize float tanks for their various therapeutic purposes. There are both psychological benefits of floating for veterans to help ease the mind, as well as physical advantages to help with bodily recovery. Additionally, veterans who struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, also seek relief through the practice of floating.

Types of Veterans Who Use Float Pod Therapy

Float spas welcome all servicepeople, both active and veterans. At South Florida Float8’s two locations in Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale, regular float tank visitors come from all U.S. service backgrounds, including the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force.

Moreover, there is no limit to the number of times per week (or per month) you can enter a sensory deprivation tank or pod. No matter which float center you visit, you will receive a warm welcome. It is our mission to never discriminate, specifically when it comes to any health conditions you may be facing. We believe in the power of this natural salt therapy, and want to share this wellness ritual with everyone – especially those who have served and protected our country.

Floatation Therapy Benefits for Active Servicemembers

If you are active in the service and currently on leave, a float tank can provide self-care in the forms of both mind and body relief. The float therapy benefits can induce full-body relaxation, regardless of if your service has been mentally or physically strenuous, or both. When you hang your uniform to enter an isolation tank, pod, orb or cabin, you will experience sensory deprivation during a zero gravity saltwater float. Floatation REST Therapy, also known as Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy, allows servicemembers to:

1. Decrease stress: If your time in the service is weighing heavy on your mind, you can look to floatation to relieve stress. Float therapy may reduce cortisol, a stress hormone that can negatively impact your health by slowing down healing, producing muscle weakness, activating fatigue, causing irritability, raising blood pressure and affecting your ability to concentrate. The deep relaxation provided by the float will allow you to balance your hormones naturally.
2. Lower anxiety: If you are struggling with an anxiety disorder due to your time in the service, floatation may be able to decrease your anxiety, whether chronic or intermittent. When floating, your parasympathetic nervous system activates. This slows down your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and carries you into a deep state of weightless relaxation. Float therapy for anxiety treatment can help improve your mood, too, by upping your body’s serotonin and dopamine production.
3. Relieve chronic pain: If you are seeking relief from chronic pain or in the form of muscle tears, joint pain, broken bones or amputation, elect for organic pain relief in our salt water float tanks. One of the main benefits of Epsom salt, which is comprised of magnesium sulfate, includes anti-inflammation. Additionally, if you’re in need of injury recovery float sessions can activate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller.
4. Achieve sounder sleep: Years of active service may leave you restless, and in some cases, battling insomnia. In the floating tank, your theta and delta brainwaves increase – but at lower frequencies – which can allow you rest, fall asleep faster and possibly improve the quality of your sleep.
5. Recover from training: No matter where you serve, your training regimen can take a toll. Float center visits can help your body recover faster by working to reduce lactic acid, which is an essential component of muscle recovery. Regular floatation therapy will allow you to get back to hardcore drills at a quicker pace – while fully recuperated.
6. Enjoy meditation: One of the default perks of sensory deprivation float therapy is the natural ability to meditate. Not only can this help you get re-centered, but a meditation float tank session can help you recalibrate your thoughts, boost focus and improve your visualization tactics leading into future service.

Click here to learn how South Florida Marine Corps veteran Logan Skees adopted floatation to help him transition from two deployments in Afghanistan back to life as a U.S. civilian.

Floating to Treat PTSD

Floatation in a sensory deprivation tank or pod is a common practice for veterans seeking to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While your service may be over, if you experienced trauma while fighting for your country, we understand that processing these events can take the time and commitment to several, different treatment plans. Luckily, meditation, which can be performed inside of a float tank, has been shown to reduce symptoms of PTSD, which can include:

• Flashbacks.
• Bad dreams.
• Night sweats.
• Frightening thoughts.
• Social anxiety.
• Mental blockages.

Still, PTSD in combat veterans can produce negative thoughts, guilty feelings, loss of enjoyment, heightened tension, increased outbursts, trouble sleeping, moodiness and more. However, when it comes to working through the effects of this disorder, entering a floating tank can improve your quality of life, as well as your mental health, healthy behaviors and overall wellbeing.

What to Expect Inside the Float Tank

If you are wondering what to expect in a float tank, we can help prepare you with some tips. Don’t let the unknowns of flotation cause too much stress. Instead, focus on the numerous advantages of this type of salt water therapy. When you visit a float studio like Float8 Wellness Lounge, you can expect:

• A peaceful and safe environment. Both of our float spa locations offer quiet, serene ambiances with limited noise and distractions. We recommend that you unplug from technology and any outside distractions before heading in for your session.
• Spacious floating chambers. You can choose from float pods, orbs, cabins and double cabins, ensuring you have enough space to be comfortable. If you are prone to anxiety and claustrophobia, select a larger vessel, and simply leave your chamber door open (your float will still be void of sound and light).
• Total privacy. Each chamber is set inside its own room, which is reserved for your appointment. We limit the capacity to floaters and staff, because this time and space are set aside for you – and only you.
• A friendly and passionate staff. We understand and embrace any and all questions you may have about flotation therapy. We are happy to educate and share the positive experiences of other veterans and servicemembers who have visited our wellness center.

Whether on leave or discharged from service, now is the time to invite float pod therapy into your life. Self-healing is self-love, and the greatest gift you can give yourself – no matter your stage of life.