Has anyone ever tried Sensory Deprivation

[dreamboat]

And what were the effects. You know, (Those Isolation tanks that Lisa and Homer used). Maybe a cheaper way would be a Night Mask, Earplugs and just float in the Bath-Tub. But seriously, I heard that "mental imagery" really starts to kick in after a while trying this.

[wasup]

Well for one, I'm fairly certain the water in those tanks are loaded with salt to increase the density so you can float in it. Also, the water has to be equal to that of your body temperature (98.6, usually). Otherwise, you can feel the water. I'm sure you would start having SOME sort of hallucinations to make up for the lack of sensory information. An example of that is with the aurora borealis (northern lights), people think they make sounds. However, this is just because since it is so silent, your body tries to make up for it with subtle sounds. I plan to try one of those sometimes, however other than that I do not know the effects. I think I'm gonna go look on the internet about them...

[irishcream]

Let us know what you find out! and how long would you have to go without your senses? Is it just one sense, or all of them? I think that might be quite hard to acheive, yourself.

[Mystical_Journey]

hallucinations Mannnnnnnnn! I would love to try this, i guess the best way is to get one of those face masks, some ear plugs and just sit on your bed and see what happens...... I can imagine going in one of those tanks scary as Sh%it for awhile, then you just live in your mind, wonder what goes through your head (i love that simpsons eps btw). I might try sensory deprivation this afternoon, get a face mask and some ear plugs. I used to be interested in things like this when i was 15, i lost my passion in my teenage years for experiments of concentrated awareness.

[Howie]

dreamboat. What isolation tanks are you talking of with lisa and Homer? I have tried this. And I should try it more. It makes you aware of many things. First the obvious deprivation of the sense that you do not have. The other is the amazing abilty that your body has to adapt and heighton it's sensory perception of your other faculties. I beleive this is why blind people usually have such accute hearing, or a deaf person has to rely on his or her other senses to make up for that loss. That is done out of neccesity. When you do it on your own accord it makes you appreciate the senses you have and can increase the sensitivity of them.

[Leo Volont]

Sometimes there are easier ways to arrive at the same results. One thing you notice if you ever try to meditate upon any external sensory stimulus – a candle, or a mantra, or a New Age tape – is that your mind will wonder off it… that it becomes as if nothing. Once you notice this and understand it as a principle, you can use it to your advantage, such as when you have a pain. You don’t want to ignore it. You want to actually focus on it as though you wished to meditate upon it, as though your life depended on it, and sure enough, just like anything else you ever wanted to meditate upon, you will soon be thinking about something else. No more pain. This makes me suppose that all of the Hindu and Yogic Gurus who taught their devotees about Point Concentration Meditation were participating in one big humourous conspiracy, or they wanted their devotees to learn for themselves that the mind inevitably wonders off a stagnant stimulous. But one Yogic System uses this phenomena to its advantage. There are good Yogic Organizations and bad ones, and mostly you can tell the difference by the people you meet within them. Some of the best spiritual people I have ever known have been in the Surat Shabd Yoga Organization under the late Guru Kirpal Singh. They taught to meditate upon the sound that rings in the right ear (heaven forbid listening to the left, for whatever reason) and that as you listen you will go past the original frequency you were listening to and find the next, and next and next. But don’t let me explain it… check out this site: http://santhakar.tripod.com/santmat/shabd-1.html

[irishcream]

Originally posted by Leo Volont Sometimes there are easier ways to arrive at the same results. One thing you notice if you ever try to meditate upon any external sensory stimulus – a candle, or a mantra, or a New Age tape – is that your mind will wonder off it… that it becomes as if nothing. Once you notice this and understand it as a principle, you can use it to your advantage, such as when you have a pain. You don’t want to ignore it. You want to actually focus on it as though you wished to meditate upon it, as though your life depended on it, and sure enough, just like anything else you ever wanted to meditate upon, you will soon be thinking about something else. No more pain. I've done this quite a few times. It's how i avoid taking painkillers 90% of the time. ( I don't like them, i'm sure they don't really do us much good) However, in the case of my migraine, that didn't work. The pain was stronger than my mind. And i do the same thing when i'm unwell, i once went into work with a temperature of 108f, and worked as if was healthy, i had tricked myself into thinking there was nothing wrong with me. This makes me suppose that all of the Hindu and Yogic Gurus who taught their devotees about Point Concentration Meditation were participating in one big humourous conspiracy, or they wanted their devotees to learn for themselves that the mind inevitably wonders off a stagnant stimulous. But one Yogic System uses this phenomena to its advantage. There are good Yogic Organizations and bad ones, and mostly you can tell the difference by the people you meet within them. Some of the best spiritual people I have ever known have been in the Surat Shabd Yoga Organization under the late Guru Kirpal Singh. They taught to meditate upon the sound that rings in the right ear (heaven forbid listening to the left, for whatever reason) and that as you listen you will go past the original frequency you were listening to and find the next, and next and next. But don’t let me explain it… check out this site: http://santhakar.tripod.com/santmat/shabd-1.html[/b] I've just read this, but i don't know of anything like that near where i live, and it would surely cost an arm and a leg...can i learn meditation off my own back? As in, exercises? is meditation no more than intense concentration?

[MonkeyElk]

Sorry, but if you had a temperature of 108degrees F you should be dead, or at least have gone to the hospital, cause you were fucked up.....Must of been some strong meditating.

[Leo Volont]

Originally posted by irishcream I've just read this, but i don't know of anything like that near where i live, and it would surely cost an arm and a leg...can i learn meditation off my own back? As in, exercises? is meditation no more than intense concentration? Actually the problem with Sural Shabd Yoga is not the cost, as they've always been very reasonable that way. The big problem is that they are very straightlaced and insist upon the strictest celabacy. Why I remember once walking into a Lady Devotees room at College... her door was open and I knocked and she said come in... and she was meditating stark naked. Well, she was even a very good looking lass as I remember. But her consciousness was so far beyond sexuality that I think she forgot to consider her lack of apparel and what a non-Devotees physiological response might be. So, certainly, I finished my discussion with her more quickly than I would have otherwise, and left. But what remained with me was my impression that these particular Yogins were far more ethereal than I could hope I could become, at least in the short term. And so I sought for a less exulted Yoga System. But the Surat Shabd Practice is no longer a secret and you can start the practice and develop it as you begin to understand what is going on. yes, Meditation is concentration. Remember words are only words -- they are names we give to things and not the things themselves. So words are only meant to give descriptions and ideas. We are as likely to get the same impression of The Thing if we call it Meditation as to call it Concentration except for the Spiritualist connotations that surround the word 'meditation'.

[irishcream]

[quote] yes, Meditation is concentration. *Remember words are only words -- they are names we give to things and not the things themselves. *So words are only meant to give descriptions and ideas. *We are as likely to get the same impression of The Thing if we call it Meditation as to call it Concentration except for the Spiritualist connotations that surround the word 'meditation'. so where on earth do i begin? And then i have to make time, because i always seem to be 'busy'...that isn't meant to sound like an excuse. I just want to see where my mind ends up. I think it's part of my spiritual quest.

[archae93]

There is a really interesting account of sensory deprivation experiements done by the Nobel prize winning physicist Richard P. Feynman in "Surely you're Joking Mr. Feynman." (It's a really funny and really smart book btw, I loved it). Feynman was quite the character, and he explored alot of different areas in his quest to understand "reality." He tells about his experiences learning to astrally project from Dr. John Lilly using float tanks while being high on marijuana. Yes, THAT Dr. John Lilly, the guy who wrote dozens of books about telepathic-like communication with dolphins and other entities. Feynman doesn't do like most scientists and flat out reject the experiences, but instead he accepts the experiences and has fun with the open-endedness of where they lead, what they mean in relation to how our brains work, and how reality "really is." You might get some ideas about what to expect and what to try from the book.