Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2014
Beneficial effects of treatment with sensory isolation in flotation-tank as a preventive health-care intervention - a randomized controlled pilot trial.
Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05977894 (Wellbeing Monitoring During Sequential Reduced Environmental Stimulation-Floatation), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Wellbeing Monitoring During Sequential Reduced Environmental Stimulation-Floatation
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of flotation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST).BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- A randomized controlled safety and feasibility trial of floatation-REST in anxious and depressed individuals.PloS one · 2024Trial
- Flotation Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2021Trial
- Promising effects of treatment with flotation-REST (restricted environmental stimulation technique) as an intervention for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): a randomized controlled pilot trial.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2016Trial
- Assessing impact of chamber restricted environmental stimulation therapy on stress and sleep quality among university students: an intervention study.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Comparison of 1-hour floatation-REST versus conventional napping on heart rate variability in active individuals.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2024Article
- The Effectiveness of Web-Based Psychotherapy to Treat and Prevent Burnout: Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Article
- Comparison of Bispectral Index™ values during the flotation restricted environmental stimulation technique and results for stage I sleep: a prospective pilot investigation.BMC research notes · 2017Article
- An active inference theory of allostasis and interoception in depression.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2016Article
- Article
- A study of flotation-REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy) as an insomnia treatment.Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSensory isolation in a flotation tank is a method known for inducing deep relaxation and subsequent positive health effects for patients suffering from e.g. stress or muscle tensions pains. Very few studies have investigated this method as a preventive health-care intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects in healthy participants after receiving a series of flotation tank treatment.
methodsSixty-five participants (14 men and 51 women) who were all part of a cooperative-health project initiated by their individual companies, were randomized to either a wait-list control group or a flotation tank treatment group where they participated in a seven weeks flotation program with a total of twelve flotation sessions. Questionnaires measuring psychological and physiological variables such as stress and energy, depression and anxiety, optimism, pain, stress, sleep quality, mindfulness, and degree of altered states of consciousness were used. Data were analysed by two-way mixed MANOVA and repeated measures ANOVA.
resultsStress, depression, anxiety, and worst pain were significantly decreased whereas optimism and sleep quality significantly increased for the flotation-REST group. No significant results for the control group were seen. There was also a significant correlation between mindfulness in daily life and degree of altered states of consciousness during the relaxation in the flotation tank.
conclusionsIt was concluded that flotation-REST has beneficial effects on relatively healthy participants.
trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12613000483752.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.