Trial reportPloS one2024
A randomized controlled safety and feasibility trial of floatation-REST in anxious and depressed individuals.
Trial report in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03899090 (Investigating Floatation-REST as a Novel Technique for Reducing Anxiety and Depression), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.
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.
Investigating Floatation-REST as a Novel Technique for Reducing Anxiety and Depression
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Induction of altered states of consciousness during Floatation-REST is associated with the dissolution of body boundaries and the distortion of subjective time.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) in methamphetamine use disorder: a pilot study.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Aquahenosis: a non-pharmacological altered state of consciousness induced by floatation-REST in individuals with anxiety and depression.Neuroscience of consciousness · 2026Article
- Mental gravity as a translational framework for mental health promotion.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) in anxiety and depression: An experience sampling study.Journal of mood and anxiety disorders · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundReduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy via floatation (floatation-REST) is a behavioral intervention designed to attenuate exteroceptive sensory input to the nervous system. Prior studies in anxious and depressed individuals demonstrated that single sessions of floatation-REST are safe, well-tolerated, and associated with an acute anxiolytic and antidepressant effect that persists for over 48 hours. However, the feasibility of using floatation-REST as a repeated intervention in anxious and depressed populations has not been well-investigated.
methodsIn this single-blind safety and feasibility trial, 75 individuals with anxiety and depression were randomized to complete six sessions of floatation-REST in different formats: pool-REST (weekly 1-hour float sessions), pool-REST preferred (float sessions with flexibility of duration and frequency), or an active comparator (chair-REST; weekly 1-hour sessions in a Zero Gravity chair). Feasibility (primary outcome) was assessed via an 80% rate of adherence to the assigned intervention; tolerability via study dropout and duration/frequency of REST utilization; and safety via incidence of adverse events and ratings about the effects of REST.
resultsOf 1,715 individuals initially screened, 75 participants were ultimately randomized. Six-session adherence was 85% for pool-REST (mean, M = 5.1 sessions; standard deviation, SD = 1.8), 89% for pool-REST preferred (M = 5.3 sessions; SD = 1.6), and 74% for chair-REST (M = 4.4 sessions; SD = 2.5). Dropout rates at the end of the intervention did not differ significantly between the treatment conditions. Mean session durations were 53.0 minutes (SD = 12.3) for pool-REST, 75.4 minutes (SD = 29.4) for pool-REST preferred, and 58.4 minutes (SD = 4.3) for chair-REST. There were no serious adverse events associated with any intervention. Positive experiences were endorsed more commonly than negative ones and were also rated at higher levels of intensity.
conclusionsSix sessions of floatation-REST appear feasible, well-tolerated, and safe in anxious and depressed individuals. Floatation-REST induces positively-valenced experiences with few negative effects. Larger randomized controlled trials evaluating markers of clinical efficacy are warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION IDENTIFIER: NCT03899090.
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