What the research says about treating anxiety disorder with floating

Study on floating's effect on anxiety disorders

Flotation-REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) is the full name for floating. The method has been traditionally used to reduce stress and increase performance. In 2018, a study was conducted by Kristoffer Jonsson at Karlstad University which also demonstrates the effects floating can have on anxiety.

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More efficient

Jonsson's study shows a clear result that floating can relieve symptoms of GAD (generalized anxiety disorder)

- Treatment with regular therapy often takes a long time before results are achieved. Medicines usually cause side effects and even here it takes time to achieve the desired results. Flotation has been shown to be more efficient than other methods, and this may to some extent be due to the fact that the person in question directs and controls the treatment all by him/her-self, says Kristoffer Jonsson in an interview.

 

What did the study look like?

A random selection of 50 people, all diagnosed with GAD, was made. During 7 weeks of treatment, the participants were allowed to stay in the floating tank for 12 x 45 minutes. Half of the people underwent the treatment and half had to act as a control group. After undergoing the treatment, a series of improvements were experienced compared to the control group. Such a big difference that 37 percent no longer met the criteria for GAD. The participants stated that they slept better, were less or not depressed at all, had an increased contact with their emotions and also a greater ability to control their emotions.

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What is GAD?

GAD is an umbrella term for anxiety disorders that manifest in the form of constant worry, difficulty relaxing and also physical symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches and stomach aches.

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Read the entire article about Jonsson's study and the background to why he became interested in the first place:

https://press.kau.se/posts/pressreleases/floating-kan-dampa-angest

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