Examining the Effects of Reduced Environmental Stimulation on Anxiety
Condition: Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Agoraphobia; Panic Disorder; PostTraumatic Stress Disorder; Social Anxiety Disorder; Major Depressive Disorder
MeSH terms: Anxiety Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Depressive Disorder, Major; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Panic Disorder; Phobia, Social; Agoraphobia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The studies proposed in this protocol aim to explore the anxiolytic properties of floating as
      it relates to the central and autonomic nervous system.
    

Detailed description: 
      The human brain is constantly bombarded with sensory information from the external world.
      This series of studies aim to explore the effects of reducing environmental stimulation using
      specially designed floatation pools that minimize visual, auditory, tactile, proprioceptive,
      and thermal input to the brain. Previous research has shown that "floating" in this unique
      setting can significantly reduce levels of anxiety, stress, blood pressure, and cortisol,
      while significantly increasing levels of both subjective and physiological forms of
      relaxation. Much of this past research contained various methodological weaknesses, including
      small sample sizes and lack of a control condition. Moreover, very little is known about the
      potential benefits of floating in clinical populations, and essentially nothing is known
      about the effects of floating on the brain. The studies proposed in this protocol aim to
      further explore floating's potentially salubrious effect on the autonomic nervous system,
      while beginning to investigate its largely unknown effect on the central nervous system. The
      researchers have attempted to improve upon the weaknesses of past research by using larger
      sample sizes and a control condition. The current project is focused on documenting the
      subjective, physiological and neural effects of floating in healthy and anxious populations.
      The subjective effects of floating will be examined using self-report measures and the
      experience sampling method. The physiological effects of floating will be examined using
      waterproof and wireless tracking of blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and movement, in
      addition to collecting measures of cortisol and magnesium. The neural effects of floating
      will be examined using waterproof and wireless EEG collected during the float experience, as
      well as using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) collected before and immediately
      after floating. An exteroceptive control condition aims to examine each participant's
      baseline physiological state while participants watch a neutral documentary film. This
      program of research constitutes the first systematic investigation of floating on the body
      and the brain, and the findings have the potential to illuminate the physiological and neural
      correlates of the relaxation response induced by the floating experience.
    

Intervention name(s): Floating; Comparison
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Floating supine in a pool saturated with Epsom salt for up to 90 minutes; Watching a relaxing film for up to 90 minutes
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: On the 2nd session, participants will be randomly assigned to start in the pool condition or comparison condition. Following a 1-week washout period, they will crossover to the other condition.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: Anxiety; Floating