I had my second float last week. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can read about my first time, here.  Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was late because the subway was slow, so I didn’t get in a full hour, it was more like 45 minutes. But this time I knew the routine, and I was much quicker to get in the water. Based on my experience last time, I was ready for my neck to hurt me again, so as I got in and turned the lights out, I lay down and put my hands behind my neck in order to cradle it. My neck soon relaxed, but soon the tension seemed to be really strong in my shoulders. So I gently massaged my shoulders. I was in a much more relaxed state more quickly than last time, and I felt my tight muscles releasing throughout the session. But the biggest change from last time was that about midway through, I opened up my eyes and realized that there was no difference between having them opened or closed in terms of the light that was getting to them. So I just let my eyes flutter open. I started to have little color visions of the preceding days, though I was quite conscious. After a while, there was some twitching of my muscles throughout. Sooner than later, the music came back on signaling me that the session was over, and  I had to get back to reality. I showered and got dressed and then just sat quietly for a while. What was very different from last time was that for about 45 minutes afterwards my body continued to release muscle tension, even while walking around. I felt very relaxed and flexible.

But . . . a few hours later, I was pretty much back to square one. I got home and I felt pretty much the same I had been before the session. So again, it was all nice for a while, symptomatic relief (not to be sniffed at!) but not a cure. But I did sign up for more floats. The differences between my first and second float were enough to make me think that I could have different experiences if I continue to float. To be continued . . .