Summary
Host Emily Flood shares her deeply personal experiences combining float tanks with Celtic shamanic journeying meditation. After three float tank sessions, Emily describes each as a life-changing experience that dramatically amplified her visualization abilities compared to meditating on her couch or bed. In the sensory deprivation environment -- completely dark, quiet, and weightless -- her ability to see and experience her shamanic journeys became dramatically more vivid and detailed. Emily explains the basics of Celtic shamanism, a practice rooted in indigenous Irish pagan traditions that is accessible to anyone without barriers to entry. She describes the concept of the world tree with its three realms (upper world, middle world, and lower world) and how shamanic journeying involves meditative visualization trips to these non-ordinary realities. Her float tank experiences included encountering her deity (the Morrigan), receiving a dragon guide for protection, and exploring her intention of safety following an emotionally abusive relationship with a narcissist. The episode highlights how float tanks enhance meditation by leveraging the ADHD brain's tendency to go wild with creativity during restful states. Emily notes that while a 60-minute meditation on her bed would likely result in falling asleep, the float tank keeps her awake and engaged for the full session. She emphasizes setting intentions before entering the tank, such as exploring safety or seeking guidance, and describes the sensation of flying during floats as incredibly realistic when combined with weightlessness.
Key Points
- Float tanks dramatically amplify visualization abilities during meditation, making shamanic journeys and other visualization practices far more vivid
- The sensory deprivation environment prevents falling asleep during long meditation sessions, unlike meditating in bed where 60 minutes would likely lead to sleep
- Setting an intention before entering the float tank enhances the experience and gives the session direction and purpose
- ADHD brains tend to go wild with creativity during restful states, making float tanks particularly powerful for neurodivergent individuals
- The weightless sensation of floating makes visualization of flying and movement feel incredibly realistic
- Float tanks come in different configurations, from open bathtub-style to enclosed rooms the size of a California king bed
- Emily found float tanks transformative for processing trauma from an emotionally abusive relationship, using the sessions to explore themes of safety and personal power
Key Moments
Each float tank session has been a life-changing experience
Emily shares that after her coach introduced her to float tanks in Reno, each of her three sessions has been genuinely life-changing, starting with an open bathtub-style tank with Epsom salt where she floated in the dark.
"And each time that I have been in a float tank since, it's been three times now, it has been a life-changing experience, you guys. I'm not joking. So the float tank that I did with her was basically like a big bathtub, right? So it wasn't enclosed or anything. And yes, the lights turned off. I had the ability to turn them on if I wanted to, right? But there's Epsom salt on the water, so you float, right?"
Float tanks as a gateway to spiritual and shamanic experiences
Emily connects float tanks to her spiritual practice, explaining how the sensory deprivation environment opened her up to Celtic shamanism experiences and deeper connections with herself that she could not access through other means.
"Welcome to the magical world of fitness witchcraft. I'm your host, Emily Flood, and I created Fitness Witchcraft specifically to help witches and spiritual women to become mentally and physically healthy after trauma."
Dread of podcasting vanished once she followed her passion for float tanks
Emily describes how she had been dreading recording podcast episodes until she gave herself permission to talk about what she was truly passionate about: float tanks and Celtic shamanism, illustrating how float experiences can spark creative energy and enthusiasm.
"So I know I have promised a six-part series of six beliefs that I needed to have in order to reach my fitness goals. But quite honestly, I had this idea a few weeks ago, and I wanted to talk about float tanks and Celtic shamanism, and I was feeling really passionate about that."
