There is no doubt that the short period following the float is crucial for achieving a complete floatation experience. It is during this stage that the first-timer will be setting into place the thoughts that will become how they relate to their float. They have just let go in a way they never have before and, upon emerging from the float pod, will be finding their way back into their body. The senses are heightened and they become highly attuned to things they always saw, but didn’t always notice. It is the job of a professional floatation center to make this process smooth, efficient, and enjoyable.

After leaving the shower the client will be in the process of forming their cognitive constructs, or the thoughts they will use to remember their experience. I had a very wise man, a master of language, share with me the power of languaging an experience. We were sitting and talking one day when a client came in to the reception after showering. He looked at us both kind of “wild-eyed” and said, “whoa, that was weird!” My friend looked at him, then looked at me and smiled. He turned to the client and asked very politely, “Would you say weird, or different?” Immediately the client’s facial expression changed from wild-eyed to fascinated. He softened, his shoulders dropped, and he replied with ease, “different, definitely different.” It was in that moment that I grasped just how important words are in helping us relate to our experiences. The word the client used to describe the float could never change the experience of the float, but it did change the way he related to it then and for the future. At Float Matrix, when we sit with clients post-float, we listen carefully to the words they choose and will, on occasion, offer up a word they seem to be searching for that helps them relate to their experience in a positive way, while being careful not to project into their authentic experience. We have found this to be very effective for completing the floatation experience.

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