How Floating Can Help Stop Depression
This week I met up with Lindsay, the owner of Halifax’s The Floatation Centre to talk about how floating can help depressed teens.
What is Floating?
Floating is when you lie in highly concentrated Epson salt bath in a dark container for 75 minutes.
What are the benefits of floating?
Floating helps you to disconnect from the world and reconnect with your self. For teens, it gives them time alone where there is no technology, family, and friends. Floating offers a space where teens can relax, de-stress, and unwind (it can be a great tool during exams)! For some depressed teens, it is a great opportunity to meditate or practice mindfulness activities but just showing up and lying in the salt water will have benefits.
“When you float there are no sights, sounds, or smells, and the temperature of the water is the same as your relaxed skin surface. But your brain activity doesn’t slow down at all… it actually just switches from a constant state of stimuli (90% of your brain’s activity is stimulus base) to a meditative state. In this state of relaxation your cortisol levels (stress hormone) and your blood pressure all go down BUT then your endorphins and happy neurotransmitters go up. Plus when the Epson salt dissolves in the water, magnesium sulfate (which can help decrease depression) gets absorbed through your skin.” – Lindsay MacPhee
Meet Jules Smith
Jules Smith, MEd, RCT, CCC, is a therapist in Halifax who supports teens facing challenges like depression, anxiety, and the ups and downs of adolescence. They provide a thoughtful, non-judgmental space where young people can make sense of what they’re going through and consider new paths forward.
