A common source of internal stress is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Recent surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that, 11 percent of children 4 to 17 years old were diagnosed with ADHD in 2011, up from 7.8 percent in 2003.
Many of these children will carry the disorder into adulthood.
Essentially, ADHD is a problem of being unable to focus, being overactive, being unable to control impulses, or a combination of these symptoms.
The remarkable thing is that this this is exactly the description of the habits we are creating with our technology.
We are training people to have disordered thinking. Though not yet proven, many experts believe that technology has played a role in the rising rates of ADHD.
Think honestly to yourself…
How much TV do you watch and do your kids watch on a daily basis….can you really resist the urge to press the “on” button when you know a new episode of your weekly show is about to air?
What about when you hear your phone buzz...how long can you go without checking it? Most people would come in at five minutes tops. You might feel like you can control your behavior, but usually habits say otherwise.
While technology is convenient and may not be the cause ADHD, it could very likely exacerbate a problem that’s already on the rise.
Floating as a Treatment for ADHD
There’s one main reason that floating is an ideal solution for ADHD: It helps you stay focused, on task and present, no matter what. And for people who deal with the very real symptoms of ADHD on a regular basis, a floating routine might have similar effects.
Spencer Fossier, owner of NOLA Float Tanks, first floated in 2014. Since then, he’s not only adopted a regular float schedule to deal with symptoms of ADHD and back pain but has also opened his own float center.
Diagnosed and medicated for ADHD in the fourth grade, Spencer spent years feeling hopeless and misunderstood. Now he says, “It has opened me up immensely.” His symptoms are alleviated, and he chooses to stay off medication.
However, things didn’t always used to be this way. When Spencer’s ADHD was at it’s worst he recalls fighting and screaming with his parents, punching through walls, and even failing classes. To other people it seemed like he was unable to control himself but to Spencer it felt like everyone was trying to control him to where he felt like he had no personal freedom.
Spencer dealt with the symptoms of ADHD all throughout his childhood and into adulthood. It wasn’t until after college that he heard about floating through Joe Rogan and immediately decided to give it a try. Spencer now maintains a regular float practice and floats 2-3 times a week at his center.
Besides helping Spencer with the symptoms of ADHD, he says floating also helped him come to peace with his diagnosis and the struggles he went through as a child. “Whereas before, I kind of was this angry little kid, was just frustrated that no one else got it and I was just a victim of situations. More than anything else, floating has helped me realize I'm just responsible for my own life and decisions. And not only that, but I'm not responsible for the way that other people react to me.”
He says that regardless of why you’re doing it, you should keep an open mind and that every float is different, even for him. “Everyone needs to do it,” he says. “It's a life-changing experience. You will learn more about yourself in those forty-five minutes to an hour than most people have ever sat down to think about in their entire lives.”
Whether you suffer from ADHD or simply the disordered thinking of an overloaded society, floating can help you move to a more peaceful place.
About Spencer Fossier
Spencer is the owner of NOLA Float Tanks, which he opened after floating at Float Houston last summer. What initially drew Spencer to the tanks was the alternative treatment for ADHD, which he had been diagnosed and medicated within 4th grade. After using the tanks to center his mental state, Spencer noticed that he became more balanced in his external musculature.
By the time of the conference, Spencer will be CHEK Golf Specialist certified which he is going to use to incorporate float tanks as physical therapy. He suffers from back pain like many others and would like to help himself and as many other people as possible to work through these physical symptoms of stress.