The effect of floatation-REST on health-related psychological variables was investigated in young healthy subjects.
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: 60 minutes Floatation-REST: Experimental condition with pre-post measurements
Group 2: 60 minutes Bed-REST: control condition with pre-post measurements
Sponsors
Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 49 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: - Very good written and oral German language skills (questionnaires and oral instructions) - Physical and mental health, mobility
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: - Acute or chronic physical illness (e.g. incontinence, cold symptoms) - Acute or chronic mental or neurological illnesses/disorders/abnormalities (e.g. depression, epilepsy, ADHD) - Taking medication that impairs physical or mental functioning or the autonomic nervous system - Addiction, influenced by drugs and alcohol - Open or bleeding wounds - Contraindication to floating, i.e. medically diagnosed diseases - pregnancy - underage
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The influence of the intervention (Floatation-REST versus Bed-REST) on state-related variables is analysed. Hypothesis (1): Influence of the experimental condition on the emotional state-related variables after the intervention The primary hypothesis relates to the comparison of the Floatation-REST with the Bed-REST condition and is described in a directed hypothesis as follows: Compared to the control condition, the Floatation-REST condition leads to a reduction in stress and anxiety, increased relaxation and an increased sense of well-being. The number of thoughts decreases after floatation-REST compared to the control condition. Hypothesis (2): Influence of the experimental conditions on the experience of altered states of consciousness (ASC) The second hypothesis analyses the experience of ASC with regard to the two conditions. It is formulated as a directed hypothesis: Floatation-REST leads to more or more intensely experienced ASC compared to Bed-REST. This is reflected in stronger changes in the perception of time, the perception of body boundaries and the dimensions of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory. Here the measurements refer to the time during floatation or bed-rest. Hypotheses (3,4): Influence of the ASC during floating on the emotional state variables after floating Hypotheses three and four test whether the ASC experienced during floatation-REST have an influence on the emotional state variables afterwards. According to hypothesis three, it is assumed that ASC leads to changes in the emotional states (arousal, stress level, anxiety, tension). Two measurement times T2 and T3 before and after Floatation-REST, two measurement times T4 and T5 before and after Bed-REST. The state measures were filled out either before and after the REST conditions (pre-post-measurements) or only after (post-measurement). Emotional reaction (SAM, pre-post-measurements): The Self-Assessment-Manikin Scales (SAM) measures both (1) positive and negative valenc | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Hypothesis (5): Influence of property-related variables The fifth hypothesis analyses the influence of trait-related variables on the state-related variables. The directed hypothesis means: The more pronounced the absorption capacity of the test subjects, the more changes occur in the emotional state-related variables and the more likely and more intensively the test subjects experience ASC. There is a pre-measurement at measurement time T1 in the first familiarisation session: Trait-related variables Absorption (TAS): The German version of the TAS (Tellegen Absorption Scale; Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974) consists of 34 items with answer categories on a 5-point Likert scale (0-4) ranging from not applicable/slightly/partly/mostly/absolutely applicable. Example items include: "I like to watch how clouds change their shape" (item 6), "My thoughts often appear as images rather than words" (item 22), and "I think that different smells have different colors" (item 33). Absorption is defined as ‘‘…a disposition for having episodes of ‘total’ attention that fully engage one’s representational (i.e., perceptual, enactive, imaginative, and ideational) resources.”40. The internal consistency value is a Cronbach's alpha of 0.8946. The German norm data comparable to our sample in age has an average score of 60.05 with a standard deviation of 19.9846. Our sample on average has a value of 71.6 (S.D.: 22.4). Perceived stress (PSQ): The Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) by Levenstein et al. (1993) measures retrospective individual stress perception during the preceding two years. The questionnaire was validated on a German sample49 and comprises 20 items that are assigned to seven scales in the German version. Participants can indicate whether the statements in the items apply "almost never", "sometimes", "often", or "mostly" on a 4-point Likert scale of 1-4. The internal consistency value is a Cronbach's alpha of 0.8649. The German norm data for our sample have a stress sco | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactMarc Wittmann
Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene
Outcome results
None listed