Sensory Isolation Chamber



A light-proof, sound-insulated chamber which containing an epsom salts solution, five times denser and more buoyant than sea water. The temperature inside the capsule is kept at a constant 34.5 degrees Celsius - relaxed skin temperature. As a result, the nerve endings which cover the surface of the skin no longer perceive any sense of separation between the skin and the silky mineral solution which surrounds it. In the chamber, the boundaries of your body seem to dissolve and vanish as you enter progressively deeper levels of relaxation, even your body seems to "disappear" from conscious awareness because of the sharp reduction in signals being transmitted through the nervous system to the brain.The sudden de-stimulation of large areas of the nervous system triggers a spontaneous chain reaction throughout the body known as the parasympathetic response. Muscle tension, blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen consumption all drop dramatically. The whole chemistry of the body changes. Scientists estimate that up to 90% of the brain's normal workload is caused by the effects of routine environmental stimulation the combined effects of gravity, temperature, touch, light and sound on the muscles, nervous system and sense organs of the body.The sensory isolation chamber screens out these external physical stimuli, creating a pure state of "sensory" relaxation, amplifying latent abilities of the mind. '''There is a sharp drop in the level of electrical activity of the brain (measured on an EEG) from the usual 20-25 Hz down to 4-8 Hz.; EEG readings show a slow, rhythmic wave pattern known as the theta state where time seems to vanish. EEG measurements show that the level of activity in the two hemispheres of the brain also becomes more balanced and synchronised. This can produce a subtle shift in awareness away from the normally dominant "left-brain" thought patterns (logical, linear, analytical, detailed) towards the more intuitive, synthetic and large-scale thought modes of the "right-brain". The tank does not inhibit the left hemisphere, but simply changes its role from one of dominance to one of partnership with the other hemisphere, enabling use all mental powers.''' In was within an experimental version of this particular technology that the accident occurred which augmented the consciousness of Test Subject-X.