Altered consciousness in flotation-REST and chamber-REST: Experience of experimental pain and subjective stress
Anette Kjellgren, U. Sundequist, Ulla Sundholm, Torsten Norlander, T. Archer
January 3, 2004 DOI: 10.2224/sbp.2004.32.2.103 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized crossover trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 23 |
| Population | Sportsmen |
| Interventions | Flotation-REST Chamber-REST |
| Duration | Two 45-minute sessions |
| Measures | instrument assessing experienced deviation from normal state (EDN) |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Key findings | Flotation-REST induced significantly higher altered states of consciousness than chamber-REST. Participants with high altered states in the flotation condition reported greater experienced pain and stress than those with low altered states, suggesting flotation-REST may influence pain and stress perception. |
Abstract
Twenty-three sportsmen were given one 45-minute exposure to flotation-REST and one exposure to chamber-REST on two occasions, incorporating random assignment to either flotation-REST followed by chamber-REST or vice versa. On each occasion, the Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique (REST) procedure was followed immediately by testing experimentally induced pain to one arm using a blood pressure cuff. It was found that flotation-REST induced a significantly higher degree of altered states of consciousness (ASC), as measured with an instrument assessing experienced deviation from normal state (EDN), than did chamber-REST. Participants experiencing High EDN in the flotation-REST condition reported higher levels of both “experienced pain” and “experienced stress” than did those experiencing Low EDN. These results suggest that the particular distinguishing features of flotation-REST and chamber-REST may cause selective deviations from normal levels of consciousness, under experimental conditions, that may underlie the subjective experience of pain and stress thresholds.