What does cilantro (coriander), stink bugs and bubble gum have to do with floating? 

FEAR. It is a contagious force that grows and spreads through spoken words. It will rob us of our potential and leave us missing out. What we speak will define our reality.

My older brother has always been a prankster. When I was a little boy he gave me a squashed green stink bug and said: “here you go, its bubble gum…” Of course 3 year-old me thanked him, put it in my mouth and started to chew.

Have you ever tasted a stink bug? I’m sure you’ve smelled one. It tastes exactly how you could imagine: disgusting.

Our brains can recall memories associated with smells and tastes in a very powerful way. It wasn’t until years later, in my early 20s, that I first tasted cilantro leaves (or coriander here in NZ). After my first taste, my brain made an instantaneous connection with my stink bug episode at age 3 and I was immediately grossed out. Cilantro was my least favourite taste ever and I said: “I could NEVER eat that again!” But I had a dilemma… I had a theory back then that we choose what we like and don’t like and this was now my chance to truly put that theory to the test.

“I had to change my thinking. I had to undo the series of neural pathways associated with that first experience.”

I had to change my thinking. I had to undo the series of neural pathways associated with that first experience. I needed to rebuild new and other ways of thinking about the same topic but from a different perspective. It wasn’t easy but with persistence, intentionality, and practice it worked. The second time I tried cilantro was also terrible but the win was that I tried it again. The third time was easier and eventually I, like millions of other people on this planet, got to enjoy cilantro. In fact, it has become one of my favourite spices to cook with. Cilantro with freshly chopped ginger, onions and a bit of olive oil with butter over the stove in the pan: divine!

One of the biggest reservations I hear from people regarding floating involves claustrophobia. “I could NEVER get into one of those” they say as they transfer that fear onto another person. We see people with severe anxiety disorders and I can say, from personal experience, that when someone says “I could never…” they are sadly wrong. Our clients who are working through building new ways of thinking would say the same: They are simply wrong. You can if you decide to. You are not stuck in fear forever and if you want, you can be set free from your anxiety.

One of our float cabins, the Floataround, was purpose built for people suffering with anxiety. It is spacious, beautiful and has light and music options. You are in full control of your environment. It even has star lights in the ceiling that you get to turn on or off. For those of you who read my post about my claustrophobia, you’ll know that the Floataround was the tank that had me calm my nerves and it wasn’t until I went in the Tranquility pod that I was really making strides. The Tranquility is now my favourite tank out of all the float tanks I have ever been in. I still get a bit anxious, especially in very large crowds, but I no longer say “I could NEVER…” Life’s too amazing to miss out because of narrow/untrue thinking.