Beehive values curiosity. It is how we find fresh insights and make meaningful connections between what’s happening in the world around us and the work we do every day. To foster our curiosity, we regularly conduct CQ Field Studies – the CQ stands for Curiosity Quotient. A member of the Beehive team receives $150 to go experience something that intrigues or inspires them, and then reports back on what they learned.   Beehive supports the physical, mental and emotional well-being of all employees. In fact, we’ve event partnered with Intentional Environment to create an InZone, a distraction-free space for the team to “zone in” and renew energy every day through meditation and yoga.   With our commitment to well-being in mind and my personal interest in new forms of alternative healthcare, I decided to dive in (pun intended) to the latest trend sweeping the meditation industry—Float tanks.  

What’s your “CQ”? In other words, what were you curious to explore?

In a consumer-driven healthcare market, what are the benefits of alternative forms of therapy?  

Describe the experience you selected.

Awaken for Wellness offers alternative forms of therapy—including massage, a salt room and inferred sauna—everything is geared toward healing and wellness. I decided to visit Awaken for Wellness for REST:   R.E.S.T. or Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy, sensory deprivation therapy, or what’s currently being called floatation therapy has been touted as therapy for many physical and mental issues including muscle soreness, sports injuries, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, PTSD and more. Proponents claim it is the ultimate mood regulator encouraging a deep meditative state that decreases cortisol levels and encourages the release of endorphins.   The float room is a sound-proof, light-proof booth with about two feet of very high level of Epsom salt—saltier than the dead sea. I chose a 60-minute float session.   It’s a rare occasion that I choose to do something that makes me uncomfortable—and laying in salt water for 60 minutes certainly did make me uncomfortable. But, having the opportunity to be alone with your thoughts was invaluable. You lose all sense of your surroundings, of the time and of your thoughts. I’ve never experienced such a meditative state.  

How might your experience translate into how we work with clients (this industry or others)?

Educate yourselves—and your patients. The healthcare market is evolving rapidly and alternative forms of therapy are becoming commonplace as consumers plant themselves in the driver’s seat of their healthcare experiences. Care providers and healthcare systems have an opportunity to educate patients on the benefits of alternative therapies to be practiced alongside traditional medical therapies (and many already are).   Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Remain open to new ideas and be willing to take risks. Sure, it might not work as you thought it might—but, you’ll never know if you don’t get your feet wet.   As a society, we’re arguably more aware of our body’s needs: From meditation to mindfulness to exercise and nutrition—there are more options than ever to give our body what it needs, but it’s often up to us to determine exactly what that means. Think about your overall wellness goals as we head into a new year. If you’re seeking mindfulness practices, or simply want to push yourself to try something new, consider a visit to a float tank for an entirely new perspective.