The goal of this observational study is to monitor the floatation experience and continue the program as long as deemed important. The main question it aims to answer is: will inventory wellbeing scores increase according to the number of floatation sessions accrued? Nurses (registered, practitioner, and anesthetist) and physicians, employed at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Trauma Center, Mercy Health, will be welcomed to participate in the floatation experience. Participants will be given an option to complete the Wellbeing Inventory survey prior to each floatation session.
The floatation program is a Mercy Health enterprise sponsored by the Mercy Health Mahoning Valley Foundation.The goal of this study is to monitor the floatation experience and continue the program as long as deemed important. The investigators hypothesize that inventory wellbeing scores will increase according to the number of floatation sessions accrued. Nurses (registered, practitioner, and anesthetist) and physicians, employed at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Trauma Center, Mercy Health, will be welcomed to participate in the optional floatation program in Warren, Ohio at no financial cost to them. They will become aware of floatation options through the Mercy Health Be Well wellness program. Floatation monitoring will include assessments of wellbeing, nonstress, and positive affect scores. Participants will be given an option to complete the Wellbeing Inventory survey prior to each floatation session. This will be a self-reporting anonymous process. The investigator will never know the identity of the participant.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
50
During floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy), the participant enters a tank that is approximately 5 feet wide, 7 feet long and 5 feet high. The tank is filled with a 10 inch height of water containing enough Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) to create body buoyancy. The water temperature is 93.5 degrees F, an approximate equivalent for normal skin temperature. Ear plugs are used to mitigate sound and the tank is without light illumination to prevent visual stimulation. The sessions are typically 60 minutes in duration. The individual is "Floating-in Solitude, Darkness, Silence, and Thermal-Neutrality." This experience reduces external sensory nervous system input and creates an extraordinarily deep state of mental and physical relaxation.
St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital
Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Change in the inventory wellbeing score
The sum of the positive affect and nonstress scores (range 11-55)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Change in the nonstress score
The sum of the reverse-scored ratings for the 7 negative affect items (range 7-35)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Change in the positive affect score
The sum of the ratings for the 4 positive affect items (range 4-20)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
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