Floating away trauma: new study tests Sensory-Deprivation tanks for PTSD relief
NCT ID NCT04368689
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether floating in a special tank that reduces outside stimulation can help people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). About 30 adults with PTSD will take part. Researchers will measure changes in PTSD symptoms, stress, mood, and pain before and after floating sessions.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Has posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as confirmed by the PCL-5 * 18-60 years of age Exclusion Criteria: * History of neurological conditions (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, severe traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia) * Any skin conditions or open wounds that could cause pain when exposed to saltwater * Has floated previously * Has Schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders * Refuses to adhere to the Pre-Float Checklist * Non-English speaking * Inability to lay comfortably in a shallow pool of water * Refuses participation in the floatation-REST sessions * Refuses to sign the Float Liability Waiver prior to floating * No Communicable disease (e.g.- HIV, Hepatitis A, B\& C, tuberculosis, or measles) * No psychoactive drugs or laxatives within the past week from scheduled float. Psychoactive drugs include, but are not limited to: methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, peyote, phencyclidine, ketamine).No recreational drug use (e.g.tetrahydrocannabinol,abuse of prescription medicine) day before or day of study visit. No antihistamine that causes drowsiness and no alcohol the day of the float sessions. * Lack of control of bodily functions prior to scheduled float * Fresh tattoos that would inhibit ability to float (consult with tattoo artist) * Colored/dyed hair less than one week old from scheduled float * Body tanning/spay/paint less than one week old from scheduled float * Active suicidal ideation
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226-3548, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.