I have experimented with floatation tanks a number of times, both with and without various substances. Ketamine in a floatation tank is an amazing experience.

It is good to do your research and be prepared before floating on any drug; however, drowning is not something you should be too worried about.

It is almost impossible to turn over and drown in a flotation tank, due to the specific gravity of the water. If you are really worried about drowning (and those sorts of bad thoughts are not what you want to be thinking, lying in a tank on K. That could lead to a bad trip), I suggest you have a practice float and try to roll over, to prove to yourself how hard it is to drown. You could also try using an inflatable neck pillow to prevent your head from sinking, although I’ve never bothered with this precaution, and have still lived to tell the tale.

It is your mental, rather than your physical, wellbeing with which you should be most concerned. I am assuming that you have had a lot of (good) experiences with Ketamine as well as practice with isolation tanks. It is good to have a number of trips to look back on to ward off panic when it starts to get weird in the tank.

I did my float on K as a total sensory deprivation experience. Lying there in the dark, time ceased to exist. I have yet to repeat the experiment, although next time I’m thinking of trying combining a float tank, K, and Beethoven.

Good luck with your float. Please feel free to ask me any questions before you do it, and I’d love to swap stories with you after you’re done.

Love & peace,
Zero

I've floated dozens of times since 1999 (sans psychoactives). The very first time, I entered a dreamlike state where imagery was very vivid but I was still awake. I found out later I was in the theta brainwave state. When I got out, colors were much more vivid and for the next or so, I felt like I was a fraction of my weight - like walking on the moon. Also, the sunlight was noticeably softer.

In another float session, I felt my body getting bigger until it was the size of the float tank itself. I just stayed calm and rode it out and eventually the feeling subsided. The owner later told me that I was on the verge of an out of body experience. I'd been hypnotized before and thought I had floated out of my body, but I'd never had the sensation of my body growing like that. Very memorable!

Another memorable float session was a couple days after I saw The Polyphonic Spree live. For the majority of the 1 hour float session, I heard the most amazing original music. There were many different styles that segued from one to the next (jazz, baroque, shoegazer, blues, orchestral, tribal...), all being held together with these wonderful complicated rhythms. I'm not a musician and I don't think I'm musically inclined (I'm very visual) so this was a really surprising and spectacular experience.

So considering all of these peak experiences, in addition to the "average" experience of achieving theta nearly every time I float, I've been very satisfied with the "old fashioned" float tank experience.