n the research study, the anorexia nervosa inpatients randomized to get floatation-REST reported instant and repeated reductions in body image dissatisfaction and improved anxiety relative to a comparison group of anorexia inpatients randomized to receive care as typical, whose symptoms were the same. The body image enhancements in the floatation-REST group stayed after the treatment and lasted for up to six months.
” This advancement uses a new restorative instructions in dealing with anorexia, a psychiatric condition understood for its challenging diagnosis and high death rate,” said psychiatrist Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD, Director of Clinical Operations at LIBR, and senior author of the research study.
” Anxiety is a typical co-occurrence in anorexia nervosa that does not respond well to basic anxiolytic medications such as benzodiazepines,” he included. “The large anxiety reductions induced by float treatment in these clients suggest that this tool presents a potent chance to deal with anxiety via non-pharmacological methods in anorexia nervosa. Additional research is required to examine the anxiolytic effects of float therapy in other eating conditions.”.
” These findings also make way for new forms of treatment for eating conditions which, in combination with traditional treatments, may assist to ease diagnostic features of AN that are harder to deal with, such as body image,” commented co-first author Emily Choquette, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral scholar at LIBR. “The trusted and sustained effect of floatation-REST on body image frustration suggests that it may be studied as a tool to enhance the effectiveness of conventional psychiatric therapies.”.
Due to the fact that anorexia is a extreme and consistent psychiatric condition, the search for efficient treatments is ongoing. “This study underscores the importance of continually seeking innovative approaches and broadening the horizons of existing restorative alternatives,” added Dr. Scott Moseman, MD, CEDS, Medical Director of the Laureate Eating Disorders Program. “These findings might lead the way for brand-new forms of treatment, such as float-assisted psychiatric therapy, which intend to further enhance the body image and stress and anxiety enhancements obtained by means of existing evidence-based interventions.”.
Reference: “The effect of floatation therapy on body image and stress and anxiety in anorexia: a randomised clinical effectiveness trial” by Emily M. Choquette, Michael C. Flux, Scott E. Moseman, Sheridan Chappelle, Jessyca Naegele, Valerie Upshaw, Alexa Morton, Martin P. Paulus, Justin S. Feinstein, and Sahib S. Khalsa, 29 August 2023, eClinicalMedicine.DOI: 10.1016/ j.eclinm.2023.102173.
The research study group was led by senior author Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD, Director of Clinical Operations at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Director of the LIBR Float Clinic and Research Center, Associate Professor in the Oxley College of Health Sciences at The University of Tulsa, and performed in close collaboration with psychiatrist Scott Moseman, MD, CEDS, Medical Director of the Laureate Eating Disorders Program from which the participants were hired. Co-first authors on the research study were Emily Choquette PhD, a post-doctoral research partner at LIBR, and Michael Flux PhD, a previous lab volunteer and collaborator at LIBR. Extra collaborators included medical neuropsychologist Justin Feinstein, PhD, President and Director of the nonprofit Float Research Collective.
The research was supported by the Laureate Institute for Brain Research and was performed at LIBR between March 2018 and February 2021.
I.
n the study, research study anorexia nervosa inpatients randomized to receive floatation-REST reported repeated and immediate reductions repetitive body image dissatisfaction and improved anxiety relative to a comparison group of anorexia nervosa inpatients randomized to receive care as usual, typical symptoms were signs.” Anxiety is a common co-occurrence in anorexia nervosa that does not react well to standard anxiolytic medications such as benzodiazepines,” he included. “The big stress and anxiety reductions induced by float treatment in these clients recommend that this tool provides a powerful opportunity to deal with anxiety through non-pharmacological methods in anorexia nervosa. Because anorexia nervosa is a extreme and persistent psychiatric condition, the search for effective treatments is continuous.
Scientists have actually discovered that floatation-REST treatment, an approach involving floating in a shallow pool of Epsom salt-filled warm water, substantially reduces body image dissatisfaction and anxiety in anorexia nervosa patients, lasting approximately 6 months post-treatment. This study recommends an appealing non-pharmacological intervention in the treatment of anorexia, potentially complementing existing psychiatric therapies to resolve aspects like anxiety and body image concerns that are typically resistant to existing treatments.
Pioneering research study from the Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has made significant strides with an unique technique for treating anorexia (AN), an eating disorder characterized by low body weight, body image irregularities, and stress and anxiety.
The research study was just recently published in the journal eClinicalMedicine.
The scientists identified a number of instant and sustained effects of Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) in inpatients with anorexia. Also known as “float therapy”, Floatation-REST is a non-pharmacological treatment that involves floating easily in a shallow swimming pool of warm water filled with Epsom salt, in a lightproof, soundproof, humidity- and temperature-controlled environment, and it is increasingly used by the public as a stress decrease tool. I.
