**** By writing this post I have taken a risk. I rarely reveal this part of me. It may explain my obsession with long distance bicycle touring. My ever restless mind and body has always searched for a place to relax and be calm. On the seat of my bicycle climbing a mountain pass, crossing a desert or enduring wind, heat, cold and rain I have found that calm. This is simply another place I find that calm. Most will find it strange but a few may find it makes total sense.
I knew from the beginning it would not be profitable because I was promoting an unconventional new form of meditation. I took license to call it a therapy, it may not fit the exact definition but in this new age world the definition of the word has been blurred.
Reiki energy work, Watsu water massage, primal screaming, drum therapy, sweat lodges and floatation tanks, all use the word therapy. I have simply discovered a method that can accomplish similar goals and effects. One issue is some may associate this practice with the BDSM community.
My therapy is based on the principle used to calm cranky infants called swaddling. Swaddling is simply wrapping an impfant snuggly in a blanket.
The infant was not only wrapped tightly, they were tied to a board. They could be carried on the mothers back or placed near by as she worked.
The modern version uses velcro.
This principle has been adopted in the treatment of autism. It has been discovered that restricting movement with a full body squeeze has a significant effect calming their anxiety.
As a child I was searching for something. My mind was restless, I could not keep my body still and I was always in trouble for outbursts. When I was alone I was constantly hiding in dark confined spaces. Looking back this board would have been a dream come true.
I was obsessed with the restriction of movement and everything sensory deprivation. I was also interested in anything to do with solitary confinement, space travel, scuba diving and padded rooms.
Altered States with William Hurt was my first exposure to the idea of float tanks. Unfortunately at that time the only float tanks were developed to research the effects of LSD.
I was always fascinated with mummies. I loved the idea of the tight wrapping but not the dead part.
I searched and searched for something that combined restricted movement, compression and sensory deprivation and finally found a device called a sleep sack. It was in a catalog from a company called Fetters based in England. It was invented around 1976 by the late Jim Stewart. I had no access to one but I now knew there was such a device.
This is one of the original Fetters sleepsacks.
To most this is weird or crazy but for some reason I was drawn to it. I had finally found restriction of movement, compression and sensory deprivation combined in one device. The yearning to experience and own one of these became an obsession.
Sadly at that time the only place I knew these were available was in the gay BDSM community. I could have ordered one but my obsession was still a secret and I had other financial responsibilities. Eventually they began producing sleepsacks in other materials like leather, rubber, canvas and neoprene.
Luckily plastic wrap and tape are available in hardware stores everywhere but unfortunately I was alone and mummification is a two person process. These were very frustrating years. I knew about the thing I knew would calm me but the stigma forced me to hide it from everyone.
This is a very skillful example of tape mummification, the body is wrapped with plastic wrap then covered with tape. This is a one size fits all method. Properly done, the subject can remain like this for several hours. This method requires constant monitoring and a good pair of safety scissors, safety can't be stressed enough.
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I moved to San Francisco and finally had the opportunity to buy a sleepsack at a store called Mister S Leather. The majority of the users were into them as a sexual fetish. A few like me wanted them for the meditative effects. These users wanted no interaction or sex they simply wanted to experience the affects of the device alone.
I later found like minded people into pallet wrap and duct tape mummification. Oddly many were genius level software engineers from Silicon Valley. This gave me the opportunity to build my skills and learn what this was all about.
After each session I debriefed my subjects both men and women to learn about their experience. I was curious to know what worked and what didn't. They commonly used the word calming and described a powerful emotional reset or reboot. These people spoke my language.
I learned more and more about the journey and effects as the one wrapping and the one being wrapped. I grew a keen awareness of what was going on with my subjects under the wrap. I could detect stress and discomfort. I could ward off a panic and help extend the experience. Many said I made them feel safe and said I had a sixth sense.
I saw a need to help those poor souls confused by their desires for what I was fortunate enough to find. Many put themselves in danger by trying this alone and some think they were sinful or crazy. I saw a need to create a place where they can experience restriction of movement, compression and sensory deprivation in a space they were accepted and safe.
The few clients I did have had previous experiences. They enjoyed my focused professional approach. Their previous experiences with others usually had sexual interaction. They were finally able to enjoy the pure restrictive experience alone.
I know what I have revealed has put some people off, I will be the first to admit it looks like an unusual practice. Most people have a negative first impression. My hope is that you look past your first impression to see the deeper therapeutic elements of this practice. After a lifetime of trying to make sense of it, I know it is harmless if practiced safely. It is the one thing I have found that soothes my mind and body. A two to three hour session will reset my nervous system for days.
Many years have passed and I now own a canvas, rubber and a one of a kind custom glove leather sleep sack all for my personal use. I wish I could be more open about this but the stigma is always there. The few I have told still raise an eyebrow. The bottom line this is an innocent and effective form of meditation that helps people wired like me.
This is me in my happy place. It is a custom made Maxcita canvas sleepsack and hood. I can spend hours and hours floating and come out reset. No green fees, no gasoline, license or membership, just someone to pull a zipper apply a few straps, monitor me and let me out.
My business brochure
