A dozen years ago, Peter Suedfeld introduced the world to the term "REST' to describe the modern technique or therapy involving Restricted Environmental Stimulation. At the time, REST was still equated with "sensory deprivation". Textbooks in psychology and psychiatry cited primarily the work of the 1950s and 60s which suggested that reduction of normal levels of stimulation was, in a sense, a form of torture producing severe psychological disturbances and subjugation of the hapless participant to the whims of an experimenter working in the service of a sinister government. In contrast to this perception, other psychologists and psychiatrists held the unsubstantiated belief that apparent REST effects were merely the result of awe inspiring experimental settings and subject expectancies. Suedfeld was not persuaded by either of these unscientific positions. He (Suedfeld, 1980) argued that REST, when stripped of anxiety producing melodrama, was simply a powerful way to positively alter a variety of psychological and behavioral processes. Research continued. More and more data were published and presented. Research scientists and clinicians began to correct misconceptions. The First International Conference on REST was held in 1983 and IRIS, the International REST Investigators Society, was founded that same year. REST has outlived misconstrued perceptions. The beneficial effects of the technique are now recognized in the majority of scientific texts.

Springer Book Archives

I. New Theoretical Developments and Perspectives for Clinical Practice.- 1. Stimulus and Theoretical Reductionism: What Underlies REST Effects?.- 2. A Neo-Dissociation Conceptualization of REST.- 3. Bridging the Gap.- 4. Temporal Patterns of Affect in an Isolated Group.- II: Sensory Restriction and Hypnotizability.- 5. Neo-Dissociation Accounts for Pain Relief and Hypnotic Susceptibility Findings: Flotation REST Elicits Hypnosis.- 6. REST and Hypnotic Phenomena: Some Similarities Observed in European Case Studies.- 7. A Model of the Common "Active Ingredient" in Stress Reduction Techniques.- 8. Age Regression Phenomena.- Section III. Enhancement of Performance.- 9. Effects of Flotation REST and Visual Imagery on Athletic Performance: Tennis.- 10. Flotation REST and Imagery in the Improvement of Collegiate Athletic Performance: Basketball.- 11. Short-Term Exposure to REST: Enhanced Performance on a Signal-Detection Task.- Section IV. Stress Management.- 12. Slow REST or Fast Drugs: Meditation or Medication?.- 13. Effects of Chamber REST, Flotation REST and Relaxation on Transient Mood State.- Section V. Treatment of Habit Disorders.- 14. REST: A Key Facilitator in the Treatment of Eating Disorders.- 15. Twenty-Four Hours of Chamber REST Produces Specific Food Aversions in Obese Females.- 16. Treatment of Trichotillomania and Smoking with Hypnosis and REST.- 17. Motivational Factors in Alcohol Consumption: Extending Hull's Model.- 18. Chamber REST Reduces Alcohol Consumption: 3, 6, 12, and 24 Hour Sessions.- Section VI. Psychophysiological Effects.- 19. Psychophysiological Comparisons of REST and Hypnosis: Implications for Future Research.- 20. REST in the Treatment of Persistent Psychophysiological Insomnia.- 21. Differential Effects of Wet and Dry Flotation REST on EEG Frequency and Amplitude.- Section VII. Biological Effects.- 22. The Physiological Effects of Flotation REST.- 23. Effects of Flotation REST on the Immune Response: T-Cells, B-Cells, Helper and Suppressor Cells.- 24. Effects of Wet and Dry Flotation REST on Blood Pressure and Plasma Cortisol.- 25. Relaxed and Alert: Patterns of T-Wave Amplitude and Heart Rate in a REST Environment.- 26. A Method for Continuous Blood Sampling During Flotation REST.- Section VIII. Treatment of Physical Dysfunctions and Psychological Disorders.- 27. REST as a Treatment for Children with Autism.- 28. The Effects of Consecutive Floats and Their Timing on Premenstrual Syndrome.- 29. Flotation REST, Physical Therapy and Psychological Intervention in the Treatment of Physical Disabilities.- 30. Effects of Flotation REST on Range of Motion, Grip Strength and Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritics.- Section IX. References.