The stress and burnout protocol — modalities for nervous-system recovery

Station by station

1. 01

   Float tank

   60–90 min

   Where you land in the range

   60 minutes is the standard booking and the right call for a first float; the first 20 minutes are often restless, and that's normal. Move toward 90 only once you know you settle in slowly and want the longer quiet.

   Device note

   Filtered and sanitized between every session

   Settings basis: published commercial practice

   Operator · staff-facing

   Staff cue

   First float? Show them the light switch and the door: both stay in their control, and propping the door open is completely fine. Earplugs go in before the pre-float shower, and remind them a fidgety first 20 minutes is normal, not failure.

   Screen for — route away if

   • ·open cuts or freshly broken skin (salt water stings hard)
   • ·uncontrolled epilepsy or recent seizure history
   • ·ear infection or perforated eardrum
   • ·hair coloured within the past week (the salt strips fresh dye)

   ↓ ~5 min changeover to the next station

2. 02

   PEMF lounger

   30–45 minOptional — skip if busy

   Where you land in the range

   The shorter 30-minute down-regulation program on a first visit; toward 45 only once a program is familiar. Length follows the device program selected, and the longest programs belong to a dedicated PEMF visit, not this stack. Extend across visits, not within the first one.

   Operator · staff-facing

   Staff cue

   Pick the shorter calm-focused program on a first visit and tell them what to expect — mostly nothing, and that's the point. Phone stays in the locker; this is lying-still time.

   Screen for — route away if

   • ·implanted electronic devices (pacemaker, defibrillator, insulin pump)
   • ·pregnancy
   • ·recent surgery with implanted hardware not yet cleared by their care team

   ↓ ~2 min changeover to the next station

3. 03

   Red light panel

   10–20 minOptional — skip if busy

   Where you land in the range

   10 minutes as the general wind-down layer; toward 20 when one area (neck, shoulders) is the complaint, staying within the panel's own distance and time guidance. Red light doesn't suppress melatonin, so the evening slot is the right one.

   Wavelength

   Red ≈ 630–680 nm; near-infrared ≈ 800–850 nm

   Settings basis: published commercial practice

   Operator · staff-facing

   Staff cue

   Set the panel per the device card and hand over the eye covering. Lights low, no phone; this step is part of the wind-down, not a scroll break.

   Screen for — route away if

   • ·photosensitising medication (some antibiotics, retinoids, St John's wort)
   • ·an active skin condition currently flaring in the area under the panel
   • ·recent laser or cosmetic skin procedure in the area under the panel

   ↓ ~3 min changeover to the next station

4. 04

   Infrared sauna finish

   15–30 min

   Where you land in the range

   15 minutes for a first visit or anyone heat-naive; extend toward 30 as heat tolerance builds. This visit ends on heat with a natural cool-down, never a cold finish, because the slow temperature drop afterward is part of the wind-down.

   Temp

   120–150 °F

   Settings basis: published commercial practice

   Operator · staff-facing

   Staff cue

   Water bottle goes in with them, and keep the cabin moderate; a wind-down sit is not the place to test limits. Light-headed means out now, seated, water. Remind them the slow cool-down afterward is part of the visit, not dead time.

   Screen for — route away if

   • ·pregnancy
   • ·uncontrolled high blood pressure
   • ·cardiac history or arrhythmia
   • ·alcohol today
   • ·medication that impairs sweating or heat tolerance
   • ·fever or active illness

   ~5 min to change and head out