Post Treatment Guide
Let your insight unfold and embrace the transformation
Be Gentle & Journal
Immediately after your ketamine treatment session, prioritize self-care and create a calm, quiet space for reflection. Take some time to process the emotions and insights that surfaced by journaling.
Engage in soothing activities like meditation or a gentle walk in nature to ground yourself. Also, avoid making significant decisions or getting involved in stressful situations and do not drive for the remainder of the day.
It is encouraged for you to discuss your ketamine journey experience with your therapist or trained support system during an integration session following your infusion because it can provide valuable support as you work towards creating a plan for lasting positive change.
IMPORTANT - If you are experiencing any thoughts of self-harm or suicidal ideation, please call for help with a health care professional, 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency room because your safety is of utmost concern.
Self Care
During the first 48 hours following your ketamine session, your mind enters a highly receptive state, brimming with potential for transformation. Engaging in healthy and helpful acts of self-care will help cultivate the vast potential for personal growth.
Picture your thoughts as —a blank canvas, awaiting your creative touch. Or as fertile ground ready for you to plant new seeds of growth.
Ask yourself…What steps can you take to nourish your mind, broaden your horizons, and embark on a journey towards creating the life you truly desire?
How will you bring about the change you want to see for yourself?
Remember… if you want things to change, you have to change some things as you create a plan for healing growth. The ketamine helps your brain get “unstuck” from the thoughts and behaviors that may have been causing you distress. However, the efforts you take to create new ways of being is what will make the difference with your progress. Take a deep breath, go slow, and keep an open mind as you explore the possibilities and establish new patterns.
Explore the self care guide below for ways to expand on your healing plan.
What is self-care?
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Think
Our thoughts affect how we feel so identifying what negative core beliefs are getting in the way of your goals is an important step toward creating positive change.
Journal. Meditation. Mindfulness.
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Eat
Think about the foods you enjoy that fuel your body in the way it needs. Increase those that improve health and notice how your energy levels change
Nourish, Hydrate, Meal Planning
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Feel
Remind yourself of things that bring you joy and do more of those. Use your senses to feel what it's like to have something only you can enjoy.
Hobbies, Arts, Self Care, Massage
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Connect
The most powerful medicine is feeling connected to self, others, & nature. How can you return to the experience of connection with less scrolling and smartphones and more interaction?
Friends, Support groups, Nature
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Move
Reconnect with your body and give your mind time to escape by engaging in physical activity. Release the unprocessed emotions you may not have noticed are stored within you with movement.
Walk, Yoga, Sports, Dance
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Explore
What are your passions, interests, & goals? Allow yourself to try new things to see what may expand your life experiences and open your mind to exciting possibilities.
Career plans, Research, Seminars
Your Healing Journey
It is important to note that healing is not linear. This means you may begin to feel better and then experience a return of unpleasant feelings, emotions, or patterns. You are starting to learn to overcome the triggers, hurdles, and blocks that may emerge day-to-day. No one’s path is free of discomfort and missteps. Be kind and supportive of your own journey and notice the choices you are now making to keep moving toward a place of healing. Focus on your new behaviors and your ability to rebound in ways you may not have been able to before. Remember that during the healing process, you are not becoming a completely different person; you are reconnecting with the parts of yourself that you want to thrive and grow. Ketamine therapy can help you identify what may be hindering your growth and allow you to create healthier and more productive ways to overcome these challenges.
The goal is for depressive symptoms or feelings of overwhelm to lift or lighten after your ketamine therapy. However, you may also experience a grieving process for unprocessed events or feelings, or a realization of what you have been missing in your life that you yearn to find again. This, too, is part of healing. You may experience stronger emotions as you begin to release what has been hidden behind the ways you were distracting yourself from your pain or discomfort.
It is always encouraged to reach out to a professional mental health provider, wellness coach, or integration groups to assist in your healing. Overall, it is important to create a healing plan that can help you work through and overcome what has been holding you back from feeling joy again and build connections to the things that make you feel hopeful and connected.
Ketamine Therapy: Understanding Its Limits
Ketamine therapy can offer significant relief from mental health symptoms, acting as a powerful catalyst for change. It provides a "reset," allowing you to break free from unhelpful cycles and better engage with other treatments. However, it's important to remember that ketamine isn't a cure it’s a tool. The lasting benefits come from using this new clarity to address and change patterns in your thinking and environment. Ketamine therapy can open the door, but walking through it and continuing the work is where real, lasting change happens. By combining ketamine with ongoing therapy and making conscious changes in your life, you can build on the relief into lasting wellness.
Ketamine Therapy: A Boost, Not a Replacement for Healthy Living
Ketamine therapy works best when it's part of a broader, holistic approach to well-being. While ketamine can offer a significant boost in mental health, it's essential to also focus on other key aspects of your overall health. Building and maintaining healthy habits like regular exercise, a balanced diet, getting quality sleep, and making strong social connections are all crucial for lasting mental health. Ketamine therapy can support and amplify these efforts, but it can't take their place. Embracing these healthy habits alongside ketamine can lead to more sustained and meaningful improvements in your well-being.
Ketamine Won’t Clear Away All Traumatic Memories
For those struggling with PTSD or a difficult past, ketamine will not erase or eliminate the memory of a traumatic thought or event. However, ketamine can soften the emotional impact of these experiences, making them easier to manage. By reducing the overwhelming feelings tied to trauma, it creates space for individuals to begin healing and processing their experiences more effectively, especially when combined with therapy and other supportive treatments. This shift in perspective can be a crucial step toward reclaiming control over one’s life.
Ketamine Can’t Do the Work for you
Ketamine therapy can give you the initial boost you need, but real, lasting improvements require your active involvement. To make the most of this therapy, you’ll need to take practical steps to address issues in your life, whether that’s pursuing new opportunities, changing your environment, or reevaluating any unhealthy relationships or habits. While ketamine can offer clarity and renewed motivation, the responsibility to implement these changes falls on you. It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference and perhaps after your treatment you will have more clarity on how to create it.
Ketamine Will Not Change your Home/Work Environment/Relationships
Ketamine therapy can help reduce symptoms and be a significant part of your healing journey, but it won’t fix problems in your personal life or work environment. For example, it won’t resolve issues like alter a turbulent home situation, improve an unhealthy relationship, or eliminate a toxic work environment. To effectively manage these challenges, you’ll need to connect with how these situations are making you feel, create a plan, then take proactive steps for change. Perhaps the insight gained can help you seek appropriate support to enact these changes. While ketamine can enhance your mental clarity and resilience, it’s up to you to address and improve the external factors affecting your life.
***Please note unless your current situation is putting you in danger it is important to assess and not make huge life changes during your ketamine treatment in order for you to fully process your new insight and make meaningful and informed decisions.