Properly preparing your body and mind is crucial for optimizing your Ketamine experience and effectively integrating and retaining the insights gained during the session. By taking the time to prepare, you can enhance the overall effectiveness and benefits of your ketamine therapy. We have laid out a short guide to help you prepare.
The Week Before
Journaling
Journaling is recommended as a preparation technique before your first Ketamine treatment. In a calm and uninterrupted state, write down your treatment goals, such as "Let go of depression" or "Decrease anxiety". Envision the treatment in a positive light, focusing on what you hope to learn. Emphasize writing from a positive and peaceful perspective rather than strong emotions like anger or sadness.
Journaling is also a great tool to use and integrate into your day to day life after your treatment as well.
Detox
To optimize your ketamine experience, it's important to approach it with a "clean" state of mind. This means detoxing from substances, & activities that can impact your mood & mind.
Avoid alcohol or stimulants such as marijuana (don't stop taking your medication unless you have spoken & are under the guidance of your doctor). Minimize exposure to excessive violence, stress or sadness in TV shows & movies. Avoid subjects that could trigger you emotionally (the news is a big one). Be mindful of what you're ingesting into your mind & body as these can have an effect on your experience. Getting enough rest is also important & this would be a good time to start. (If suffering from addiction & detoxing from certain substances isn't possible, we suggest setting a goal that is obtainable to you but trying to avoid it for at least a day before hand.)
A Few Days Before
Meditation
While we know it's easier said than done, meditation is a valuable practice to quiet the mind and cultivate openness for the ketamine experience. Skills developed in meditation, such as grounding and calmness in the face of racing thoughts, can be beneficial during the treatment. Focusing on the breath and centering yourself creates space to be receptive to feelings, experiences, emotions, and insights that may have otherwise been missed or overlooked. Though simple, meditation can be a helpful tool in preparing for your ketamine therapy. We suggest practicing during the days before your treatment.
Tidy Up
If you have a mind that tends to wander due to distracting thoughts, cleaning up your home and finishing up tasks you've been meaning to do can help you stay focused during your treatment. This can include tidying up your living space or tackling items on your to-do list (easy and obtainable items that won't cause stress).
Taking care of these tasks can help you be fully present during your experience. If you're unable to handle everything, don't stress - this is just a suggestion for additional preparation, though we do HIGHLY suggest keeping the space you will be doing your treatment in a clean and peaceful state.
Get Outdoors
Spending time outdoors. Being outdoors is known to increase our awareness and lowers depression and anxiety. This is a great way to get your mind into a good state of mind before your treatment. If the weather doesn't cooperate, you can spend time doing something you enjoy such as painting. drawing, puzzles or
reading a relaxing book. Another suggestion is simply watching the sunset.
The Night Before & The Day Of
Rest
Getting a good night sleep the night before will insure you will be as relaxed as possible once treatment
Set Intentions
Setting an intention is a good way to help keep you guided during your therapy.
Intentions can vary from person to person, ranging from specific goals for this session or for long term goals.
"Surrendering to the experience"
"Gratitude"
"Self-compassion"
"Freedom from pain"
"Love"
Having a clear intention will anchor you during the session. In the event you might face something challenging during your therapy, taking a deep breath and reconnecting with your intention can help calm you and guide you. Your intention will also provide a context for reflecting on and processing the things you saw, heard, and felt during the infusion afterwards.
Setting
Creating a comfortable setting for your therapy is vital. You should be somewhere you feel safe, quiet, & an undisturbed environment to get the most from your experience.
Dimming the lights for inward focus•
Cleaning the room, ensuring a clear path to the restroom.
Request anyone living with you to refrain from entering the room (8 keeping quiet unless you'd like one there for your mentor, though quietness is still important)
Keeping pets & children out of the room
Wearing comfortable, loose clothing.
Adding personal comforting touches, like an eye mask, calming scents, or sentimental items for a calm & open environment.
We have a playlist for you to listen to, otherwise, non lyrical, calm music is best.
No Eating & Take Anti-Nausea
It is important to not eat or drink anything for at least 3 hour prior.
Ketamine can cause nausea so we also prescribe an anti nausea. Take this with enough time to have it work by the time you start treatment.
Please know, if you have any concerns or questions before beginning, we want you to reach out and talk to us. We are here to make this healing journey as successful as possible for you and want to help in any way we can!
Take steps at a comfortable pace for you,
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