Prepare for Ketamine Treatment
Ketamine can help people with chronic pain disorders (including migraines), anxiety, PTSD, and depression, and more. Ketamine treatment can have great benefits for many patients. As we have witnessed with our own patients at Acheron, to get the most out of treatment, it helps to prepare both your body and mind.. You should consider abstaining from drugs and alcohol, and possibly taking a break from stimulants, caffeine, and sedatives. Meanwhile, you should participate in healthy practices (journaling, meditation/mindfulness, etc.), and set your intention for each treatment.
Detox
It’s important to come into the session as “clean” as possible. This means you want to detoxify from alcohol, substances, and any other activities that may affect either your mood or your mind. However, if you are on any medications already, do not change how you take them unless you are under the guidance of your doctor. It also doesn’t hurt to be aware of what you drink, eat, watch, and read the day before and day of treatment because ketamine alters your mood and mind and you wouldn’t want to do anything to negatively affect your body/mind before treatment starts.
Participate in Healthy Practices and Habits
Meditation, jotting down your goals, and reflection can all be beneficial healthy habits to practice before your ketamine session. Some journaling topics to write about include what you hope to learn, experience, and resolve during the treatment. Keeping your stress level to a minimum is key before a ketamine treatment, so you can really journal about anything that helps you minimize stress and allows you to create a clear, calm mindset. It may also help to bring to mind positive memories and peak experiences from the past (even if you also unfortunately suffered significant adverse experiences and trauma in your past).
Meditating is another way to help quiet and calm your mind. Some tips to help with meditation include:
Making a commitment to meditate in the same time, same place
Finding the meditation position that’s most comfortable for you
Breathe naturally. Meditation does involve focusing on the breath and using it as an anchor for the mind, but try not to think about the breath or alter it in any way.
Take mindfulness with you. Before you finish meditating and go about your day, form a clear idea of what you are going to do next
Set your Intentions
After reflecting and journaling, you can create an intention for your ketamine treatment. An intention is an idea with a specific goal for guiding your thoughts. These intentions vary person to person; they could be the same as your goals from the experience or a way of being, or even simply one or two words.
Some examples of intentions include:
“Trust the experience”
“Be kind to myself”
“Relax and Let Go”
“Be grateful”
Overall, intention setting can be empowering. It’s the initiation, and the first step into your preferred story. We recommend coming into your ketamine experience with a clear mind and clear intentions.
Ketamine Therapy with Acheron in NYC
If you have any questions about your upcoming session, or want to learn more about the ketamine therapy experience, reach out to us at the Acheron Center for Psychiatric Healing. We are located in New York City at 11 Broadway, Suite #1168, New York, NY 10004, and you can give us a call at (212) 320-2216. Our ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program (KAP) was created to provide New Yorkers, like you, with total and comprehensive care for symptoms affecting thought, mood, anxiety levels, alertness, attention, and personality, and to enhance your wellness.