What Does Ketamine Therapy Feel Like? [An Overview for First Timers]
Takeaway: Ketamine infusion therapy is a relatively new treatment for mood disorders like treatment-resistant depression. For many, it solves a lifetime of trial and error processes with therapists, psychiatrists, and other healthcare professionals – making their minds an easier place to be. However, scheduling your first appointment for a new type of treatment can sometimes cause more anxiety and questions than excitement. In this article, I’ll explain what you need to know if you’re getting ketamine therapy for the first time, like:
The benefits of ketamine therapy
How to prepare for your first ketamine infusion
What to expect during and after the treatment
You’ve likely heard about the growing interest in ketamine as an FDA-approved potential treatment for various mental health conditions. With its rapid onset and potential to provide relief when other options have failed, ketamine therapy offers hope to those seeking relief from the burdens of their symptoms.
If you’ve seemingly tried everything to help your mental health, beginning this type of therapy may be an option you want to explore. Or, better yet, are you already anxiously awaiting your first ketamine therapy appointment? Regardless of where you’re at in the decision-making process, it’s expected to be apprehensive and nervous about trying something new – just like you would be with any other medical procedure. That’s why we’ve created this guide: to help first-timers like you understand what a ketamine therapy appointment looks and feels like from start to finish.
How Will Ketamine Therapy Help My Mental Health?
Before we dig into the benefits of ketamine therapy, let’s cover how it actually helps your mental health. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors assist your brain with synaptic plasticity, which is the process that helps your brain form new memories and learn new things. Some research shows these receptors play a role in developing and prolonging major depressive disorder, so ketamine, an antagonist, blocks NMDA receptors from becoming overactive and dying off — reducing depression symptoms. When this happens, your brain can continue operating as usual.
Ketamine therapy is popular for a reason. But before you try it for yourself, it’s important to research the risks and benefits. Ketamine is generally considered a low-risk therapy, but always check with your healthcare team to see if it’s a viable option for you. We always take a comprehensive physical and mental health history to ensure your safety throughout the treatment.
On the other hand, here are a few of the benefits patients receive from the effects of ketamine.
An Alternative to More Intensive Treatments
People with treatment-resistant conditions often have to rely on more intensive treatment options like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). These treatments can not only come with a significant financial cost but also put you at a higher risk for adverse side effects.
Experience a Quicker, More Enhanced Therapy Response
Ketamine therapy has been shown to provide rapid relief from symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. Some individuals experience improvements within hours or days after treatment. We’ve seen results as soon as 1-2 hours after treatment.
Carries a Low Risk of Dependency
Compared to other depression treatments like medication, ketamine therapy carries a lower risk of dependency – even when used long-term. Depression is a comorbid condition with other diagnoses that may require medication that’s prone to be highly addictive.
Potential of Long-Lasting Effects
While in our experience, the immediate effects of ketamine last approximately 45 minutes after it’s administered, some individuals experience longer-term relief from symptoms, with results lasting weeks to months after treatment. It may also help your health in other ways, like by lowering your blood pressure.
Best of Both Worlds
Our ketamine-assisted therapy is tailored to your individual needs, with dosing and administration methods adjusted based on factors such as weight, tolerance, and treatment response. We also take a holistic approach, blending traditional psychotherapy techniques with the natural elements of ketamine to help alleviate your symptoms.
How is the Ketamine Treatment Administered?
Ketamine (IV) infusions, injections, and nasal sprays are all different ways to administer the treatment. During your sessions with a therapist and the Journey Clinical team, you’ll receive it through taking a sublingual lozenge. Like a cough drop, you’ll keep the lozenge in your mouth until it dissolves so your gums and cheeks absorb the ketamine. By using this method, we can offer you the least invasive treatment possible.
When you arrive, you’ll be placed in a room with comfortable seating so you can lie down while the ketamine is taking effect. The lozenge effects will last 45 minutes, so plan to relax for that time. Afterward, you’ll speak about your experience with a therapist.
How Should I Prepare for a Ketamine Therapy Appointment?
Preparing for ketamine therapy is very similar to getting ready for any other type of health appointment. A little nerves are expected, especially if it’s your first time. However, try to relax as much as possible.
Familiarize Yourself With Financial Policies
Before you attend your first appointment, ensure you’re familiar with your provider’s financial policies, such as whether they accept insurance or only private pay. Ketamine infusions and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy aren’t usually covered by insurance, so be prepared to pay out of pocket if necessary.
Hydrate
Although ketamine lozenges affect everyone differently, they may still cause you to become dehydrated. Drink plenty of water and clear liquids for several days before your appointment to stay hydrated.
Plan Your Outfit and Plan Your Day
Pick a comfortable outfit for receiving ketamine treatment. For example, it’s probably not the best idea to wear jeans. Instead, choose something made from a soft, breathable fabric that won’t overstimulate you. Given the physical and emotional aftereffects of ketamine therapy, it’s also a good idea to try to clear your day before and after your appointment.
Take Your Medications
Give a list of your medications to your ketamine therapy provider so they can review them. Unless they tell you differently, continue to take your medication as usual. However, you don’t want to take any medication right before your appointment begins because it could alter the effects of ketamine.
What Do Ketamine Treatments Feel Like?
Now, let’s talk about the most anticipated part of a ketamine-assisted therapy visit — what does it feel like?
While patients describe feeling differently during every experience, there are some common experiences. Typically, the process begins with a sense of calmness. It’s also expected to feel like you’re in a dream or have a building sense of euphoria. Since you’re in a relaxing environment already, this helps you get into the zone and absorb the effects even more. Many patients report feeling pain relief and other mild physical sensations during their first ketamine experience. For example, your movements and thoughts will be affected, so it might feel like you’re “slowed down.”
Also, you can listen to music, use comfort items, and journal your experience to help you process your experience in the moment.
With ketamine infusions, your dosage is based on other factors about your health, so it’s customized to you – not like a street drug where you may or may not know exactly what you’re putting into your body. It’s not like antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), or other psychiatric drugs prescribed for depression, which won’t significantly alter your mood so quickly.
The effects of ketamine are technically psychedelic experiences. However, ketamine therapy isn’t exactly like your typical “trip” because it’s classified as a dissociative anesthetic. When used as a party drug, taking a high dose of ketamine can induce severe hallucinations, dissociation, and derealization (where things around you don’t feel real). This state is known as a “k-hole.”
In the psychotherapy portion of a ketamine therapy appointment, you may reflect on new insights you discovered during the dissociation. This is one of the main reasons people are drawn to ketamine; it allows you to reach areas of your mind that otherwise would remain subconscious, helping you to work through even the most challenging depression symptoms.
Many people also describe a common experience of feeling intense emotions after ketamine therapy, like being more depressed or anxious than average. You may reflect on trauma and the overall ketamine process or become more aware of how the therapy opened your mind. If this happens, don’t let it scare you or make you think the sessions aren’t working. Adjusting to the ketamine treatment takes time because your body is getting used to a new sensation.
How Will I Feel After Receiving Ketamine Therapy?
After your first appointment, your nervousness might go away, but something else may replace it. You can expect to feel tired or sleepy as the dissociative effects wear off. You may feel dizzy after the treatment, so get plenty of rest once you leave your appointment. Although unlikely, symptoms like nausea, moderate to severe faintness, and headaches can occur. If any of these things happen, let your provider know immediately.
Start Your Ketamine Therapy Journey Now
Ketamine therapy is a unique, rapid-acting, and effective way to address your mental health. Since it works exceptionally well with conditions like treatment-resistant depression, this type of therapy also provides relief after a long, potentially exhausting mental health treatment journey. If you’re in Colorado or Texas, start your ketamine therapy journey with Journey Clinical and Rooted Rhythm by booking a free consultation with one of our providers.
PS: We are expanding to Connecticut and Georgia soon, so keep checking back for announcements about this in the near future.