How To Perform Transformational Ketamine Infusions: An Introduction
As a physician, you probably know about all the wonderful things that ketamine can do. Plus, since you are currently reading this blog, chances are you are already on board with its off-label use for treating mood disorders like treatment resistant depression and chronic pain conditions. BUT ketamine is so much more than just a medication. It’s something that can actually transform a person. You just need to understand how to make the most out of how you perform your infusions.That way, you can support your patient’s change for a better life. In this blog post, we’re going to introduce you to how to perform transformational ketamine infusions by sharing the 4 very important stages when treating with ketamine.
With ketamine infusions, treatment starts even before the patient steps into the clinic for their first session.
First Stage: Preparation
The work doesn’t start during the day of the treatment itself. It starts before the patient even steps into the clinic. One week before their first infusion (for example), they could be given a set of preparatory guidelines. These guidelines could include things like meditation, eating a healthy diet, getting more sleep, avoiding caffeine and social media. These are good habits that your patient needs to practice so that they can have a pleasant experience during their first day of infusion. Your patient will be going through a unique and transformative journey, so both their mind and body should be prepared for the ketamine infusion experience.
If your patients aren’t prepared during the infusion, they may not be able to process their experience with the right mindset. You want your patients to be calm and truly ready to experience true transformation in life. It is not solely your job as the ketamine doctor, nor the ketamine itself, to treat your patient. Your patient plays a major role in this journey as well, and you are there to guide them.
When your ketamine patient sets an intention before their infusion, the treatment becomes more impactful and healing.
Second Stage: Intention
Not only is it important for your patients to be prepared, they need to know what it is they want to achieve as well. To be more specific, they need to set an intention for themselves. And not only is it for them to know where they’re headed, but setting an intention has its own healing powers. How is this so?
Well, a double-blind, randomized study found that tea that has been intentionally treated by Buddhist monks was found to increase the mood of those who drank the tea, as opposed to the untreated tea. So just like the benefits of drinking tea that was treated with intention, ketamine infusions that are received by patients with intention are more impactful.=
You can explore more about this concept at our blog Why Your Patients Should Set An Intention Before Their Infusion.
During your patient’s ketamine experience, you, as their ketamine doctor, are there to support them and encourage them to fully be present.
Third Stage: Experience
As a ketamine doctor, you may already be very aware that ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. Each patient will have a different ketamine experience. There are 4 types of non-ordinary experiences that your ketamine patients may have, and this will vary depending on various factors such as the set and setting, your patient’s mood, and the amount of ketamine given.
As the ketamine doctor, your role is to create the right set and setting, and determine the dose for your patient so that they can experience what they need to experience. It is also important that you make them aware of these types of experiences so that they know what to expect.
The third stage is the ketamine experience itself. While they are having the experience, encourage them to fully experience it and be present. Sometimes they can have that second-person voice in their head that's constantly narrating what's going on. Support them in letting that go and fully experience the infusion.
What are the 4 types of non-ordinary ketamine experiences? Find out here at our blog The 4 Types of Non-Ordinary Experiences Your Ketamine Patients Can Have.
Having a ketamine experience is just part of the journey. They need to make sense of it all as well through integration after the treatment.
Fourth Stage: Integration
There is no doubt that ketamine infusions play a major role in treating your patients. However, your patient needs to be able to absorb everything they experienced during the treatment and make sense of it all. This is where the last stage, integration, comes in. Integration is one of the most important pieces of the process because it encourages your patients to make lasting changes in their lives long after the treatment is over.
Just like the preparation stage, integration involves your patients establishing a good set of habits since their brain is still experiencing the benefits of the ketamine infusions. Apart from these good habits like meditation and starting healthier routines, they should also speak to someone they trust about their experience.
Explore this topic of integration more at our How To Help Your Patients Integrate After Ketamine Infusions blog.
A completely transformative ketamine treatment involves you as the ketamine doctor, the ketamine infusions, and your patient. Each element has an important role to play.
Encourage Your Patient To Play An Active Role
And those are the four stages: preparation, intention, experience, and lastly, integration. If you’ve noticed, it’s not just you as the ketamine doctor, nor the ketamine infusions, that does the work. It’s a combination of you, the infusions, and the patient’s efforts to make the ketamine treatments truly transformational and long-lasting. Encourage your patients to create these good habits and have the right mindset before, during, and after their treatment.
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As physicians and aspiring ketamine clinic owners, chances are that most of us are aware of how effective ketamine infusions are in treating mood disorders. However, ketamine should be treated as more than just a medication. Through following the four stages of a ketamine treatment, it can become transformational for your patients as well.
Learn the four critical techniques to ensure patients are both mentally and physically prepared for their sessions, contributing to the success of their care and your ketamine clinic.