In my last post, I hopefully clarified five common (negative) misconceptions about ketamine. Today, I’m going to summarize three overly optimistic misconceptions about ketamine and ketamine therapy. Like I stated earlier, the more my patients know about ketamine and ketamine therapy, the more realistic their expectations are. And I believe that’s better for everyone.
There’s no such thing as a magic pill or quick fix when it comes to mental health. Ketamine therapy is no different. To have long lasting effects from ketamine therapy, careful attention to preparation, integration, and aftercare is a must. It’s a mistake to be disillusioned that ketamine therapy is easy or that it will not take effort. After years of suffering from disorders such as depression and anxiety, it’s important to appreciate that healing will take time and effort on your part. Ketamine acts as a catalyst for change allowing for neuroplasticity. Yet, neuroplasticity will not amount to much unless there is willful participation. Unless you are taking action and making changes in behaviors after ketamine therapy, then it’s unlikely that positive change will occur.
It sure sounds nice to save money and have oral ketamine delivered to your doorstep to be taken in the comfort of your home. Some may argue that if one can’t afford IV ketamine or ketamine assisted psychotherapy then the next best thing is to go the cheaper and easier route. Unfortunately, that’s far from the truth. Policy changes made during the Covid-19 pandemic allowed doctors to prescribe controlled drugs which included ketamine through virtual tele-health appointments. This led to a boom of online business that made access to ketamine far too easy. With little attention to appropriate screening, preparation, set and setting, along with integration and aftercare, many patients who ordered ketamine online fail to get sufficient relief. We have seen first-hand numerous patients at our clinic who originally tried at-home ketamine and we’re displeased with their results. After undergoing IV infusions, these patients reported a completely different experience and we’re grateful they didn’t give up on ketamine after subpar experiences at home.
We all want pretty flowers, sunsets, and beauty during ketamine therapy. And while for the vast majority of people these experiences are very relaxing and meditative, that’s not the case for everyone. Healing takes work—and sometimes discomfort. Some of our patients have reported that ketamine therapy is difficult both physically and emotionally. Read one of our patient’s testimonials about her challenging, although significant relief of symptoms after the Innerbloom process.
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