I’m a big fan of Ketamine therapy and I’ll tell you why.

I’ve also done the inner work, but over the last few years, I found myself confronting some old trauma that needed to be cleared out. There’s a difference between understanding what’s going on inside you and healing what’s inside you.

It wasn’t that I was necessarily un-happy, but when I objectively looked at my amazing life, I knew I could be happier. And if there are tools out there that can help us resolve old trauma and improve our mental health, we should look at those things, right?

Right.

So, I did my homework. The turning point was when my dear friend Riley sent me this podcast 🤯. Here are the key things I learned (click the links below for more science):

• Ketamine, first developed in the 1960s as a medical anesthetic, is used off-label for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), alcohol use disorders, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, Postpartum, and more. Doctors have been using Ketamine safely to treat mood disorders since the late 90s.
• Current ketamine protocols are: IV (what I did), Intramuscular (IM) injection, in lozenges and nasal sprays (esketamine was approved by the FDA in 2019). Typically, patients are encouraged to start with around 6 sessions – spaced a few days apart – with an integrator to help prepare for and assimilate after the sessions.
• What the current science is showing is ketamine promotes neuroplasticity – the ability for your brain to change. The way I like to describe it is Ketamine can help restore your brain’s healthy default settings.

My journey

I found a place in NYC called Nushama, where I was given a full intake by a nurse practitioner and given a full explanation of Ketamine and how it works. I signed up for my six initial sessions and came back the following week to get started. Each time, I had my blood pressure taken and filled out an intake on how I was feeling. The nurse practitioner came in and we discussed my dosage.

Once that was all set an integrator came into the room to chat with me about how I was feeling and set some intentions for the session. Then I put on an eye mask, she put headphones on me for music and I settled in for my trip. This is called SET AND SETTING – two key components for a successful psychedelic experience. SET your intentions and create the right SETTING for a positive journey.

It’s TRIPPY

My best explanation is you are disconnected from the overthinking part of your brain. It feels a bit dreamlike and non-sensical. The eye mask and music play a crucial role in helping you “stay inside” and not get distracted by your outer environment.

Once the medicine is finished, you can feel a little nauseous (Oh! Definitely do this on an empty stomach) and out of it, but it passes pretty quickly.

What did I learn?

Over the sessions, I was able to simply let go of some old things. My perspective continues to shift and I understand that most of the things we worry about simply DO NOT MATTER. I continue to go in for booster sessions every other month or so when I’m feeling “sticky”.

I’ve been able to see the bigger picture which is this:

We are all just a bunch of humans, walking around with our individual experiences, trying to figure out “this thing called life” (thanks Prince!). Life is a beautiful, messy, complicated experience and when we can rise above our old histories and current circumstances, we get to BE HERE FOR IT AND GROW FROM IT.

Also, we make up a bunch of stories that don’t matter and we do that all the time. And as soon as you realize that, YOU begin living. If you’re curious, please listen to the above podcast link and take a look at more resources here:

• Ketamine FDA Off-Label Use explained here
• Harvard Medical School article on Ketamine here.
• Yale Medical article here

There’s still a big stigma around Ketamine and psychedelics (yes, I’ll be back about 🍄 later 😉) and while I think public perception is changing rapidly, it’s still there.

And, in a world where oxycontin and cigarettes (and alcohol) are all legal and current antidepressants aren’t always effective – I know that I need to trust my own intuition.

Send me questions – share with your friends and let me know how I can help.

Love you!

Tracey