Experience the Wellness
KETAMINE IS A VACATION FOR A TIRED MIND, AND REGARDLESS OF YOUR EXPERIENCE, THE MEDICATION IS STILL DOING ITS JOB ON YOUR NEURONS.
For the past two months, we’ve shared information about ketamine as a medicine and a science. Having discussed infusion treatment for my own chronic pain and anxiety with my neurologist, I visited reKonnect Wellness in Georgetown to give readers a first hand report of what they might expect during a visit.
First, the office is very spa-like; neutral, quiet atmosphere, and I was seen and seated immediately. I was already at ease knowing the entire process is overseen by a doctor and managed by a nurse who does an intake for every treatment, including exact weight to ensure my dosage was correct to the milligram. There are just two treatment rooms so staff are able to attend to each patient constantly throughout the visit.
Once relaxing in a thoroughly indulgent recliner, my shoes were removed, and the nurse gave me a soft sleep mask and fleece blanket. There was a brief sense of vulnerability but staff were very reassuring and confident about the science and results to come. The medical provider explained that my hopeful excitement was a great way to start as the chemicals tend to exaggerate emotions. She said, “State of mind can play a big factor in your ketamine experience. It is normal for those dealing with severe depression to have an emotional reaction during therapy. This reaction is completely normal and all part of the healing process.” In hindsight, I’m glad I was feeling positive because I giggled and laughed out loud the whole time I was under.
Once the infusion begins, the ethereal playlist is an instant relaxer and completed the cozy sensation before the chair fell away into outer space and my hand became the Pillars of Creation nebula. I experienced and enjoyed a lot of what I was told to expect—floating sensations, and many levels of consciousness. Not the mystical guru type, just a simple notion that I was having enjoyable visions but simultaneously aware that they were not real because I was under a chemical influence… still creating conscious thoughts, and remembering them. At the same time, I was intrigued to know that a brain is capable of thinking about itself while also enjoying being under the influence and the new reality it created.
Without sharing my entire ‘dream’ it is worth sharing that some patients are able to guide their dreamlike journeys. At one point, I had a fleeting thought that I had been under for hours and hours and what if something happened and I was actually dying? Suddenly the scene was an ancient desert city and I got excited and asked, “Is Jesus here?!… Wait…is that his name?” Somewhat directed, I suppose, and I heard myself laugh again.
THE RESULTS
Some patients experience lasting change after one treatment and some need more. My symptoms were not extreme but I did notice, within 24 hours, that my thinking has changed. Sensory triggers are gone from what used to be OCD thought patterns. The first—as a person who was in cheerleading for 30 years, every sunny 70° morning makes me feel like I am supposed to be getting ready for a football game. That’s not a bad thing but perhaps if the involuntary football thought is gone, then so is the sad one about my dad’s funeral, which I have on every sunny 50° day. From now on, instead of being stuck on old, weary neural paths (because those were all I used to have), I’ll simply enjoy a sunrise on my porch and think about whatever I want. It is a relief to say farewell to things that will not come to mind unbidden, and I can’t wait to do it again to wash away more baggage.
reKonnect Wellness is at 1103 Williams Drive, #405 in Georgetown. (737) 275-8438