Ketamine Therapy & Challenging Your Limiting Beliefs
This blog post has been adapted from the transcription of the above video.
Life is full of challenges, not all of them external. Sometimes, these challenges come from ourselves in the form of limiting beliefs. If we aren’t aware, these limiting beliefs can hold us back from living our lives. In this blog, we’ll share some questions you can ask yourself to help you let go of these limiting beliefs.
Hindrances in our lives can come in the form of limiting beliefs. Questioning whether these limiting beliefs are true is a powerful way of letting go of these self-limitations.
Release Your Limiting Beliefs By Questioning Them
Every so often, we have these painful limiting beliefs and thoughts that create a lot of disturbance in our lives. These limiting beliefs can come from old programming we received as children or were adaptive ways to cope with things we could not control in the past. These beliefs, by nature limit you, and hold you back thus creating the disturbances in your life.
Sometimes (and often we’ve found), part of the healing journey while receiving ketamine infusion treatments is to address and let go of these limiting beliefs. So how do we do that? By questioning these beliefs. There's an author named Byron Katie and she asks four questions that can help us challenge these beliefs or thoughts.
Question #1: "Is this true?"
Question #2: "Can you absolutely know it is true?"
Question #3: “How do you behave when you believe this to be true?"
Question #4: "Who would you be without this thought or belief?"
By asking yourself four questions, you may be able to change your limiting beliefs and take positive action in your life.
Challenging A Limiting Belief: An Example
These four powerful questions are very simple but can really support you in challenging some of those old beliefs. Let's say, for example, you have a belief, "I am not a worthy person." Run through each question.
The first question "Is this true?" Hmm maybe. Maybe, yes.
“Is this absolutely true?” Probably not. “
How do you behave when you believe this to be true?” You may not take care of yourself. You may overeat or undereat or you may not get enough sleep or exercise.
And the final question, "Who would you be without this thought?" And if you let go of the thought "I am not worthy" what type of activities and behaviors would you be engaging in?
What happens when you begin to challenge the validity of your beliefs? You begin to shake things up. You start to dismantle thoughts you believed were the truth but were rather opinion. You create space to allow other perspectives in, similar to how a ketamine infusion experience can provide a new perspective.
By using these four questions, you can apply it to some of the beliefs that may not be serving you in your life, turning those around and really challenging those beliefs.
Feel free to read Byron Katie’s book “Loving What Is” here.
Ketamine infusions are just a catalyst. To achieve true healing, working on your limiting beliefs will greatly contribute to your journey to a new life.
Ketamine Infusions, Limiting Beliefs, & The Journey To Healing
Challenges along with limiting beliefs are always going to be part of life. Ketamine treatments can be so incredibly transformative and helpful for those facing both physical and emotional pain, but it can only do so much. This is why it’s important to challenge these limiting beliefs that lead to and contribute to the pain you face. That is where you can support yourself during this journey of healing, and especially during your treatment series.
During a psychedelic ketamine experience, some of our patients experience a past event from a different perspective. This inadvertently leads to questioning how they perceived it in the past. This experience then can lead to a new positive belief that results in positive action or change in their everyday life. With Byron Katie’s four questions, you don’t have to wait for your next ketamine infusion to start shifting your perspective. Begin challenging and ask these questions now.
If you enjoyed this blog, you might like to explore these blogs as well:
How Intention and Belief Plays a Role on Mood
Your beliefs and intentions have power. That's why we encourage each of our patients to set an intention before a ketamine infusion. Learn more about this with a study involving tea at our blog.
The Power Of Labeling Our Thoughts And Feelings
When you’re anxious, angry or upset, do you wish you had a magic button to calm yourself down? Well, I have good news. Putting both your feelings into words and mindful meditation together is a powerful way to regulate your emotions in a positive way. Check out this blog to find out why putting our feelings into words can be beneficial.
Are You A Servant To Your Mind?
Is your mind serving you or are you serving your mind? If you can’t answer this question, consider this, do you ever feel like you are at the mercy of your mind? Instead of walking your dog, is your dog walking you? Do you use your phone or is your phone using you? Can you relate? Does this sound familiar?
While ketamine infusions are a catalyst in transforming your life for the better, true healing happens when you work inwards. This means letting go of limiting beliefs that have been stopping you from moving on and living a new life. In this blog, we talk about some questions that will help you let go of these beliefs.