What To Expect During Your Ketamine Appointment: From Start To Finish
In this blog, discover what to expect during a ketamine infusion appointment. We’ll cover all the basics from start to finish, and highlight how we uniquely do things at our clinic.
This blog post has been adapted from our What To Expect During A Ketamine Treatment video.
Your ketamine therapy journey begins after initial screening and medical record review at our clinic.
What To Expect During Your Ketamine Appointment: The Beginning
We want to share with you what to expect during your ketamine treatment. Every clinic operates a bit differently, and here we’ll explain our unique process. After patients complete the initial screening and medical record review, they are scheduled for their infusions. Upon arrival at the clinic, a bit of paperwork is standard procedure, similar to any doctor's visit. Following this, we measure your weight before escorting you into the infusion room.
Learn more about the importance of measuring your progress at each visit in our Why Your Progress Should Be Measured During Ketamine Treatments blog post.
Monitoring vital signs throughout the ketamine therapy appointment is vital, even before the infusion begins.
Safety Measures and Dose Determination in Ketamine Treatment
In the infusion room, we connect patients to monitors to track heart rate, cardiac rhythm, oxygen level, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, ensuring absolute safety. After confirming that all vital signs are stable, we proceed to establish an intravenous (IV) line, which may be placed in the hand or the inner arm, depending on where we can secure a reliable IV connection. The ketamine dose is typically based on the patient's body weight, usually starting at 0.5 milligram per kilogram, however each treatment is tailored to each patient.
Our unique approach includes setting an intention for each ketamine treatment.
The Role of Intention Setting in Personalizing Ketamine Therapy
Before the infusion begins, we conduct a thorough examination of the patient, listening to their heart and lungs among other checks. A distinctive approach at our clinic involves setting an intention. Patients are asked to declare their intention aloud, which could range from seeking peace, letting go, forgiveness, gratitude, to self-love, making each treatment as unique as the individual.
Explore the topic of intention in our How Intention and Belief Plays a Role on Mood blog post.
Embrace and breath into the feelings you experience during the treatment.
Navigating Emotional Responses During Ketamine Therapy
Once the infusion starts, the ketamine is administered slowly over about 40 minutes. During this time, patients may experience a variety of emotions, from tears of joy to sadness and even fear. We encourage our patients to embrace these feelings. Surrendering to the process and observing the emotions as they come. If the feelings get overwhelming, we encourage the patient to use their breath - taking deep breaths to regulate their autonomic nervous system.
At our clinic, recovering after the infusion includes sharing what you experienced.
How Does the Ketamine Treatment Conclude?
Once the infusion is completed, the effects diminish quickly within 5 to 20 minutes. Patients are then gently brought out of their reclined position, having been immersed in a relaxing environment with therapeutic music, aromatherapy, and an eye shade for an introspective experience. The session concludes with a discussion about the experience, focusing on integrating the insights gained into daily life.
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What To Expect After A Ketamine Infusion
You may be wondering what’s going to happen during your first ketamine infusion. How are you going to feel after a ketamine infusion? What should you watch out for? In this blog, we’ll share what you may experience and what you might want to anticipate after your ketamine infusion.
Why You Are Crying During Ketamine Therapy
Uncover the reasons behind the tears during ketamine sessions and learn how this deep emotional release can pave the way for true healing and understanding.
What Will Your Ketamine Experience Be Like?
Often Dr. Ko gets questions about what a ketamine infusion is like. People want to know what to expect! In this video, he shares one way he goes about answering this question, using the analogy of going to a restaurant.
In this blog, discover what to expect during a ketamine infusion appointment. We’ll cover all the basics from start to finish, and highlight how we uniquely do things at our clinic.