We will be posting a series of interviews from patients who have been treated at Reset Ketamine. To protect patient privacy, all responses are anonymous. We hope their answers will provide you some insights about ketamine treatments.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT KETAMINE INFUSION TREATMENTS, AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO CHOOSE THIS AS A TREATMENT OPTION?
I found some flyers at a local health store in Palm Springs, and it piqued my curiosity. I feel very fortunate that my initial contact with ketamine was at Reset Ketamine. It's the LX version and gave me a comfortable, reassuring experience. Before my first visit I had spoken by phone with Dr. Ko and had read the resources and blog on his website - all very informative.
WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION OR GOAL FOR THE KETAMINE INFUSIONS?
I had come to Reset Ketamine with the intention of re-programing ("re-setting!") my body and nervous system, which seemed to be stuck in a contracted state after a car accident. I prefer non-pharmaceuticals, so I had previously tried acupuncture and hypnosis...each was a little bit helpful.
WHAT WAS THE KETAMINE INFUSION EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU?
When I arrived for my first visit I was still wondering if this is the best thing to do. Dr. Ko was very patient and explained the set-up, how all the machines worked, that there's an OFF-switch in case I wanted to stop the procedure at any time.
So far, so good. Then, the comfortable reclining chair, a cozy blanket, eye-mask for darkness, headphones for music. I was ready to go. I loved the ocean sounds, feeling my brain relax and harmonize, and the piano music carried me away.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES DURING THE TREATMENT?
The first was pleasant, relaxing. I felt myself floating, as in the womb, with my umbilical cord attached to a Universal Source of Life. This was such a wonderful gift, since I was feeling an aloneness after the deaths of my mother and sister.
In the second one I felt my body waking up. There was movement: an abstract, pulsating, continuously changing, unfolding fractal. And I felt the joy of breathing! My rib cage had been twisted in the accident, and suddenly I felt that area come alive, my lungs inflate, the diaphragm relax. Yay! I'm regaining the flow of life.
In the third I re-connected to my laughter. I had felt rather rigid after the accident, had lost the feeling of music in my body. Now, in this infusion the music was not just in my ears, but inside my body, the piano keys tickling and waking up my spine. Also, I sensed a silence and spaciousness between the notes of music. I felt myself laughing not only with those sensations, but with the very improbable and wonderfully strange complexity of Life itself. I felt my body dancing with rhythm flowing through me.
So here I was...a human who meditated, sang, danced, skied, did qigong...and I had become suddenly imprisoned inside a body that felt like concrete. Within me I had the knowing that my inner being itself was whole and unhurt, yet I felt the loss of life-flow in my body. The recovery wasn't immediate, but the infusions set me on the path, and gave me hope.
And now, 6 months later, I can feel! Singing, dancing, loving life in all its chaos....I'm looking forward to winter to see about skiing.
WHAT’S ONE OF THE LESSONS YOU’VE GAINED FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE FROM THE TREATMENT?
What I learned is that I couldn't change my situation by "traditional" means, nor by thinking my way through. I'm so glad I had the courage to try ketamine...it's like a poetic hero's journey into the unknown realm of the self. An added plus is the research that ketamine encourages the brain to continue growing even after the infusion itself.
If you’d like to read more patient interviews, click here to see a list of them all .
Learn what to expect after ketamine therapy, from common side effects like fatigue and nausea to tips on emotional integration and positive mental health practices.