An Exercise To Support Your Ketamine Treatments
This video is adapted from the transcript of the video above.
In this blog, explore the connection between meditation and ketamine infusion therapy. Learn about how practicing breath meditation can support and enhance the benefits of your ketamine treatments, providing a deeper and more meaningful experience.
A study found that long-term deep meditators were entering gamma waves and theta waves in their brain.
The Power of Meditation
I want to share with you one practice that can really support you during your ketamine infusions. That practice is meditation. There was a really interesting study where they took long-term deep meditators and placed EEGs (electroencephalogram) leads on their scalp to monitor the brain activity. The study found that these meditators were entering gamma waves and theta waves.
Subjects who received IV ketamine emitted similar brain waves to those of deep meditators.
How Does Ketamine Treatment Relate to Meditation?
What's fascinating is that when healthy volunteers received IV ketamine, they also exhibited similar deep meditative types of brain waves. This means that you can leverage the practice of meditation between ketamine sessions to get into a similar brave wave pattern that one gets when receiving ketamine infusion therapy!
Learn more about this study and how ketamine and meditation affect your brain in our Theta Brain Waves & the Anti-Anxiety Effects of Ketamine blog.
Starting a meditation practice doesn’t have to be complicated and can be as simple as observing your breath.
Getting Started with Meditation During Ketamine Treatments
You may be thinking, "Well, meditation...I can't do that, what is that even about?" There's a plethora of apps out there like Waking Up, Headspace, and Calm. These are some of the apps you can try out. Plus, they all offer free trials. But, you actually don't need any apps at all. You can engage in something called breath meditation, which is simply noticing your breath. Set a timer—maybe for three minutes, or maybe twenty—and then sit in a quiet space to focus on your breath.
It’s normal for your mind to wander during meditation. When your mind does wander, focus on bringing your attention back to your breath.
What If My Mind Wanders During Meditation?
What usually happens is that the mind starts wandering, thinking about this or that or another thing, the past or the future, etc. Each time you notice that you're not focusing on the breath, bring your attention back to it.
You complete one rep each time your mind wanders and then you return to your breath. Think of it like a bicep curl. So, expect that your mind will wander during breath meditation, and it's okay. Just return to your breath and notice what it feels like to inhale and exhale. This is a really simple meditative practice that can complement your ketamine infusions.
Meditation is a great complement to your ketamine infusion journey that helps you get into a calmer, more relaxed state.
Summary: Embracing the Synergy of Meditation and Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Meditation is just one of many exercises you can use to complement your ketamine infusion therapy. Not only does breath-focused meditation enhance and ground you during your psychedelic ketamine journey, practicing meditation before or after infusions can get you into a similar state as when you are under ketamine.
If you’re starting out you can use an app or simply start with focusing on your breath. Please remember a wandering mind is normal, and the key is simply to return to your breath. By integrating meditation into your daily routine, you're not only maximizing the effect of your ketamine treatment but also cultivating mental tranquility and resilience.
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Theta Brain Waves & the Anti-Anxiety Effects of Ketamine
Curious about what could be going on in the brain during a ketamine infusion therapy? Your brain gets into a very calm meditative state, similar to advanced meditators. Learn more in this blog post.
How Ketamine Affects Your Brain Waves
After their treatment, many ketamine patients leave feeling more at peace and more determined to make positive changes in their lives. Why is this? In this blog, we talk about a ketamine article that measures exactly how ketamine affects your brain wave physiology.
The Power Of Labelling 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. So why is putting our feelings into words beneficial? Find out in the blog.
In this blog, explore the connection between meditation and ketamine infusion therapy. Learn about how practicing breath meditation can support and enhance the benefits of your ketamine treatments, providing a deeper and more enriching experience.