How Ketamine Works:
Ketamine is a legal, safe, and effective medicine used to treat various mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can take effect within 1-2 hours after treatment. It blocks the brain’s NMDA receptors and stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new connections in the brain and boosts circuits that regulate stress and mood. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity (the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization) and anti-inflammatory processes for lasting symptom improvement.
Ketamine can be administered in various ways. At Journey Clinical, we only use the sublingual rapidly dissolving tablet (RDT) form, meaning it would be held under the tongue and dissolves almost immediately. We instruct clients to use a swish and spit method, meaning they will not swallow the saliva that is generated immediately after the tablet dissolves. Clients will swish the saliva for 10-12 minutes and then spit their saliva out. Avoiding swallowing the saliva during this process helps to avoid unwanted effects. Our dosing accounts for the bioavailability using this method, in addition to other factors including the patient's weight and severity of symptoms.
How Ketamine May Feel:
Ketamine can impact our approach to what we encounter. Ketamine’s effects, which most people find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes on average. Dosing sessions should initially be scheduled for 3 hours to offer enough time to prepare, dose and experience, and debrief.
These effects can make clients feel “far from” their body. Their muscle function and verbal abilities may be reduced, so they will likely be laying down somewhere safe and comfortable during much of the session, although they are free to move around as needed with support.
Once these effects lessen, you may spend the rest of the session giving your client space to reflect and talk about their experience.
While it may be hard to describe what happens during the experience, many people feel that the understanding they gained is clear. Please note that each experience clients have while taking Ketamine may vary. While some sessions may be more or less intense than others, the benefits of Ketamine can still be impactful, regardless of how psychedelic a session is. It's important to also understand that Ketamine is not a curative, and to be flexible with expectations. You can think of Ketamine as a tool that can be used with clients and help to set achievable goals.