6 Lifestyle Changes to Support Your At-Home Ketamine Therapy Program for Mental Health

Ketamine therapy has come a long way in recent years — and at-home treatment programs are now successfully used to treat a wide spectrum of mental health conditions. At Mind Clinic, we have helped people with (treatment-resistant) depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, substance abuse struggles, bipolar disorder, and beyond.

Although research into ketamine therapy for mental health conditions is still in its infancy, and much more remains to be discovered, the results this unique medication offers have already been proven to be very promising.

That, as you'll already know if you've been exploring the potential of ketamine, has a lot to do with its mechanism of action. Ketamine therapy acts on the NMDA receptors in the brain to quickly change the levels of glutamate available to your system. That's where things get interesting, because glutamate is partly responsible for many of the factors that can exacerbate mental health conditions.

Glutamate plays an essential role in regulating your mood, how you process memories, and your personal learning process. Ketamine is, by now, already well-known for its ability to offer extremely fast symptom relief where first-line treatment options have failed. What's more, symptom relief often lasts for weeks or even months after ketamine therapy, depending on the condition treated and the patient's specific needs.

What's slightly less well-known is that treatment with ketamine also induces a state of neuroplasticity, or openness to making changes. To simplify a complex process, ketamine therapy gives you a chance to set your brain up for lasting positive change that you can carry into the future with you. The changes you make after ketamine sessions can, research has shown, quite literally rewire the connections in your brain.

If you're starting a ketamine therapy program with Mind Clinic, you may primarily hope for short-term symptom relief — for freedom from the mental health symptoms that have been holding you back. However, capitalizing on the window of neuroplasticity means more than short-term relief. It means the potential for lasting positive change.

Every patient is different, but here, we would like to explore some of the positive changes many people who have committed themselves to healing with ketamine — as fully as possible — can benefit from.

1. Think About Exploring New Talk Therapy Avenues or Revisiting Therapeutic Options

Many people with mental health conditions like severe anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder come to at home ketamine therapy after they thought they had exhausted all other treatment options.

In a typical scenario, people who start healing with ketamine have already tried several (and sometimes many) different medications. They'll also have explored various kinds of talk therapy and other psychotherapy approaches that sometimes help with their conditions.

If cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, interpersonal therapy, EMDR, or other therapeutic options did not tangibly help you before, they very well might once you experience the neuroplastic effects of ketamine treatment. Mind Clinic offers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy programs, but if you already have a therapist you are comfortable with in supporting your healing and recovery, ketamine therapy can give you a fresh chance to make progress.

2. Rethink Your Approach to Self-Care After Beginning Ketamine Therapy

The mental health conditions ketamine therapy can help with are diverse, but one common thread is that many struggles lead to an accumulation of maladaptive behavioral and thinking patterns. In plain English, it's easy to get stuck in a place that isn't working for you. The neuroplasticity ketamine treatment induces gives you a prime chance to make small but important changes.

Things like starting your day with a meditation session, bringing houseplants into your home to enjoy and care for, or deciding to go to the sauna regularly might seem minor. However, they can all set the tone for a more positive life that brings you more joy. With each of your self-care commitments, you drive the message that you've got your own back home.

3. Spend More Time on Activities That Give You Better Flow

Starting a ketamine treatment protocol is a time of self-healing and self-care. Beyond those little moments that bring pleasure and calm to your life, also consider evaluating if you need more of a routine in your life. Some mental health conditions interfere with the ability to keep routines flowing, and your ketamine treatment may give you a new chance to succeed there.

Small "micro-flows" add up to an overarching flow that keeps your day (and your mind!) going strong. Consider steps like:

• Using a physical calendar or journal (handwriting is also therapeutic!) to plan your week, including tasks that used to be left undone.
• Taking a short walk during your lunch break or after dinner.
• Removing distracting things from your environment to make it easier to achieve that flow state that makes you so productive.
• Placing beautifully-presented motivational messages in high-traffic areas of your home.
• Setting time aside for self check-ins where you realistically assess how you're doing — and where you remind yourself not to be too hard on yourself.

The precise path to better flow and happy productivity is different for everyone. The only thing we know for sure is that there's a set of changes that will help you stay on track as you progress toward your personal goals.

4. Look After Your Physical Body As You Heal Your Mind

While you work on healing your mind with ketamine therapy, your body also needs all the support it can get.

Now is a great time to push yourself that little bit harder to avoid processed fast foods that might fill your belly but don't nourish your whole self, and to embrace a healthy, varied diet. After all, diet plays a massive role in your mood. Food isn't just for the body, but also for the mind and soul.

You know what's coming next — exercise. Depending on your current activity levels, it might be good to take things slowly. Do, however, try to commit to regularly doing something active you enjoy. It could be walking, swimming, jiu-jitsu, or even riding a stationary bike.

Exercise is central to good mental health, and the neuroplasticity that comes from ketamine therapy gives you a wonderful opportunity to form a new positive habit. Don't worry. You don't have to be perfect to make progress!

5. Lean on Your Social Support Network

Have you already noticed a tangible improvement in your symptoms, and are you excited to live your life to the fullest? For some people, the mental health improvements they see after ketamine therapy inspire them to make drastic social changes. It is not uncommon for people to set new boundaries after at-home ketamine sessions, and even to cut people who aren't conducive to healing out of their lives (at least temporarily).

Ask for feedback on how you're doing — an outside perspective can really help. If your healing has raised questions for you, ask your relatives and friends how they see a memory you're trying to process or a part of your condition you've wondered about. When you're in the mood for something more lighthearted, ask the people in your lives to see a movie with you or finally tackle that hiking trail.

One more thing? Don't be surprised if all your relationships feel a little different after ketamine therapy. When you begin healing from a mental health condition, and the symptoms that held you back lift, deeper connections become possible.

That may or may not be the right step for you. However, we would also like to encourage you to lean on the people who love you, and whom you love, during this time.

6. Have a Goal in Mind for Every Ketamine Therapy Session

Some people are not quite sure what to do during their ketamine therapy sessions. Having a specific goal in mind can help with that. You may, for instance, decide to:

• Focus on letting go of past hurt.
• Center your need for a calm experience.
• Think about a specific point that you have been struggling with.
• Make forgiveness the central theme.

You can then continue that focus following your at-home ketamine treatment session. You can do this by journaling, discussing your focus with loved ones, curiously reflecting on the experience, or taking your theme to your next talk therapy session. Setting specific goals can give your ketamine therapy direction, which in turn can make your treatment plan more effective.

Need Advice on Making the Most Out of Your Ketamine Therapy?

When you start a ketamine treatment protocol with Mind Clinic, our supportive team is always here to help guide your sessions and the direction of your treatment. Although these seven tips are a helpful starting point for many, you're not quite like anyone else. You have your own goals, dreams, and ambitions — as well as your own needs.

We'll be a crucial part of your support network, so never hesitate to ask us for advice on changes to make over the course of your ketamine therapy, and changes to hold off on as you heal and grow.