Ketamine Infusion Therapy:
What To Expect During Treatment

Ketamine infusion therapy at Modern Mindwork aims to heal the mind, the body and the spirit. Each human is unique and comes to treatment at our clinic with varied challenges - psychological, experiential and physical.

Modern Mindwork is a single-chair clinic, offering you the private space you need to process the emotions, insights and experiences that ketamine infusion therapy elicits. Your treatment is medically monitored throughout to ensure your safety and comfort.

We believe that healing is a journey and that lasting change happens over time.

Content Overview

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Treatment Steps

Introductory Appointment

When you schedule an initial appointment with us, we review your medical history, your goals for the therapy and ensure that there are no contraindications before proceeding. We also answer any questions you have about ketamine infusion therapy. 

Our intake procedure is thorough and designed with your safety as our primary concern. We need to check that ketamine infusion therapy is right for you.

Healthcare Forms

This is healthcare…so there are forms! 

They include: 

  • A General treatment consent form
  • HIPAA information and consent form
  • A Release of Information form that allows us to request records from your other healthcare providers
  • A practice intake form
  • A consent for Ketamine Infusion therapy

We manage the paperwork. However, it’s helpful for you to inform your healthcare provider’s office that these requests are coming as it speeds up the intake process and allows us to help you sooner.

Why is ketamine therapy administered intravenously?

IV infusion provides the highest bioavailability of ketamine and it’s also the most studied delivery mechanism. Ongoing studies show that: 

  • IV infusion allows us to accurately control and monitor the level of ketamine in your treatment. 
  • It is absorbed efficiently into the bloodstream and quickly reaches the brain so it can get to work faster. 
  • Patients who receive ketamine through IV infusion have a reduced risk of side effects.
  • An IV infusion can be slowed, increased or discontinued at any point during therapy, making it the safest treatment.

Getting You Started With Your Infusion Therapy

Infusion appointments are typically 90 minutes in duration. We outline what you can expect to feel and think during your treatment. We’ll also explain how to set your internal landscape to make the most of your intentions and how to care for yourself post-treatment. 

We then get you situated comfortably and peacefully. We attach vital signs monitors and start an IV. Your therapy is medically monitored throughout and a nurse anesthesiologist will be immediately available at all times. We start your infusion series with an appropriate dose based on your weight and other individual factors. We change it as needed through the series to achieve the desired result. 

In our single-chair clinic, you will have your own private space, have a 1:1 relationship with your provider throughout your time with us and confidentiality is assured. Our therapy rooms are designed with comfort, calm and individualized support in mind, with a relaxing recliner, soothing lighting, curated music, blankets and eye masks. 

Music, Meditation and Mindfulness

Once the IV is started, your infusion will last for about 40 minutes. During your session, we utilize Wavepaths music to finely tune the therapeutic environment to your emotional and psychological needs and the goals of the session. The intention is to aid the mind and offer the brain guidance in traveling through different emotions, events and  alternative transitions. You may, of course, listen to your own playlist.

Ketamine Infusion Therapy: Emotional and Physical Responses

Humans are infinitely varied and their responses to ketamine can be equally broad. Ketamine elicits various responses and side effects. 

You may experience euphoria, mild intoxication, dream-like sensations, and deep relaxation. Some might have mild visual hallucinations, heightened senses, and changes in vision or color perception. 

Physical responses can include headache, nausea, or elevated blood pressure, which can be managed during treatment. 

Emotionally, you might feel a rosy glow, laugh or sob, and experience changes in bodily sensations, memories, feelings, and self-perception. 

Many report a sense of peace, deep insight, and a quieting of the brain.

Ketamine: A Dissociative Psychedelic

Ketamine elicits a sense of “disconnectedness”. It is a dissociative psychedelic and it’s normal to feel that you’re not quite attached to your body, your own mental processes and your “normal self”. This is an altered state of consciousness that shows that ketamine is starting to forge new neural pathways. 

It’s important to maintain an inward focus and to flow with the experience. Where before there may have been an unwillingness to explore and understand challenging emotions, past experiences and mental states, ketamine opens the doors to a heightened awareness of these experiences without fear or resistance. Changes in perception form part of the journey to healing. 

We provide support and guidance to ensure that you feel safe and supported throughout your treatment - you are not alone.

Lastly, remember that all these reactions are normal and reactions can change on different days of the treatment. You are unique and you will be processing your own thoughts and emotions in a way that is unique to you. 

Getting Home

The immediate effects of the therapy will last approximately one hour. If you have any side effects, they will also dissipate rapidly after the treatment. After we remove the IV, we wait a while to make sure that you’re steady and stable. 

You will need a lift home as it is important that you don’t drive or make important decisions on the day of the treatment. While you can return to light activities within three to four hours of the treatment, please don’t operate any heavy machinery within 24 hours of therapy. 

It’s normal to feel tired for a few hours and many clients go home and have a short nap. The goal is to allow the brain to re-equilibrate and then reawaken to enjoy the rest of the day. You should be mindful of negatively impacting your sleep regime.

Brain Cement and Jackhammers

When you arrive home, it is a day of rest and recovery - no online shopping, no stock trading! This is a day for brain recovery. Think of your depressive, obsessive, chronic thought processes as brain cement and ketamine as the jackhammer. Your brain needs to clean up the rubble, so that you can get to the next level of cement. This is why the series of ketamine works best and why we encourage at least two days between infusions.

Initially, you may feel worse after the treatment as this is hard, hard work. You may experience rebound anxiety or depression after the first or second infusion. Your mind needs time and space in order to recover and start increasing neuroplasticity. A feeling of euphoria is commonly reported after the infusion followed by a drop in mood and then a lift to a new baseline. Again, all these responses are normal. 

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Lasting change happens over time. 

How Long Does Ketamine Infusion Therapy Take?

Infusion appointments are customarily 1 to 1 ½  hours. The initial treatment is a series of 6 infusions over 3 weeks. Infusions for chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) may require longer, intensive infusions.

Modern Mindwork is a nurse anesthesiologist-directed practice and we are not constrained by standardized ketamine dosing protocols that non-anesthesia providers must follow. Each infusion can be tailored to your needs safely. Infusion dosing needs can vary day to day as well as person to person. Other medications that you are taking can also influence your dosing needs. We can also add adjunctive medications to aid with post-infusion side effects and/or increase efficacy of the infusion for certain diagnoses.

How Many Ketamine Infusion Sessions Will I Need?

We currently have no way to predict the duration of your treatment at the start of your initial infusion series. It is dependent on each individual. After the set of six infusions, symptoms typically recede for approximately three months.

Ketamine Infusion Booster Needs

Evidence-based treatment protocols suggest that the 6-series infusions followed by supportive infusions are the most helpful. In determining booster needs, we are guided by the response to the first 6-series infusion set, follow-up monitoring and the re-emergence of symptoms.

We focus on treating each individual and finding the optimal dosing regime for each patient. Patients who have been locked down with their anxiety and depression for years, may need two full initiating runs. Others may only need a single infusion booster every three months or at specific times.

We will evaluate any booster needs and timings of additional treatments at the end of your induction series.

Is ketamine infusion therapy a cure?

Ketamine is not the magic pill that solves every mental health and pain issue. Ketamine therapy is a treatment that allows for the mitigation of symptoms. It is a powerful adjunctive therapy To Ketamine Infusion Therapy that increases brain neuroplasticity, calms the brain’s alarm system (the amygdala) and breaks up the concrete of challenging mental health issues. It is an invitation to do the deep work of self knowing, self loving and self compassion.

How private is my treatment?

This is a single-chair clinic which means that you are the only patient in the room. Our goal at Modern Mindwork is to create a safe environment for everyone including people who have public jobs and for whom anonymity is professionally crucial.

As a healthcare treatment, your confidentiality is protected as it would be for any other therapy.

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Contact Us Today

Modern Mindwork offers individualized, safe and effective therapies. We provide personalized care and support, empowering you to regain control over your life and achieve lasting well-being through the transformative benefits of ketamine therapies, integrative therapies and multifaceted support. 

Take the first step towards healing today.

Schedule a Chat

Telephone / Text us on:

(509) 405-1001

Email Us:

welcome@modernmindwork.com