What is integration? Why should you care? You’re probably busy thinking about or already starting your ketamine clinic and the last thing you need is another thing on your plate. Well, in this blog we’re going to answer these questions plus give you a starting point to support your patients’ integration after ketamine infusions!

One hand reaching below for its own reflection — When your patients have unique experiences during their ketamine infusions that make them reflect, integration is important for them to make sense of what they’ve seen.

What is integration?

Integration is reflecting and acting upon the insights and lessons learned during the ketamine infusion. During your patients’ infusion, they may have had a mystical, spiritual, psychedelic experience where they gained insights and new perspectives on past and current events in their lives. Some patients report also seeing loved ones who have died or interacting with angel- or alien-like beings. Whatever their experience was like, and even if they didn’t have much of a psychedelic experience, they can reflect and take inventory on their experience. The act of reflecting, pondering, and sharing their experience can inspire change in their everyday life which ultimately can change the trajectory of their life.

One hand on the right side doing a thumbs up — To take advantage of ketamine’s neuroplastic effects, integration is important for them to truly transform.

Why should you encourage and recommend integration?

From a purely scientific biological perspective, your patients will gain so much just from the ketamine infusion itself. Such as resetting pain receptors for example. The biggest change, however, is what happens after and between ketamine infusions.

Integration is a framework to process the experience. It is an opportunity for growth

Take advantage of the ketamine’s effect of increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Their brain is experiencing neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, creating new synaptic connections.

Yes, your patients will get a lot for just the ketamine. But where you can truly go the extra mile to make your patient’s lives will truly change is with the integration and actions taken between sessions.

One hand walking up 6 small pieces of wood stuck to a yellow wall to look like stairs. Another hand is holding the third step. — As their ketamine doctor, it is important that you support your patient throughout their integration journey.

How To Support Your Patient With Integration

So what can you do? Encourage them to do one of the following:

Create an “Intention Going Forward” immediately after. Their mind is wide open and has received a lot of insights or experienced a lot of feelings. They can now channel their energy into actionable steps. Setting this new intention will help focus their integration efforts.

Here are some examples:

“Meditate everyday”
“Be patient with myself”
“Do one thing that makes me happy everyday”
“Be grateful”

Immediately or soon after the infusion, express what they experienced through journaling, poetry, art, or music.
Meditate - They may find they have greater insight into meditation after the infusion. They may even find that they are able to channel some aspects of the dissociative experience with their meditative practice after the infusion.
Pay attention to their intuition after a profound ketamine experience. They may feel like they see or “know” more.
Talk with supportive, trustworthy friends and family - advise them to make sure to do their own self-reflection and alone time prior to doing this. As talking about the experience can color and even change what they remember from the experience itself.
Start a new routine - hiking, yoga, add more vegetables/fruits into their diet, or eliminate something unhealthy from their diet. Small or large, they are riding the zeal of change after the experience.
End old routines, habits, and unhealthy behaviors
Have an appointment set up with their counselor or therapist scheduled the day after their infusion to process whatever may have come up.
Align with a spiritual teacher, life coach, or find an integration circle.

Six hands holding each other by the wrist to form a circle — If you are not comfortable guiding a patient through integration alone, there are plenty of specialists that work in this field.

The Power of Integration: You Don’t Have To Do It Alone

Whether you are onboard with recommending integration during their ketamine treatments but not sure if you want to do this work yourself or where to begin, remember you don’t have to do this alone. There is a growing field of integration coaches who are trained in helping patients navigate their experience, such as Being True To You. You can also get trained on integration yourself if you feel this calling to you.

A pair of hands holding a hologram of a glowing human brain by the sunlight — Ketamine infusions aren’t enough to make a patient experience a truly transformative journey. Integration is crucial as well.

Final Thoughts On Integration

Integration is important, if not essential to having a ketamine infusion not just be a treatment but a transformational healing experience for your patients. Frankly we believe it is key to our patients’ transformative journey. The magic and growth doesn’t happen during the ketamine infusion, it happens in between in the form of integration.