Why Meditation Matters For Your Ketamine Patients
In this blog, we explore a study about ketamine and theta waves; the same brain waves found during a meditative state. We also talk about why you should encourage your ketamine patients to try out meditation, and tips to get started!
Meditation and Ketamine: The Surprising Brain Wave Connection for Patients
Ketamine is an amazing medication that is known as an efficient anesthetic and treats various mood and pain disorders. But what does meditation have to do with your ketamine patients? We’ll be sharing a study that found an amazing connection between ketamine therapy and theta brain waves, which are the same brain waves that are predominant during meditation.
We’re also going to explore some practical tips and simple exercises to introduce meditation to your patients. Read on to learn more about why meditation matters for your ketamine patients and how they can get started.
In a study, theta waves were found to be predominant in patients who were administered ketamine.
Ketamine Induces A Meditative State
In 2018, a study published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology noted that certain brain waves, specifically theta waves, are related to the anti-anxiety effects of ketamine. Theta brain waves are found in the right frontal area of the brain.
Ketamine is known to be able to treat a variety of neurotic disorders such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD, but researchers do not conclusively understand how ketamine works to relieve the symptoms of these disorders. The researchers in this study sought to understand ketamine’s therapeutic effects through studying the brain activity of patients given ketamine.
Patients with generalized anxiety disorder and/or social anxiety disorder were administered ketamine and hooked up to a monitor measuring electrical brain activity (EEG). Ketamine affected the power of the brain waves by increasing the fast waves and decreasing the slow waves. However, only a single frequency band was related to therapeutic effects—the theta waves.
Human consciousness is believed to be related to neurons firing synchronously in various frequencies with theta waves in the 4 to 7 hertz rhythms. It is in meditation that theta waves are predominant and most abundant in the frontal and middle parts of the brain. Professor Jim Lagopoulos states, "These types of waves likely originate from a relaxed attention that monitors our inner experiences. Here lies a significant difference between meditation and relaxing without any specific technique. Previous studies have shown that theta waves indicate deep relaxation and occur more frequently in highly experienced meditation practitioners. When we measure mental calm, these regions signal to lower parts of the brain, inducing the physical relaxation response that occurs during meditation."
Patients who go through ketamine therapy exhibit the desire to discover or rediscover meditation due to a shift in their mindset from the treatment.
How Ketamine’s Meditative State Decreases Depression Symptoms
One study performed by Stocker, et al all published in Front Pharmacology July 2022, showed that there may be a link to the antidepressant effects of ketamine due in part to the perspective mind shift that creates opposite diminishing and non-judging thinking. This type of cognition can be found in Buddhist or mindfulness meditation practices, relating to mental well-being. In a nutshell, both ketamine infusions and meditation lead to a state of non-judgement, which this study proposes that it could be a part of why ketamine leads to a decrease in depressive symptoms.
We have noticed patients in our clinic discover or rediscover a meditative practice thanks to their ketamine experience. They find it easier to do more fulfilling actions, unlike before. Doing a practice, such as meditation, in their everyday life outside of their ketamine infusion therapy sessions is what makes the true difference. While the ketamine therapy itself is powerful, what actually moves the needle is the catalyzing effect for change in their daily life.
If you want to learn more about ways to maximize your patient’s healing, check out our 5 Practices to Maximize Your Ketamine Patient's Treatment blog.
Meditation can help your patients fully reap the benefits of their ketamine treatment through breathwork and staying present.
How Meditation Can Help Your Patient Prepare For Their Ketamine Treatment
The practice of meditation isn’t beneficial for your patients only before the treatment, but during as well. Especially for those new to ketamine therapy, meditation is something that can help them stay calm when they start to feel nervous or anxious.
During the treatment, simple practices like meditation breathwork can enable them to stay mindful and be more in tune with any difficult feelings. Some patients may have a challenging experience, and just learning to breathe is a great way to keep them grounded and present.
As your patients go on with their daily lives and try to make sense of their ketamine experience post-infusion (aka integration), continuing to cultivate their meditation practice will be extremely valuable for them. The bottomline? Meditation can help your patients throughout their ketamine journey regardless of what stage they’re in!
Not sure what “integration” is and how this is important for your ketamine patients? Learn all about it in our How To Help Your Patients Integrate After Ketamine Infusions blog.
By encouraging your patients to do some simple meditation exercises, incorporating meditation into their daily lives will be more sustainable.
Encouraging Your Patients To Integrate Meditation Into Their Ketamine Treatment
As a ketamine specialist, you will encounter many patients who haven’t tried meditation yet. Inviting them to incorporate meditation into their ketamine treatment is a great way to ensure that they reap the benefits of the infusions.
We’ll be sharing some practical actionable advice to help you introduce meditation to your patients. Maybe you can try some of them out yourself!
Notice Your Thoughts & Feelings
When we meditate, our attention will more often than not, jump back to our thoughts. Maybe we suddenly remember that we forgot to do something yesterday. Maybe we’re thinking about our appointments for the day. Maybe a memory from 10 years ago suddenly pops up. Our mind may feel extra busy when it’s time to meditate.
Before you become too hard on yourself, remind yourself that during the meditation process, it’s natural that thoughts will come up since our brain seems like a thought-producing machine. One of the tools that we found really useful to stay focused is this idea of labeling our thoughts and feelings.
So, whenever thoughts come up, simply notice those thoughts and say to yourself, “thought.” Or in the case of a feeling, notice it and label it as “feeling.” And when you become conscious of these thoughts and feelings and you label it, poof, they just disappear. This seemingly simple practice allows you to get back to the present moment.This is a really valuable practice, but it takes time to master. So be kind to yourself.
Count Your Breaths
Another method of bringing yourself back to the present moment is to count your inhales and exhales. So as you inhale, count “one”, exhale, count “one.” On your next cycle of breath, inhale, count “two”, exhale, count “two.” Repeat this until you reach “ten”, and go back to one after that.
If your mind drifts away and you lose count, simply start over again with one. By focusing on counting your breath, you bring attention to your inhales and exhales.
These are great ways to introduce meditation to your patients without it seeming intimidating or challenging. Why don’t you give these simple practices a try yourself?
Meditation will be beneficial not only for your patients, but for you as well as you learn to manage your own ketamine clinic.
Embarking on Meditative Journey
It’s amazing how the simple practice of meditation is connected to such a profound therapy like ketamine infusions. We've witnessed how ketamine can induce a meditative state through its influence on theta brain waves, aligning its effects with the serene calmness of a meditation practice.
In our clinic, we're lucky to have witnessed patients undergo remarkable transformations through the help of a daily meditation practice that extends beyond their ketamine sessions.
And although we’ve emphasized in this blog how essential meditation is for your patients, we invite you to consider making this a habit in your life as well. As clinic owners and ketamine specialists, our lives can get hectic and our thoughts can sometimes get the best of us. Running a ketamine clinic can be as wild and unpredictable as a psychedelic experience.
So whenever you and your patients feel the need to get back to the present moment, try out the techniques we’ve mentioned above. Remember, thoughts naturally arise during meditation; simple techniques like labeling or counting breaths can keep you grounded. The practice of meditation all begins with a single breath.
Related questions:
How can ketamine clinic owners themselves benefit from incorporating meditation into their lives?
Ketamine clinic owners, like yourself, can benefit from incorporating meditation into their lives by using it as a tool to stay centered amidst the demands of running a clinic and to maintain their own mental well-being. Meditation can help you stay grounded and reduce stress, which is particularly valuable in the often hectic and unpredictable environment of managing a ketamine clinic. By practicing meditation, you can enhance their ability to focus, make clear decisions, and effectively support your patients and staff.
How can ketamine specialists use the insights from the study on ketamine and theta brain waves to enrich their patient care?
We encourage you, future ketamine specialist, to integrate meditation practices into your clinic's treatment protocols. You can encourage patients to explore meditation as a complementary approach to enhance the therapeutic effects of ketamine. This could involve providing resources, guidance, or even meditation sessions as part of your patient's overall treatment plan. By aligning ketamine therapy with meditation, you can offer a more holistic and potentially more effective approach to patient care, catering to the interests of those seeking holistic practices.
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How To Help Your Patients Integrate After Ketamine Infusions
Ketamine infusions are just part of the entire treatment. Integration is also important for your patients if you want them to experience a truly transformative experience. In this blog post, we talk about what integration is and how you can guide your patients in this matter.
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Scientific studies references in this blog:
In this blog, we explore a study about ketamine and theta waves; the same brain waves found during a meditative state. We also talk about why you should encourage your ketamine patients to try out meditation and tips to get started.
Explore the professional and personal growth in opening a ketamine clinic with Dr. Leslie Koenig in this interview excerpt from our podcast.