The Top 5 Questions About Using Ketamine to Heal Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD
More and more women are being called to explore ketamine as a pathway to healing. Whether you're facing deep-rooted depression, anxiety, or the effects of PTSD, this medicine can offer a reset and a new outlook on life. And it’s totally natural and normal to have questions, and objections. Often when we have identified with the trauma or as a “depressed person” we fear the outcome even if it is something we say we want. A lot of clients I see who don’t work with the medicine choose not to because they are afraid of the unknown, of letting go of control and surrendering. These are the five questions I get asked the most working as a nurse who supports people through ketamine treatment for PTSD, anxiety and depression.
1. Is Ketamine Safe?
Yes — when used intentionally, in a clinical or ceremonial setting, ketamine is very safe. It has a decades-long track record as an anesthetic and is now FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression.
When you do ketamine in a clinic you are surrounded by practitioners who are medically trained. And from a spiritual context it is important to work with a practice and practitioner you feel safe with. Someone that you trust because you want to make sure that you are energetically held and that if something is to come up that you have emotional support. Ketamine opens the veil between the conscious and subconscious. This is why it can be profoundly healing . When done with a trained facilitator or guide, ketamine becomes not just a drug — but a spiritual opening. It allows your body and psyche to reset, unwind, and realign with your soul's wisdom.
2. What if something comes up that I don’t want to see?
This is very common for people to ask especially if they have experienced a significant amount of trauma. They don’t want to relive the event. I believe that this is why your intention is so important. You can set the intention and be clear on what you do not want to see. You are working with the ketamine, so ketamine will never show you something that you are not able to handle. And this is one of the most sacred parts of the medicine journey: the unveiling, the unraveling. Things may come up. Old memories. Grief. Shame. Parts of you you've buried for years. Remember: what arises, does so because you are ready. The medicine has an intelligence — and so does your body, and they are working together.
Suppressed emotion and trauma can live in the nervous system, muscles, and even organs. When those layers rise to the surface, it’s not to re-traumatize you — it's to liberate you. It is coming up so you can let it go.
3. What if I want to stop the experience mid-journey?
Ketamine is a wonderful drug to use if you have a fear of letting go of control as ketamine is relatively short-acting. Most journeys last 45–60 minutes. If you feel like you want to stop the journey and you are doing an IV drip of ketamine you can let your practitioner know that you want to stop, and within minutes the journey will end. (This is very different from other psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ayahuasca which last 12-30 hours.)
If you have done a lozenge or an injection of the medicine you will have to wait for the medicine to wear off which could take 30- 40 minutes. If this happens let your guide know and they will remind you to tune back into your breath. Because you still remain conscious under ketamine (unlike other psychedelics) you will be able to use grounding techniques to come back to a place of safety.
The desire to stop often comes when you are on the edge of a breakthrough. The ego resists. The nervous system flinches.And this can be where the healing lies. If you find yourself wanting to stop, know that you can — and also know that the medicine is working. You are dissolving old patterns. And sometimes, just breathing is enough to shift everything. You can also talk to what ever is coming up and what you are seeing. Ask “is this medicine for me?” or even say “I don’t want to look at this right now”. Sometimes this inquiry has whatever you were feeling or sensing dissolve on its own. The psychedelic state is very similar to the dreaming state. For more information on that read my article about it here.
4. Can I get addicted to ketamine?
Like all things this answer is nuanced. Ketamine is not physically addictive like opioids or alcohol. In fact, it’s been used to treat addiction. However, like anything that brings relief or expansion, it can be misused when the deeper emotional work is avoided.That’s why integration, and digesting what occurs and what happens in the journey is so important.
Ketamine should never be used as a way to escape life. It’s not about bypassing pain — it’s about seeing it from a new perspective. With the right intention and container, it becomes a powerful catalyst for change — not a crutch.
Healing is a dance, not a single session. Use the medicine to open the door, but commit to learning to dance with life.
5. I’m scared. How do I prepare?
First: it’s okay to be scared. Fear is part of the healing journey — it’s your nervous system protecting you from the unknown. Here’s how to prepare.
Go through the medicine checklist.
Is This The Right Medicine ?
Is This The Right Time ?
Is This The Right Environment ?
Is This The Right Reason?
Is This The Right Dose ?
If you can’t answer yes to all of the above questions, then do not proceed with the ketamine treatments. Anything can be a poison or a medicine. It is all based on your intentions and reasons for doing something. If you are doing ketamine because your friends told you that it would be good for you, that is not a good enough reason. Tune into your gut to see if this is the right fit for you.
Create a sacred intention. Why are you doing this? What do you want to release or reclaim? You can set an intention for each individual journey or for the whole process. Get clear on what your desire is from this process. State it in the present, in an affirmative state. For example I am whole and connected. I forgive myself and others.
Clear your calendar. Give yourself time and space to integrate all that you are learning and uncovering. Clear your calendar to give yourself time to reflect and be. Do this for the two weeks following a ketamine session as you will be open and integrating during that time
Right before the journey
Connect to your guides and higher self. Before the medicine begins, call in your own soul, guides, ancestors — whatever spiritual support you connect with.
Do a meditation Before the medicine begins, do a breath practice or a guided meditation. I have one on Insight Timer that you can download and listen to before each journey.
You don’t have to be fearless. You just have to be willing.Ketamine is not a magic pill — but it is a key. A key to unlock what's been frozen, hidden, or disowned. It’s a bridge back to your body and truth. If you're feeling the nudge, trust that. Your inner wisdom knows the way.
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