If you’re preparing for a ketamine booster session, congratulations on taking another meaningful step in your healing journey. Booster treatments are an essential part of maintaining the progress you’ve made, helping to sustain the positive effects of ketamine therapy. While you’re likely familiar with the overall process, it’s still important to prepare thoughtfully to ensure you maximize the benefits of your booster session.
Here are streamlined tips and specific considerations to help you get ready for your upcoming ketamine booster.
Why Preparation Still Matters
Even though you’ve experienced ketamine therapy before, each session is unique. Booster sessions offer a renewed opportunity for healing and maintaining neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and grow. Proper preparation ensures you’re physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to make the most of this experience.
Booster Session Preparation Checklist
1. Fasting Guidelines
- Timing: As with your initial sessions, avoid eating for at least four hours before your booster. This reduces the risk of nausea, allowing for a more comfortable experience.
- Hydration: Drink plenty of water before your fasting period begins. Proper hydration helps keep you feeling good during and after your treatment.
2. Support Companion
- Even if you’ve done this before, you’ll still need someone to drive you to and from your appointment. Boosters can leave you feeling temporarily ungrounded, so having a trusted companion remains crucial. You will not be allowed to leave the office alone by TRAX, city bus, Uber
3. Update Your Intention
- Booster sessions are a chance to reconnect with the goals and progress you’ve made since your initial treatments. Take a moment to reflect on your journey and set a fresh intention. For example, you might focus on maintaining emotional balance, building resilience, or exploring a specific area of personal growth.
- Let go of expectations. While you may have an idea of how the session might feel, staying open to the experience will allow for deeper therapeutic benefits.
4. Clothing and Comfort
- Wear loose, breathable clothing to keep yourself comfortable throughout the session.
- Bring any familiar comfort items, such as a sweater, blanket, or even a calming object that’s meaningful to you.
Fine-Tuning Your Mental Preparation
Practice Mindfulness
- Leading up to your session, incorporate short mindfulness practices, such as meditation or deep breathing exercises. These can help center your mind and reduce pre-session jitters. For our returning patients, don’t forget that you have the opportunity to relax & prepare in our Mind Spa 30 minutes prior to your treatment.
Avoid Over-Scheduling
- In the 24 hours before your booster, minimize stress by keeping your schedule light and avoiding high-pressure situations.
- Consider limiting screen time to clear mental clutter. Journaling or reflecting on your recent progress can be a beneficial alternative.
Reflect on Previous Sessions
- Take time to revisit the notes or journal entries you’ve made after prior treatments. This reflection can provide valuable insights into how the boosters are enhancing your journey and guide your current intention-setting process.
Booster-Specific Considerations
Boosters differ from initial sessions in that they’re designed to sustain and deepen your progress. Here are a few additional points to consider:
- Frequency and Timing: Reflect on why you’re receiving this booster. Has stress or a triggering event caused a dip in your mental health? Or is this a routine maintenance session? Understanding the “why” behind the booster can help you approach the session with clarity.
- Subtle Effects: Some patients find that booster sessions can feel less intense than their initial treatments. This is normal and often indicates that your brain is already integrating past ketamine experiences. Use this session as an opportunity to reinforce the positive neural pathways you’ve built.
Aftercare Tips for Boosters
Just as preparation is important, so is aftercare. Boosters often provide a window of heightened neuroplasticity, so the time following your session is crucial for integrating its effects.
1. Stay Hydrated and Nourished
- Drink plenty of water and eat a nourishing meal once you’re ready. This helps your body ground itself after the session.
2. Reflect and Integrate
- Journal about your booster session, noting any insights or emotional shifts. Reflect on how this experience aligns with your initial treatments and ongoing goals.
- Engage in mindfulness practices, such as gratitude exercises or short meditations, to deepen the healing process.
3. Maintain a Low-Stress Environment
- Avoid alcohol, recreational drugs, and high-stress activities for at least 24 hours after your booster. Protecting your mental and physical state during this time is essential for effective integration.
4. Reconnect with Nature or Creativity
- Spend time outdoors or engage in creative expression like painting, drawing, or music. These activities can be grounding and help reinforce the positive effects of your treatment.
Integration Practices for Long-Term Healing
Boosters extend the healing journey by solidifying and expanding on the progress from earlier treatments. To ensure long-term benefits:
- Gratitude Practice: Reflect on the progress you’ve made and the support you’ve received. Gratitude can help sustain a positive mindset.
- Explore New Experiences: Trying familiar activities in a new way can encourage growth and adaptability.
- Connect with Your Support Network: Lean on friends, family, or therapists to discuss your experience and deepen the insights gained from your booster.
We’re Here for You
At Anew Therapy Utah, we’re committed to supporting you at every stage of your ketamine journey, including boosters. If you have any questions or concerns leading up to your session, don’t hesitate to call our office at (801) 980-2690 or send us an email.
Remember, every booster is an opportunity to reinforce healing, embrace growth, and sustain positive change. We’re honored to walk alongside you as you continue your journey.
