Those who are considering trying ketamine therapy for the first time for any particular need may have heard about others having "bad trips" with this treatment in the past, and will be looking for ways to avoid such an instance in their treatment. And while they're far less common than many people think, it's true that these kinds of negative experiences are possible in ketamine therapy - but can also often be prevented with the right preparation.

At A Mind's Journey, we proudly offer our South Jordan and nearby patients a variety of ketamine therapy programs for depression, anxiety, PTSD and more. We also assist any of our patients, new or returning, with the possibility of "bad trips" and how to prevent or manage these if they become an issue during your treatment. This two-part blog series will look at the frequency of bad trips during ketamine therapy, plus some general advice for how to steer clear of the kinds of triggers that may lead to them.

Bad Trips Can Happen - But Are Not Common

Firstly, before we get into how to avoid bad trips in ketamine therapy, it’s important to note that they are not as common nor as intense as some people may think. We at A Mind's Journey take the utmost care with each and every patient we treat, so our patients can rest assured that their safety is always our top priority.

Furthermore, research has shown that unpleasant experiences with ketamine therapy are not very common and, when they do occur, can often be prevented if the user is properly prepared. As such, we recommend taking a few simple steps to ensure a safe and positive experience for all patients. We'll go over these in our subsequent sections.

Set an Intention for Your Treatment

From the start of your ketamine therapy, it’s important to understand the goal of your treatment and plan accordingly. This can be done through “setting an intention” for yourself before getting started - having a clear goal in mind that you want to achieve during your session will help guide the entire experience.

Additionally, setting a positive attitude and mindset prior to each treatment session can help you stay focused on making progress toward your goal, as well as prepare yourself for any potential surprises that may come up along the way. You might even want to write out your intention for the session and keep it nearby as a source of motivation during your time in the office.

In part two of our series, we'll go over some additional ways of preparing yourself for ketamine therapy and helping avoid bad trips or other negative experiences. For more here, or to learn about any of our ketamine therapy programs for South Jordan or nearby patients, speak to our team at A Mind's Journey today.