Post Treatment Self-Care

Directly After Ketamine Treatments

The first day after receiving IV or Spravato ketamine treatments, it’s essential to prioritize self-care. This includes ensuring adequate rest, staying hydrated, practicing mindful reflection, and engaging in activities that nurture your emotional well-being.
Gentle self care that feels relaxing or creative can help integrate the medicine in a positive way.

The effects of ketamine vary from person to person and may differ with each session. Some people experience fatigue, while others may feel energized. It’s important to honor your individual needs and adjust accordingly after each treatment. If you are tired, then make sure to get adequate sleep and reduce exercise to simple activities like walking or spending time in nature. Remember, transformation is a process—patience is key. Create mental and physical space to integrate your experience and proactively take advantage of neuroplasticity.

Journaling:

Ketamine helps people access their inner worlds, so quiet time for introspection is highly recommended. Journaling your thoughts—whether in a stream-of-consciousness flow or by responding to guided prompts—can be a powerful way to capture aspects of the ketamine journey. You may experience a wide range of emotions, from love and gratitude to repressed memories, fears, or sadness. Some people have a transcendent type of mystical experience with feelings of wonder and awe. Writing can help you reflect in a meaningful way and continue to make sense of material that is surfacing. Journaling also offers a cathartic release, especially when paired with talk therapy.

During the Integration Phase of Ketamine Treatments

Gain Clarity:

While ketamine can provide immediate emotional relief, the deeper work begins during integration as more clarity emerges. Working with a trained professional therapist can help you process sensitive issues and achieve new perspectives.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy aides the healing process and may include:

• Becoming More Self Aware
• Processing Challenging Emotions
• Releasing Negative Patterns
• Identifying Self Limiting Beliefs
• Replacing the Inner Critic with the Inner Coach
• Reframing Old Narratives
• Learning New Coping Strategies
• Utilizing New Communication Skills
• Shifting into Healthy Habits (sleep, meditation, exercise, nutrition)
• Exploring Interests and Hobbies
• Feeling More Confident
• Embracing New Experiences of Joy
• Allowing Happiness to Re-enter Your Life

Identify Goals:

As depression or anxiety begins to lift, you may start to feel a renewed sense of hope and motivation for the future. What once felt overwhelming and stagnant can gradually transform. Ketamine can help unlock profound insights and spark a newfound drive to directly address struggles and take intentional action.

The “Holistic Happiness Circle” was designed to illustrate the interconnectedness of 8 key areas of your life—emotional, social, spiritual, mental, physical, environmental, financial, occupational.

Take some time to reflect on this overview of your well-being, and as you read through each section, notice which areas feel balanced and which may need more attention.

Emotional:

Cultivate self-love, self-acceptance, and self-forgiveness. Challenge negative thoughts, Utilize positive affirmations, Develop effective coping strategies, Nurture satisfying relationships (family, spouses, partners, children, friends, colleagues)

Social:

Deepen existing positive connections, Build a strong supportive trusted network, Establish healthy boundaries with more triggering relationships, Enhance communication skills, Engage in community events, Get out of comfort zone and Embrace adventure

Spiritual:

Explore a sense of purpose, Give back through altruism, Volunteer, Incorporate meaningful routines or rituals (such as meditation, prayer, or time in nature), Practice gratitude, and Foster HOPE.

Mental:

Engage in cognitive stimulation, discover and pursue passions, expand knowledge and skills, and tap into creative potential (through art, music, cooking, writing, reading etc.).

Physical:

Recognize the importance of maintaining healthy routines in exercise, nutrition, and sleep for overall well-being. Continue with prescribed medications and stay connected to medical providers for ongoing care

Environmental:

Create spaces that reflect a calm, balanced inner world—keeping surroundings clean, organized, and stimulating (such as your home, car, office, or garden) to promote well-being.

Financial:

Build a healthier relationship with money, budget effectively, and work toward long-term financial stability and goals.

Occupational:

Find personal fulfillment in work, build confidence in career decisions, overcome self-doubt, set clear objectives, and pursue growth opportunities.

By setting specific goals for each aspect of your life, you can strengthen your sense of self and personal development. As you focus on the 8 different domains, consider actionable steps you can take towards creating a healthier mindset and positive change.

During the Maintenance Phase of Ketamine Treatments

Ketamine maintenance with booster sessions is a regular part of continued care for most people but the cadence of these appointments is individualized and best to be discussed with your doctor.

At Keta Medical Center most of our patients continue to come once every 4 weeks for IV boosters or every 1-2 weeks for Spravato maintenance sessions.

Keeping up with outside care providers for continuity of care is also important- take prescribed medications as directed by your physician and schedule medical and psychotherapy appointments as needed.

Take Action:

The “Holistic Happiness Circle” offers a comprehensive framework for evaluating your current situation and identifying where growth is possible.

Change is a process with different stages, so don’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged—progress is made gradually over time. Recognizing areas for improvement is a powerful first action step for fostering resilience and achieving optimal health and happiness. So please celebrate your commitment to this process—simply being on this path is an achievement in itself.

Ready to Learn More about Ketamine?

By embracing these after care strategies, individuals can optimize the neuroplastic effects of ketamine treatment, and support sustained well-being.


Whether this article was helpful for you or someone close to you, our caring medical team or patient liaisons are happy to provide more information.

You are welcome to contact us to answer any questions about the treatment process at Keta Medical Center.