6Tips to Maintain a Positive Headspace During Ketamine Therapy Sessions

Mental Health

6 Tips to Maintain a Positive Headspace During Ketamine Therapy Sessions

published:

May 9, 2023

updated:

May 17, 2025

Ketamine functions as a medical treatment for mental health disorders that affect depression, alongside anxiety disorders and PTSD. Both esketamine nasal spray (Spravato) and injectable ketamine received FDA authorization for certain uses, but healthcare providers use various ketamine therapy forms either off-label based on their clinical judgement or in research studies. In rare cases, individuals experience overwhelming anxiety and fear during their ketamine therapy treatment because the effects of the session produce intense psychological reactions. The optimal results from ketamine therapy require patients to remain in a positive mental state during their sessions. The following tips on ketamine session mindset will have  a positive impact on your therapy session. 

1. Set an Intention

Ketamine therapy patients should dedicate time to goal reflection before their session begins. In your ketamine experience, you will discover guidance through intentions that serve as direction points to keep your focus intact. Assess your daily targets by asking yourself questions that address your future aspirations and objectives for your mental state improvement. People have different goals when it comes to taking ketamine therapy since they wish to address anxiety or process past traumas or boost their creativity, or achieve better self-awareness.

Writing intentions down creates a tangible definition for your thoughts in a journal format. A review of your intentions occurs before and after ketamine sessions to evaluate parallelism between your goals and the actual experience. The purpose of setting an intention for inner experience ketamine treatment involves developing a positive outlook along with focused thinking, which supports your journey.

2. Practice Mindfulness

Broadly speaking, mindfulness represents the fundamental method for understanding the special sensations and emotional readiness ketamine treatment states that emerge during ketamine treatment. Total presence serves as the foundation to welcome each situation beyond any form of criticism. Unusual physical reactions and powerful images, together with emotionally unfamiliar feelings, can occur when you experience the session. Experience these unusual sensations with interest instead of fighting against them.

Practicing mindfulness requires you to focus on your breath cycle as it enters and leaves your body. Notice both your bodily sensations, such as your chest movement and skin contact with the ground. Pay attention to your thoughts, but calmly return your focus to the moment at hand when your thoughts drift away. Your practice of accepting the present moment as you anchor yourself provides clarity during the session, thus preventing overwhelming experiences. Practicing mindfulness during ketamine-assisted therapy allows you to stay present, gently observing your thoughts and emotions as they arise, fostering a deeper sense of self-awareness and acceptance throughout the infusion experience

3. Use Guided Imagery

The visualization method of guided imagery helps people relax while also establishing a peaceful state during their ketamine infusion therapy process. Creating mental pictures of peaceful environments like beaches or forests enables you to establish a calming psychological space in ketamine therapy that balances disturbing emotions or thoughts.

Brand new users of guided imagery should refer to previously recorded meditations or videos for guidance toward their practice. The video "Guided Imagery Meditation: The Beach" provides users with a suitable entry point since it enables beach visuals and pleasant lighting effects. During this practice, let yourself deeply sense the environment's noises of moving leaves and smell of ocean breeze, and feel the comfort of the soft beach floor. Your deep concentration during the session strengthens relaxation, along with producing better therapeutic benefits.

4. Listen to Music

Music holds a remarkable power to shift emotions while developing an environment that brings comfort. The appropriate selection of music during ketamine sessions increases peaceful moods by helping patients traverse their emotional spheres and feelings of equilibrium. Participate in self-chosen songs and instrumental tracks that evoke positive emotions for your personal relaxation needs.

Prepare a personal playlist containing music that brings you positive emotions before every session. Your journey will benefit from a quiet musical ambiance that includes instrumental or calm tracks that feel pleasant to you. Check out professionally created playlists that specialize in therapeutic or meditative conditions for your sessions. Your objective should be to establish a space where you feel protected alongside supportive conditions leading toward your pre-established objectives.

5. Use Positive Affirmations

When experiencing introspective states caused by ketamine, the mind may tend to develop either negative thoughts or self-criticism. Using positive affirmations enables you to overcome negative mental messages while initiating a shift toward noticing your skills and inner strength.

Warm positive statements will function as sweet notations to remember your essential value and potential. People benefit from affirmative declarations that read “Well-being and recovery deserve me” or “Each day brings increased personal strength.” The affirmations should be spoken during sessions to reinforce positive thinking. Repeated affirmations contribute to both mental and personal self-strengthening while you develop your mental health habits.

6. Have a Support System

Completing any journey demands the steady support of someone you trust. Someone who demonstrates genuine concern about your well-being creates a major impact on your security levels and self-assurance both during and following your therapy appointment. Any member of your network, including family, friends, and a trusted therapist, can offer this type of support.

The initial step should be to inform your family members about your upcoming session, including ways they can help you before and after. The support includes checking up after your appointment to listen or establish a soothing space for your return home. You will find deep reassurance when other people provide you with your comfort items, such as favorite blankets, warm drinks, or emotional tokens. Your network of support will provide you with care regardless of the content of your session.

The combination of these suggested measures will help you establish conditions that amplify the therapeutic outcomes of ketamine treatment. These combined efforts create the perfect environment to support you through your session with depth of mindfulness and clear thinking, as well as the necessary support to get the most out of this pivotal experience.

Conclusion 

A ketamine session will be more beneficial when you maintain a positive mindset throughout. Utilizing an intention along with mindfulness practice and guided imagery, as well as music listening and positive affirmations with a supportive network, will help create a positive transformational ketamine session. The correct tools and strategies will enable you to remain positive and focused throughout your ketamine session, even when fear or nervousness occurs during the session.

FAQs

What happens during a typical ketamine treatment session?

During a session, ketamine is administered in a controlled setting, and patients often experience a dreamlike or dissociative state while being monitored by medical professionals.

How long does ketamine work for depression?

The effects can provide relief within hours and often last from days to weeks, depending on the individual and treatment plan.

Does ketamine therapy get you high?

Ketamine therapy can induce a dissociative or altered state, but it is not recreational and is administered in a therapeutic context to aid healing. Many patients shared with us that the expereince was deeply healing while it required a lot of committment and effort. The experience is quite different from what people commonly describe as high. 

Get the latest insights on psychedelic therapy, mental health, and innovative treatments—straight to your inbox.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Sign up
for the
Isha Health
Newsletter

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Ketamine, Tapering, and Psychedelics: A Complete Guide to Emerging Mental Health Treatments

What Can Cause A False Positive For Ketamine?

How Long Does Ketamine Neuroplasticity Last?

Does Ketamine Show Up On A 12 Panel Or Other Relevant Panels?

How Long Does Ketamine Nasal Spray Last

The Latest From Isha Health