Each January, many reflect on the previous year and set out to make changes or growth desired for the new year. New Year’s resolutions are a common tradition at the start of the year, but many struggle to fulfill their resolutions, even as we are just a few weeks into 2023. There are tools and strategies to help foster long-lasting change, one of which is ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP). Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a treatment approach that involves using low doses of the medication ketamine in combination with psychotherapy. It is most commonly used to treat treatment-resistant depression, but it has also shown promise in treating other mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, and anxiety disorders.
Regarding how ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) might help with New Year’s resolutions, it is important to note that the treatment is not specifically designed for this purpose. However, if an individual is struggling with a mental health condition that is making it difficult for them to pursue their goals or stick to their resolutions, ketamine assisted psychotherapy may be able to help by improving their overall mental health and well-being. For example, if an individual is struggling with depression and is unable to find the motivation to follow through on their resolutions, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy may be able to improve their mood and help them feel more motivated and engaged in their daily life.
Through our ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) program at the Catalyst Center, you can work with a therapist to help bring clarity and focus to your New Year’s goals by helping you set intentions as preparatory work before your experiential session with the medicine to optimize your journey or experience when under ketamine. Additionally, during the KAP program, your therapist helps you integrate those intentions with manageable shifts or changes. KAP allows you to create new neural pathways for the positive changes you want for yourself in 2023. These pathways allow changes to solidify into your new normal.
There are many reasons why ketamine can be a helpful tool for your new year’s resolutions. First, ketamine will help maximize your mental health potential by allowing you to release negative or depressive thought patterns or states by blocking overactive glutamate receptors. Second, ketamine will create more room for your brain to grow or recover new pathways by enhancing the structural neural plasticity of your brain. Third, the neuron growth ketamine provides allows your brain to increase connections or communication between different parts of your brain. This communication allows for better memory, higher level thinking, and increased ability to learn new tasks or integrate new health habits. These impacts of ketamine on your brain are provide the opportunity to find or restore balance, and this balance sets you up for success in following through with your desired new year goals. Essentially starting the new year by giving yourself a mental bath or fresh start through ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) program, you stimulate a renewed start to the year.
KAP fosters the loosening of narratives that don’t serve you and, metaphorically, boosts energy into growth areas that aid you. These are optimized with the proper therapeutic guidance KAP provides, and those 2023 new thoughts, patterns, and narratives are learned, allowing you to present with a deeper understanding and authenticity of your new normal. By improving your mental health, you can show up and be more present for loved ones and yourself. It’s time to shed or wash away any negative thinking and allow for a positive outlook in 2023. Even if there is nothing ‘negative’ you are struggling with, KAP can help foster a foundation for that deeper work or growth you’ve wanted to make all year.
Overall, while ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is not specifically designed to help with New Year’s resolutions, it can improve an individual’s overall mental health and well-being, which could, in turn, make it easier for you to pursue your goals and stick to resolutions. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy provides the opportunity to deepen meaning, progress in healing, and explore identity or purpose in ways that best serve an individual’s 2023 growth journey. It is important to speak with a mental health professional about the potential benefits and risks of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other treatment options that may be available.
Photo Credits:
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
Photo by Dave Ruck on Unsplash
