Ketamine Part 1: I Know Exactly Why I'm Anxious. It Hasn't Helped.
Why I'm trying ketamine to close the gap between understanding and moving forward
What is it like to feel dissociated or detached from your body?
I’m not sure, but I expect to be able to give you my experience of it later this week after I start my three-week round of ketamine infusions.
Why Ketamine?
You may be aware that ketamine is used for anesthesia during surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for that purpose over 50 years ago.
But you might not have heard that research over the past 25 years has shown low-dose ketamine’s potential for fast-acting relief of depressive symptoms, anxiety disorders, PTSD, or alcohol or substance use disorder.12
Without diving too much into the science, studies have shown that the way ketamine does this is by promoting neuroplasticity in the brain and regulating what’s called the Default Mode Network—an area of the brain linked to overthinking, negative thought patterns, and rumination.345
Basically, brain cells are connected to one another, and ketamine helps break some of those connections while promoting the formation of new ones.
This all helps the brain rewire itself away from the responses causing issues in your life, such as excessive worrying or persistent negative thinking that are often linked with depression and anxiety.6
Of course, however, you need updated thought patterns and feelings you can consistently reinforce so that the new connections your brain forms last.
That’s why ketamine is best paired with coaching, talk therapy and/or strong mindfulness practices.
And while the FDA has not approved ketamine for anything other than use as an anesthetic during surgery (more on this and esketamine later), doctors can legally prescribe it for off-label use, such as to treat treatment-resistant depression or anxiety.
But as with anything medical related, be sure to consult your doctor before taking action. I want to make clear that none of what I write here is medical advice.
Come Along for the Ride
Not too long ago I realized it feels like my progress towards feeling unstuck has stalled for the past year or two. That’s partly why I’ve been quieter on Substack over the past month or so.
Sure, I’ve continued to learn information and make sense of feelings, but the difference that has had on my life has flattened.
It’s like I have all of this knowledge, but it hasn’t integrated into my body or my brain’s default programming.
I think I was just lost in the routine of it all. Waiting for the antidepressant to help what is probably Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and not recognizing that the timer to decide its effectiveness had gone off long ago.
So that’s why I’m trying ketamine infusions. To help my brain implement the changes that it understands intellectually so well.
And I want to share my experience with ketamine to demystify it and help move it towards normalization, even if it doesn’t have some life-changing result for me.
The general rundown is this:
~2-hour appointment
45-minute ketamine infusion with medical professionals monitoring
Can’t drive yourself home
2x a week for 3 weeks
Therapy session in the afternoon
And yea, one of ketamine’s effects can be feeling detached from your body during the infusion.
I’ll report what that feels like if it happens.
Take Care of Yourself,
Alex
Feel like you could benefit from coaching? I’m offering 5 free 45-minute sessions to two more clients. Message me or email me at alex@doselfishwell.com for more details.
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Jamie L Tully, et. al, Ketamine treatment for refractory anxiety: A systematic review, Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2022 May 20; 88(10):4412–4426, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9540337/.
Mani Yavi, et. al, Ketamine treatment for depression: a review, Discov Ment Health, 2022 Apr 15; 2(1):9, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9010394/.
Hao Wu, et. al, Ketamine for a boost of neural plasticity: how, but also when?, Biol Psychiatry, 2021 Jun 1; 89(11):1030–1032, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8190578/.
New Research: How Ketamine Creates Lasting Changes in Brain Plasticity (2025 Studies), Almadelic, 2025 Oct 21, https://www.almadelic.com/ketamine-therapy/blog/ketamine-neuroplasticity-brain-plasticity-research-2025.
Ketamine Therapy: A Breakthrough Treatment for Depression and Anxiety?, Nashville Brain Institute, accessed https://nashvillebraininstitute.com/ketamine-therapy-a-breakthrough-treatment-for-depression-and-anxiety/ (19 Jul 2026).
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