How Ketamine Changes Your Brain
Neuroplasticity
NMDA receptor blocker, tricks brain into release of Glutamate which is involved in synaptogenesis. In essence, repeated Ketamine infusions create a state of ‘hyper-neuroplasticity’ which can be leveraged via psychotherapy and coaching to have lasting behavioral and psychological changes.
Awe
At the right dose, the ketamine creates the classic psychedelic ‘transpersonal’ experience. Patients experience a numinous, euphoric sensation of observing themselves in the vastness of their consciousness. Often described as awe, love, expansiveness and timelessness. For patients struggling with the tightness and heaviness of depression and anxiety, this expansive experience leaves a profoundly positive impression.
Mindfulness
As dose increases, so does the patient experience of being outside their body and mind. Processing dark memories, past traumas, fearful beliefs is possible from a state of hyper-mindfulness. This is why guidance by a trained psychedelic guide is so important. Helps patient be mindful and aware of what it is like to not be completely hooked to thoughts and feelings.
What Patients Have to Say about CIT Clinics
"I've made more progress here in the past 2 months than I have in 17 plus years of talk therapy and SSRIs."
"It helps with my depression. It helps with my chronic pain. It helps with my life."
"The great thing about CIT Clinics is that they are set up to guide you through the process."
Advantages of Intravenous Administration
There are many different ways of administering Ketamine - oral, intramuscular injection, intranasal spray, and intravenous infusion. At CIT Clinics, we only perform intravenous infusions. Based on our many years of experience we have learned that intravenous infusion offers distinct advantages over other modes of administration:
Everyone’s brain and nervous system is unique and therefore responds differently to Ketamine. By administering ketamine intravenously, our anesthesia staff can both increase and decrease the dose to quickly reach a desired plane, achieve a heightened experience, or soften the intensity of the journey, all in order to assure your peace of mind. IV also allows for even/consistent experience over any desired duration. No uncomfortable spikes or dips.
Psychedelics are unpredictable. It is normal for patients to sometimes experience emotionally challenging experiences that involve fear, darkness, doubt, heaviness, anxiety. Our psychedelic guides are trained to help you work through these situations, but sometimes it feels like too much. In that case, we can simply turn the ketamine infusion off and within 2-3 minutes you will feel yourself returning to a more familiar state of consciousness. This is only possible with IV ketamine and not possible if ketamine is ingested (lozenges), injected (intramuscular) or sprayed (intranasal).
We take an integrative approach to treatments. Since we already have a line in for ketamine, this optimizes our ability to also give you other compounds that will help you feel better and boost your resilience (i.e., vitamins C, B, Magnesium, Glutathione).
Our certified anesthesia providers use Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitors and Bluetooth Oxygen Saturation Monitors to observe your vitals, ensuring your physical safety and stability. Our Anesthesia Staff are extremely comfortable with hemodynamics and possible symptoms. We have the IV medications and maneuvers to immediately treat increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, respiratory changes, rare nausea and vomiting, or other health responses to your infusion.
Infusion Therapy & Your Body
The connection between body and mind is real and complex.
Combination Infusion Therapy is a cutting-edge approach to healing physical and emotional pain by integrating treatments that support the health of your brain, nervous system, body and mind. Combination Infusion Therapy offers a very real alternative to conventional approaches to treatment resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic physical pain.
NAD+ is an active form of a coenzyme that plays a significant role in the chemical reactions within your cells. NAD+:
- Turns carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into usable energy (Krebs Cycle)
- Regulates your body’s stress response
- Repairs and synthesizes DNA
- Regulates your circadian rhythms
- Promotes stem cell production
NAD+ is used by every cell in the human body - it's how every cell makes ATP, the energy store of the cell. Thus NAD+ is critical to every cell “doing its job.” This goes for our brain cells too. Because the brain is so intertwined with what humans consciously do, most note significant changes in their cognitive performance following NAD+ Infusions.
Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant (composed of 3 amino acids) that prevents the damage that free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals inflict on your cells. It promotes a healthy immune system, improves skin texture, reduces fatigue, and enhances energy levels. Small studies support its use for skin tone, psoriasis, fatty liver disease, peripheral arterial disease, insulin resistance, athletic performance, and Parkinson’s disease.
Any condition associated with excessive oxidative stress, inflammation and free radical damage (which includes most major conditions) will impact our day-to-day performance. The best-studied uses are for Parkinson’s Disease and side effect reduction associated with conventional cancer treatments.
If world class athletes have taught us anything, it is that mental health can have a direct impact on physical performance. They were brave enough to pull out of competition citing mental health issues. They were acutely aware that the better you feel, the better you will perform. Negative psychological factors, whether they are external or internal, can lead to the inability to concentrate, causing breaks in focus and preparation, poor performance and, the increased risk of injuries to the athlete. This is true in sports and in life.
Although it has not been explicitly shown that IV administration is superior to attaining all nutrients from a balanced diet, the CDC states that 10% or more of the US Population is deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Second, IV administration is superior to oral intake given that 100% of the substrate is delivered to your bloodstream compared to 40% or less, respectively. Healthy kidneys do an excellent job of filtering any access. Third, well designed studies have shown that both Vitamin C and Zinc supplementation can shorten the length of an acute illness. Finally, studies show that a clear placebo effect exists with IV Nutrient infusions. For us at CIT Clinics, perhaps the best testament to efficacy is that our staff takes these infusions regularly. Placebo or not, we are more energetic, experience restorative sleep, and feel more vital to ourselves and others around us.
How Infusion Therapy Treatments Work
1. Check-in and Greeting
You are greeted in the waiting room by anesthesia provider, clinical staff and your psychedelic guide. We walk you into the clinic and show you your room choices. Each room looks and feels a little different. You’ll choose your room and drop off your belongings.
2. Intention Setting & Planning
In your treatment room, we’ll discuss how you’re feeling. If this is your initial session we will review the procedure. If your treatment is ongoing, we will review how your last session went and confirm your desired dose and plan for this session.
3. Get Comfortable
You’ll settle into your room, get your recliner adjusted, place blankets and pillows and adjust the music and light show. Your guide will explore your intentions and help you relax with some breathing exercises.
4. Clinical Preparation
Once you are comfortable, you’ll get your IV placed, a nurse will set up your wireless vitals monitor and begin the drip of vitamins and nutrients from your IV bag.
5. Psychedelic Journey
You’ll feel the effects of the ketamine within 90 seconds of starting the infusion. Your guide will ensure a smooth launch as well as monitor how the chosen dose is working for you throughout your session. If desired, the anesthesia provider may increase your dose if you are wanting to go deeper or reduce the dose if it feels too intense.
6. Recovery & Integration
When the ketamine is finished, you’ll feel yourself ‘coming down’ within minutes. While you are returning to a more ordinary state of consciousness this recovery period is an important time for integration activities such as meditation, journaling or drawing.
