Surrender to Your Experience
With most psychedelics, every experience is unique. Ketamine is no different. This medicine is subjective to the condition of the patient. What does that mean? It means the medicine will respond to the state of the patient both in the body and in the mind. This is why setting an intention and creating a safe space is so important.
There is no guarantee that every experience will be comfortable and every experience will be like the last. Though this may be the case for the majority of the experiences, because of the relativity of the medicine, it should not be assumed. That is why surrendering is so important with this medicine.
Despite the variability from person to person, session to session, one common denominator with all psychedelics, ketamine being no different, is to surrender to the experience. What you resist, persists. If you find yourself in a state or experience that is uncomfortable or may be intense, do not fight it. Do not try and counter it, breathe through it. The breath is the anchor to bring your mind, your body and your emotions to presence.
Breathe in your intention and trust the experience.
This is where the healing begins, in the act of surrendering to your experience.
Remember physics teaches us that everything is made up of energy, therefore nothing can be destroyed, only transmuted. Trust that whatever comes up that may not be pleasant, is simply being transmitted through your intention to whatever your intention is. Surrender to it. If you fight it, it will only intensify the situation. This energy has to come up and move out in order for it to clear. This is the work of medicine. On the other side of the experience is your freedom to bask in your intention.
You got this!
Creating a Safe Space
When engaging in a new experience, it's important to ensure that the space you engage in is comfortable and safe. For reasons aside from the obvious, set and setting calm the mind to not rile up any potential thoughts or feelings of stress or anxiety. Surrendering to the experience with total commitment is the best way to receive maximum benefits of the medicine. Therefore, a safe space is extremely important.
What is a safe space?
It can be anything from a comfortable environment (plush seating/bedroom area, moderate temperature, ambient music) to clearing your day so you have the time and space to be present during your experience.
A safe space also includes preparing yourself on the day of the session. That could be beginning to plan ahead to clear your schedule, possibly taking a technology break- from social media or emails- ahead of time so no lingering thoughts carry into the day of. Taking the same measures after your experience would also apply. Journaling is a great way to calm the mind and get out any thoughts and feelings that do not support your intention. This is transmuting the energy so you can clear the space for your healing to take its course.
A safe space varies from person to person, and it is up to you to decide what works for you. Be honest with yourself, you came this far to take this stretch, you owe it to yourself to be one with your experience so you can receive the maximum benefits from it.
Music & Psychedelics
Music is a powerful and transformative art form that can serve us in many ways. Learn how music can serve you during your psychedelic experiences.
Setting An Intention
Setting an intention is important to receive the most benefits from your experience.
Set and setting are paramount in psychedelics as they map the journey you will embark on.
Physics teaches us everything is made from energy. Therefore, energy cannot be destroyed, it can only be transmuted.
Setting an intention is where the magic begins in transformation. Consider the intention- the final destination of a road map.
The goal here is to focus attention on what you want your result to be. Where attention goes, energy flows. This can be extremely beneficial to the mind as it can support the busy mind with focus and clarity. Oftentimes, the mind's thoughts may go into contraction mode when the body and the soul engage in a new experience unfamiliar with the mind. In setting an intention, it prepares and allows the mind's logic to shift in a certain direction.
If this is your first experience, we encourage you to set an intention. Not sure where to begin? A great start would be to ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you want to let go of (anxiety, depression, anger)?
- What do you want to experience and bring in (peace, joy)?
There is no judgment around this, your intention is personal and important to your experience.