This month, we had a handful of clients have a breakthrough moment after finishing their ketamine infusion treatments. As we watch our patients take the biggest sigh of relief, knowing they can breathe again. Acknowledging that they are in their final stages of healing, we have come to the realization how important it is to understand how coping is much different from healing. Let’s break it down.
So what distinguishes the two?
An easy way to apply the two in real life is by comparing trauma to a wound. When you’re physically injured, you might use a bandaid or some gauze to help cope with the wound. Instead of taking the time to clean the wound, apply antibacterial ointment, or assess the wound for what it really needs, you risk the wound not healing properly or the best it can.
Don’t get me wrong, choosing to cope over healing is not wrong or right, everyone has a preference of how they choose to deal with life and that’s ok! Coping is a common mindset to get you through hard times. Coping allows you to get through trauma but lacks to bring you toward complete healing and being able to move past the event.
Trauma and dealing with PTSD can affect your body just as much as your emotional state. The experience and memories of trauma can stay stored in your muscles and nervous system, even if you aren’t aware of it. Our nervous system is meant to protect us from trauma, sending us into fight or flight mode when things get rough. An overwhelming, traumatic experience can trigger these reactions in the brain and leave us stuck in the state of high sympathetic arousal.
This is where ketamine comes into play! Ketamine triggers the process of neurogenesis in areas of the brain that is damaged by long-term stress. By repairing neural pathways, ketamine empowers patients to function in ways that were previously not available. When restoring this function, patients are able to heal from their trauma and move beyond it. Just after a few infusions, patients begin to understand and process things more clearly, no longer thinking in fight or flight mode.
If you’re ready to commit to healing, ketamine infusion therapy may be right for you. At NeuroMedici, our primary objective is to provide relief for patients with severe PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, pain, and more. If you need help, contact neuromedici.com and schedule your free consultation to learn how we can help you.