Getting Ready for Your First Ketamine Session: What It’s Like and How to Prepare

If you’re preparing for your first ketamine-assisted therapy session, it’s natural to feel a mix of curiosity, nervousness, and hope. This isn’t just another appointment—it’s a doorway into a different kind of inner work. I want to help you walk through it feeling as supported and informed as possible.

Before the Session: Setting the Foundation

Intention over expectation.
Rather than coming in with a goal to "fix" something, try to approach your session with openness. What do you want to explore? What are you curious about? Ketamine often works in non-linear ways, and setting a gentle intention can help guide the process.

No need to fast, but go light.
You don’t need to fast like you would for a medical procedure, but it’s best to eat something light a few hours before—enough to feel nourished, not heavy.

Create space around the session.
Avoid scheduling anything stressful before or after. This is your time. Give yourself room to land before, and space to integrate after.

Dress comfortably.
This is a somatic experience as much as a psychological one. Soft, layered clothing helps you feel safe and warm in your body.

What Happens During the Session

I use lozenges (also called troches)—not IV or nasal spray. You’ll hold the lozenge in your mouth and allow it to dissolve slowly. Within about 15–30 minutes, you’ll begin to notice a shift.

As your mind begins to open up, we stay in close connection. I’m right there with you—not as an observer, but as a grounded, compassionate guide. I weave in somatic therapy, helping you stay connected to your body and breath. Sometimes that means inviting movement or stillness. Sometimes it’s just noticing what arises and letting it unfold.

People describe this part of the session in many ways—spacious, insightful, emotional, even cosmic. Some feel a lightness or disconnection from everyday thoughts, while others touch deep emotional material. However it shows up, we follow your process together.

After the Session: Grounding and Integration

Once the medicine’s effects taper off (usually within an hour or two), we take time to reflect. You might feel calm, raw, inspired, or unsure how to describe what just happened. That’s all normal. We don’t rush it.

You’ll likely feel a bit tender or emotionally open for the rest of the day. Keep your plans simple. If possible, take the whole day off.

Over the next few days, we’ll explore what came up during the session through integration work. This is where the real healing deepens—turning insight into lasting change.

Your first session doesn’t need to be perfect.
It’s a starting point. You don’t have to know how to “do it right.” All you need is a willingness to show up and stay curious.

I’m here to walk with you through it.