Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Ketamine

How Ketamine Feels: A Smart Patient's Guide to Ketamine Therapy

How Ketamine Feels: Understanding The Ketamine Therapy Experience

One of the most common questions we receive at Transcend Health Solutions is about how ketamine feels during therapy sessions. As leading providers of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in San Antonio and Austin, we believe that understanding the experience helps patients feel prepared and confident, maximizing the therapeutic benefits of each session.

A Uniquely Personal Journey

How ketamine feels varies significantly from person to person, and even between sessions for the same individual. At Transcend Health Solutions, we carefully calibrate dosing based on the latest evidence-based protocols to ensure optimal therapeutic benefits while maintaining your comfort and safety. Our team of medical and mental health professionals provides personalized support throughout your journey.

Read here for more about how ketamine improves brain health.

The Ketamine Experience Timeline

Initial Sensations (0-5 Minutes)

Within the first five minutes, most patients experience a gentle wave of calmness. Anxiety begins to dissipate, and a sense of relaxation spreads through the body, creating a comfortable transition into the therapeutic mindset.

Building Effects (8-10 Minutes)

As the session progresses, how ketamine feels begins to shift into a deeper phase. You may notice any or all of the following sensations: 

  • A floating or weightless sensation as bodily awareness fades
  • Enhanced musical perception, creating a more immersive experience
  • Subtle visual changes, especially with eyes closed
  • Mental clarity and detachment from stress
  • Altered time perception

The Therapeutic Sweet Spot

At Transcend Health Solutions, we maintain ideal ketamine levels that keep clients lucid and able to communicate while experiencing heightened introspection. This balance creates a safe space for deep emotional exploration without fear of losing control.

How ketamine feels during this phase is crucial—it allows you to detach from emotions just enough to observe them without being overwhelmed. This creates psychological distance that enables confronting deep-seated emotions and past trauma in a controlled environment, often leading to powerful breakthroughs.

Read here for more about the advantage of ketamine assisted psychotherapy over other types of ketamine therapy.

The Multisensory Experience

Ketamine therapy engages multiple senses, creating a therapeutic environment that supports emotional processing and introspection. With eyes closed, many patients report seeing vivid internal imagery—abstract patterns or colors that often seem to align with their thoughts or emotional states. Auditory perception is also heightened; music can take on a profound emotional depth, acting as a guide throughout the session. Physical sensations may include a sense of floating or moving through various internal “scenes,” contributing to a dream-like quality that allows patients to explore their inner experience with increased openness and psychological flexibility.

Learn more about ketamine’s possible side effects. 

The Transformative Power of Ketamine

The unique way ketamine feels during therapy—particularly its gentle dissociative properties—facilitates healing by allowing patients to:

  • Bypass mental barriers that block self-awareness
  • Access difficult emotions with less distress
  • Gain novel perspectives on personal challenges
  • Achieve profound therapeutic breakthroughs

Begin Your Healing Journey

To experience how ketamine feels and discover its transformative effects, schedule a consultation with Transcend Health Solutions today. Our expert team in San Antonio and Austin will guide you through a personalized and supportive ketamine therapy experience. Don't wait to begin your healing journey—contact us now for your free consultation.

Will Ratliff, RN, LP, is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Transcend Health Solutions, a leading provider of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in Austin and San Antonio, Texas. A former flight medic and registered nurse, Will has directly facilitated more than 5,000 IV Ketamine infusions, collaborating closely with KAP therapists to support clients with depression, trauma, anxiety, and treatment-resistant conditions. Alongside Dr. Cord Cunningham, he helped pioneer a real-time titration protocol for IV Ketamine, an innovation that has positioned Transcend as a national leader in evidence-based KAP delivery.

How Ketamine Feels: A Smart Patient's Guide to Ketamine Therapy
March 2, 2022
Will Ratliff
Director of Operations