Ketamine Infusion Therapy at Illumma
Before I knew how much I didn’t know,
my associations with Ketamine were something along the lines of ‘illegal street drug’, ‘part of what contributed to the murder of Elijah McClain’, ‘horse tranquilizer’. And, while there is some truth to all of these associations, my updated understanding of Ketamine is ‘amazing tool to be used for healing and wellness.’ I am forever grateful for Illumma for illumma-nating me to this helpful resource.
I had the opportunity to interview one of the owners of Illumma, Alli Waddell AND had the opportunity to try an infusion for myself and this is what I learned: Ketamine is a breakthrough tool, which facilitates a quicker and more efficient method of healing mental health issues which often manifest as physical pain in the body. It creates a dissociative experience which often gives client’s the ability to see their challenges from a new perspective and reorient their narrative around their hardships.
Anxiety, depression, and PTSD all respond particularly well. It’s also a great modality for high performing creative individuals who are seeking more clarity and inspiration. The most difficult conditions are chronic pain and patients who have been struggling with a certain issue for decades and are on a cocktail of various pharmaceuticals. Sometimes the other pharmaceutical medications can mute and/or limit the emotional capacity for change and decrease the ability to notice smaller more subtle shifts in healing.
When it was time for my infusion,
I was super impressed by the thorough intake and wonderful communication. I felt like the staff was incredibly competent and the professionalism was top notch. I filled out all the paperwork and followed the advice to avoid caffeine the day of the treatment and to arrange for a ride home from the infusion. I wore a comfy outfit, but was aware that I could have done a better job of bringing fluffy socks and a blanket and other snuggly things — try to think of what you’d want to wear on a first class plane flight where your goal is to be max comfy.
My friend dropped me off and the staff brought me through the beautiful waiting area into the also beautiful back area. I had a private room with an incredibly comfy reclining chair and was hooked up to various monitors which a nurse practitioner was prepared to watch for the duration of my infusion. There was a huge TV with tons of options to watch and/or music turn on, but I opted for silence and no screen. In retrospect, I should have brought an eye mask. There’s an option to include an anti-nauseau medication in the IV drip, but I decided to risk it as this could be added real-time if I had that type of side effect (I did not). The Illumma staff person explained the procedure including how the blood pressure cuff would go on about every 15 minutes. I loved knowing this because it was a way to anchor into my body even during the infusion and i was always subtly aware of how much time had passed.
The Ketamine infusion effect was pretty immediate. I felt floaty and loopy and had all sorts of cool visions come through. I had been preparing myself for a super intense emotionally charged session, but instead I ended up getting to see my grandmother who had recently passed and got continuous messages of how awesome I am. I felt like Ketamine was the hype girl I always needed in my life. The session lasted about an hour and there was a solid debriefing afterwards to make sure I was grounded enough to leave. I felt a little light headed - similar to after a really intense massage - and I walked out to meet my ride.
I wasn’t sure how long it would take to transition back into the ‘real world’ but I felt it happened really quickly. It was hard to convey to my friend what I had experienced and I just kept saying how cool it was. Each person will have their own interaction with Ketamine and I’m sure the next time I do it I will have a different experience all together. I’m looking forward to finding out.
The OTHER cool thing is that yours truly offers acu-primers and acu-aftercare for clients of Illumma. So, you can add on acupuncture to your Ketamine infusion experience. Hashtag heaven.
Go there for self care!
xo,
Jenna