Anxiety is our body’s natural response to a threat that is either present or anticipated. Some level of anxiety is normal and healthy. It keeps us alert and aware of the dangers that may be present in our environment now or in the future.
It not only makes us aware and alert for danger but can also motivate us to act for what we want and do what we need. A healthy level of anxiety might cause you to prepare for an interview or pick up your kids from school on time.
Anxiety becomes a mental health problem when we constantly feel as if we’re in danger although there is no threat, or when the anxious feelings greatly outlast the threat that was there. When this happens, we can have heart palpitations, sweats, stuttering, trembling, a general sense of unsafety, and any combination of these symptoms. If not treated, it can become an albatross around our necks and make life much, much harder to live.
How Does Anxiety Affect Everyday Life?
The effects of anxiety on quality of life run the gamut from insomnia to social isolation and everything in between.
Not everyone diagnosed with anxiety has a full-blown anxiety attack. Sometimes symptoms include feeling generally uneasy and disconnected from the present moment or feeling stuck in your head playing loops of frightening outcomes to a situation. When anxiety rears its head it’s easy to feel like everyone notices and thinks poorly of you because of it, which feeds into the negative thought loop the mind may be in at that moment.
It can cause embarrassment or shame about how we show up in the world when these symptoms strike, which can trigger social anxiety and isolation.
The precautions that someone takes to offset their anxiety symptoms can cause stress and for them to feel weak or incapable of leading a normal life with relative ease like others around them.
Because of the nature of anxiety, those affected may want urgent help with immediate results.
How Does Ketamine Treatment Compare to Other Anxiety Treatment Methods?
Research shows that half of the people receiving treatment for anxiety are “treatment resistant”, meaning that the traditional anxiety medications they currently use do not work for them.
Ketamine has shown great results in being an answer for even treatment-resistant anxiety.
The research is growing for Ketamine Treatment for anxiety. This method of treatment greatly benefits many people who continue to struggle with this taxing condition.
How Does Ketamine Help With Anxiety?
Ketamine Treatment works by targeting glutamate, whereas most other go-tos for anxiety treatment address the anxiety by increasing serotonin in the brain.
Ketamine Treatment also works much faster than most traditional treatments for anxiety. While most other treatments can take between 2-6 weeks to begin working, Ketamine Treatment can work in as short a timespan as 2 hours. That is a drastic difference in timeliness for patients who need urgency in addressing their symptoms, as many affected by anxiety do.
How Can Someone Know If It Might Be a Good Idea For Them To Explore Ketamine Treatment For Their Anxiety?
Ketamine Treatments may not be a good fit if there is a family history of psychosis, or if the patient is pregnant.
To find out for sure if Ketamine Assisted Therapy is right for you, reach out to us here.
If Ketamine Treatment isn’t the right option for you at this time, there are many other resources available to you at our Practice, including Sound Therapy, Neurofeedback Therapy and Coaching/Guidance. See our full services list here.
Lifestyle changes can also greatly improve anxiety symptoms. These changes may include:
- Working Out
- Eating a Balanced Diet
- Mindfulness and Meditation Practices
- Getting an Adequate Amount of Sleep
- Maintaining Positive Relationships
How Can Someone Begin Ketamine Treatment for Anxiety?
For those struggling with anxiety, with or without a diagnosis, at Heartmind Medicine, we see and understand you, and are dedicated to using all the tools at our disposal to help you manage your anxiety.
If you are ready to give another treatment method a try, Ketamine Assisted Therapy might be something to look into.
If you or a loved one is in the Colorado area and want to explore treatment at Heartmind Medicine, you can reach out to us for a free consultation by following this link to the short form and filling it out. We are excited to speak with you and assess if Ketamine Treatment is the right next step for you!
Follow us @HeartmindMedicine on Instagram and Facebook to get regular content on how to cope with the symptoms listed above using real-world strategies.
If you struggle with anxiety, what does it feel like to you? What treatments have you tried thus far and how have they worked out for you?
Sources:
Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R.E., Stockmann, T. et al. The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Mol Psychiatry (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0
American Psychiatric Association Publishing. (2011). What is an anxiety disorder? – focus. Psychiatry Online. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://focus.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/foc.9.3.foc369
Ghoshal, M. (2022, May 23). What is ketamine used for in medicine? Healthline. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/what-is-ketamine
Holland, K. (2022, June 28). Anxiety disorders: Causes, types, symptoms, & treatments. Healthline. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety
Strong, R. (2022, August 16). Ketamine for anxiety: How it works, research, how to try it. Healthline. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/ketamine-for-anxiety
