Unveiling Grief: Navigating Healing with Ketamine Therapy
Grief as a Spiritual Practice
I have always loved the transition into fall as a natural metaphor for the cycle of life and death, especially as we enter the season of Halloween and the Day of the Dead. As trees shed their leaves and turn to compost, and after the vibrant colors of summer have faded into the muted tones of fall, we're reminded symbolically of the process of letting go.
Letting go is an essential component of grief; when we’re grieving, we are asked to let go over and over and over again, even when it feels intolerable. This is where the intentional and therapeutic use of psychedelics, and in particular, ketamine therapy, comes in. Ketamine helps lighten the weight of grief, even for a brief time, so that we can truly enter the fullness of an emotion without feeling as though we’re drowning.
I like to think of grief as a wide and never-ending river that flows through our lives. At different moments in life, new streams join the ever-flowing river that began when we experienced our first loss. Perhaps it started with the loss of a pet, a grandparent, a friend, or a dream. It was our first brush with impermanence and the ache of learning that everything we love will one day end. As new streams join the river, each one representing a new loss, we’re reminded of this river, which has never actually gone away.
In a diagnosis-leaning world, we often conflate grief with depression, perhaps medicating the symptoms and dismissing the full breadth of the experience, mistaking and mislabeling an important, tender, and essential part of the human experience.
To face grief head-on with no distractions is noble and brave… and sometimes insurmountable. I have found that when we’re faced with profound grief and loss, it’s more than likely we’ll seek comfort wherever we can–through Netflix, social media, alcohol, food, work, you name it. Pendulating between emotion and intentionally checking out is healthy and normal, and it’s important to keep a compassionate eye out for how often the numbing happens, and for how long it lasts. Finding someone we trust to hold us accountable for being present with our grief can help, whether it’s a friend, family member, or therapist.
In our practice, we use ketamine therapy in combination with body-centered and mindfulness-based practices to support clients so that they may feel the full and sometimes gut-wrenching depth of their grief. To practice grieving with more patience and presence.
The Three Types of Grief
I like to categorize grief into three different types:
Transition
The first form of grief is the sorrow that arises from the loss of one's sense of self, which can occur due to life-changing events or personal transformations, such as the loss of a job, health challenges, moving to a new city, or the loss of a spiritual or religious identity.
An Ending
The second is the ending of a significant relationship, such as a friendship or partnership.
A Loss
Perhaps the most universally recognized form of grief is the pain experienced when someone we love passes away, a loss that can be both emotionally and spiritually overwhelming. The one unifying principle of grief is that it is always expressed and experienced uniquely.
Ketamine Therapy for Relief
In many spiritual traditions, grief is viewed as a profound and transformative emotional and spiritual experience; it might even be considered an initiatory experience. Many cultures and traditions see loss as an opportunity for transformation for the individual; one that takes them to the depths of their emotions and psyche. It is an opportunity to confront fears, vulnerabilities, and insecurities. Civilizations around the world and throughout history have used ceremony and ritual to metabolize loss and mourn transitions.
In our office, we offer ketamine therapy sessions to support clients in creating a ritualized and sacred space for grief. The session starts with setting an intention; the client may set their intention to experience a release of grief. Throughout the journey, we may offer statements such as “Where do you notice that in your body?” and “How do you know that you’re feeling anger? What tells you that?” so that they can stay in touch with their experience. We encourage them to allow for release to happen, whether it comes in the form of sobbing, words, sounds, shaking, sweating, or movement.
Allowing for the energy to move through and out of the body is key since emotions are just energy in the body. We must keep the river flowing.
Learn More
Finding a safe container to bring your grief, to feel seen and not alone, and to be supported in feeling the full depth of your emotions is medicine. While no one can take your grief away, it’s possible to find relief by sharing with someone you trust, adding expression to your emotions, and memorializing it through ritual and intention. If you are interested in ketamine therapy to work through challenging feelings of grief and loss, there are both group ketamine therapy and individual options available.
To learn more about ketamine therapy to treat grief and grief-related symptoms, please contact our team.