• Login
ketamine.news
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Depression
    Top 5 Best TEDTalks on Mental Health

    Top 5 Best TEDTalks on Mental Health

    Navigating a Bad Mental Health Day

    Navigating a Bad Mental Health Day

    Seasonal Affective Disorder

    The Highs and Lows of Seasonal Affective Disorder

    Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

    Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

    Mindfulness Meditation: How to Get Started

    Mindfulness Meditation: How to Get Started

    What (Not) To Say To Someone With Depression

    What (Not) to Say to Someone with Depression

    Stress For "No Reason"

    Stress “For No Reason”

    Women’s Mental Health

    Ego Death - Hero's Journey

    Ego Death – Part of a Hero’s Journey

  • Chronic Pain
    ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally

    ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally

    Ketamine: A Paradigm Shift in Pain Management

    Ketamine: A Paradigm Shift in Pain Management

    ketamine treatment for depression

    Amidst An Opioid Crisis, Ketamine Has the Potential To Save Lives

    Ketamine for pain

    Multi-Day Low Dose Ketamine Infusion For The Treatment Of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

    ketamine for chronic pain

    End Chronic Back Pain with Ketamine for a Fuller Life

    ketamine for pain

    What You Should Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis

    ketamine for pain

    Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

    ketamine for pain

    A sweet reprieve: Ketamine helps to relive phantom limb pain

  • PTSD
    veterans day

    Veterans’ Day: What Does PTSD Look Like In Veterans?

    PTSD awareness month

    PTSD Awareness Month: What Can I Do To Help?

    Trump Orders ‘a lot’ of Ketamine for Depressed Veterans

    Will Ketamine Be A Breakthrough Drug for PTSD?

    Ketamine to treat ptsd

    PTSD Sufferers ‘Healed’ With New Ketamine Infusion Therapy?

    ketamine to treat PTSD

    VA Uses Ketamine To Treat PTSD Effectively

    ketamine to treat ptsd

    Ketamine can help treat PTSD

  • Video
  • Ketamine Directory
  • Ketamine Media
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Depression
    Top 5 Best TEDTalks on Mental Health

    Top 5 Best TEDTalks on Mental Health

    Navigating a Bad Mental Health Day

    Navigating a Bad Mental Health Day

    Seasonal Affective Disorder

    The Highs and Lows of Seasonal Affective Disorder

    Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

    Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

    Mindfulness Meditation: How to Get Started

    Mindfulness Meditation: How to Get Started

    What (Not) To Say To Someone With Depression

    What (Not) to Say to Someone with Depression

    Stress For "No Reason"

    Stress “For No Reason”

    Women’s Mental Health

    Ego Death - Hero's Journey

    Ego Death – Part of a Hero’s Journey

  • Chronic Pain
    ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally

    ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally

    Ketamine: A Paradigm Shift in Pain Management

    Ketamine: A Paradigm Shift in Pain Management

    ketamine treatment for depression

    Amidst An Opioid Crisis, Ketamine Has the Potential To Save Lives

    Ketamine for pain

    Multi-Day Low Dose Ketamine Infusion For The Treatment Of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

    ketamine for chronic pain

    End Chronic Back Pain with Ketamine for a Fuller Life

    ketamine for pain

    What You Should Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis

    ketamine for pain

    Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

    ketamine for pain

    A sweet reprieve: Ketamine helps to relive phantom limb pain

  • PTSD
    veterans day

    Veterans’ Day: What Does PTSD Look Like In Veterans?

    PTSD awareness month

    PTSD Awareness Month: What Can I Do To Help?

    Trump Orders ‘a lot’ of Ketamine for Depressed Veterans

    Will Ketamine Be A Breakthrough Drug for PTSD?

    Ketamine to treat ptsd

    PTSD Sufferers ‘Healed’ With New Ketamine Infusion Therapy?

    ketamine to treat PTSD

    VA Uses Ketamine To Treat PTSD Effectively

    ketamine to treat ptsd

    Ketamine can help treat PTSD

  • Video
  • Ketamine Directory
  • Ketamine Media
  • Contact
ketamine.news
Home Ketamine in The News

A K-Hole, what is it and how can you achieve it safely

Ketamine News by Ketamine News
July 24, 2019
in Ketamine in The News
0
Ketamine therapy for depression
0
SHARES
206
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A K-Hole: What Is It and How Can You Achieve It Safely?

If you’ve heard of ketamine, the painkiller and sedative, that’s been recently discovered to radically treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD, you may have also heard that ketamine is a psychedelic drug. That means it can (but won’t always) cause profound hallucinations.

If you’ve never experienced a drug like ketamine, the idea of hallucinating can sound really scary. But psychedelic experiences are rarely like the movies. At a licensed ketamine infusion clinic, hallucinations are also rare because a fairly low dose is generally given. It’s really a far cry from the recreational use of this medicine on the street.

That said, some people do experience some hallucinatory side effects, including the infamous “K-hole.” This guide will walk you through what to expect during a ketamine infusion and how to navigate the psychedelic mindscape in the midst of this exciting treatment.

Ketamine: A Brief History

Ketamine was discovered by Calvin L. Stevens, a chemist at Wayne State University, in 1962. Stevens wanted an alternative to PCP, a drug that was useful for surgery but had intense side effects. (You’ve probably heard of PCP and maybe even ketamine, only in the context of a street drug, but many legitimate, useful medicines have been turned into recreational drugs.)

Ketamine was a breakthrough. It had far fewer side effects and was a much more effective anesthetic. Today, ketamine is the most widely used painkiller around the globe, according to the World Health Organization. But it wasn’t until about a decade ago that doctors started to notice ketamine could do more than just stop physical pain—it could help with mental pain as well.

What Is A K-Hole?

A K-hole is when high doses of the drug cause intense visuals, mind-body dissociation, and possibly even an out-of-body experience. This can feel like you are watching yourself living out your life from far away, or like everything you see is projected on a giant movie screen that you are watching from deep within a dark theater.

You may feel like you’re floating and that time does not exist. You may also experience visual hallucinations, such as fractals or spinning shapes when you close your eyes, and sometimes even when they’re open.

The experience can cause euphoria, pain relief, have antidepressant effects, and a sense of spiritual oneness. You may also feel unable to move or speak. There may also be some nausea, dizziness or confusion. Believe it or not, many people find this experience pleasant or at least fascinating. It is rare that the experience becomes scary and many swear that even the uncomfortable bits are an important part of their healing journey.

Again, this all happens only at high doses. At the levels of drug used in ketamine infusion, these experiences are rare, and again, many people find them to be enjoyable and useful for their treatment.

How To Prepare For A K-Hole

The trick is being mentally and physically prepared before a ketamine infusion session. That means “set and setting” are important – i.e your mental state (ideally, in a relatively calm mood) and where you are (somewhere safe and relaxing without a lot of stimulation). Soothing music is also a great addition to a ketamine infusion session.

Your doctor will be able to explain what to expect before you go through the procedure, and medical staff will be on hand to assist if things ever get overwhelming.

If things do get overwhelming, don’t panic. Just try to remember that you are on a drug and that the effects are not permanent. And don’t be ashamed, either. While rare, feeling uncomfortable on psychedelic dissociatives like ketamine can be a bit much for some people, and that’s perfectly fine.

How Long Does A K-Hole Last?

The hallucinogenic effects of ketamine do not last long. When injected, the effects last around 30 to 60 minutes. Compare that to other psychedelic drugs, like psilocybin or LSD, which can last 6 to 8 hours, ketamine is much shorter acting.

Even if a K-hole can be uncomfortable, it’s easy to manage if given the right mindset,  particularly since it ends quickly. Even so, an hour or so of discomfort can erase literally decades of mental pain. Again, it’s worth mentioning that ketamine is usually enjoyable when taken in low doses—which is why the substance is so popular.

Movies and television can make something like K-holes or a psychedelic experience seem like a nightmare. But some with actual experience using these substances deny the idea of a “bad” trip, indeed postulating that even negative experiences, while challenging, still have much to teach us.

Can A K-Hole Cause Brain Damage?

The answer is yes, but with a major caveat: ketamine only causes brain damage if you are repeatedly going into a K-hole, multiple times a week, for a long time. Ketamine infusion therapy, even a few times a year, is completely safe. The dangers of street drugs and their consequences are really not related to ketamine, a drug that has been widely and safely used in medicine since the 1960’s.

The K-Hole May Be The Point

Currently, scientists aren’t entirely sure how ketamine helps fight depression, anxiety, and PTSD. They just know that it does. There are many receptors in the brain that ketamine activates or responds to, so it could be multiple neuronal pathways working together, and research is ongoing.

But having a K-hole, even a mild one, may also be a big part of why ketamine is therapeutic. One of the biggest effects of a K-hole is the objectivity it offers. You can look at your life outside of yourself, usually without feelings of fear or apprehension. This allows you to better examine yourself, ask yourself difficult questions, or relive a traumatic experience without emotional attachment.

Yes, ketamine therapy is kind of weird like that—but that may be why it’s so effective. There haven’t really been any breakthroughs in psychotherapy for twenty years, and psychedelic drugs like ketamine are challenging a lot of our assumptions about medicine, mental health, and healing.

–

Social media:

Ketamine for depression has shown dramatic results, but can the psychedelic side effects be scary? Here’s how to handle a so-called k-hole.

Previous Post

How Ketamine Is Used To Treat Depression

Next Post

Ketamine Treatments And Why They Work So Well For Depression

Ketamine News

Ketamine News

Related Posts

psychedelic medicine
Featured

Psychedelic Treatment with Psilocybin Relieves Major Depression, Study Shows

by Ketamine News
November 5, 2020
Ketamine Media Announces Client Relationship With ASKP3
Featured

Ketamine Media Announces Client Relationship With ASKP3

by Ketamine News
September 11, 2020
Featured

Ketamine Therapy Has Made Its Way On to Instagram

by Ketamine News
August 27, 2020
Ketamine - An Introduction
Featured

Ketamine: An Introduction

by Ketamine News
August 7, 2020
Sandhya Prashad on Spravato
Featured

New Spravato FDA Approval Opens The Door to New Patients, Says Sandhya Prashad, M.D.

by Ketamine News
August 3, 2020
Next Post

Ketamine Treatments And Why They Work So Well For Depression

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Posts

With more research on the horizon, those suffering with severe depression may find reprieve in ketamine and cannabis.

Cannabis And Ketamine: Is There A Risk Of Interaction?

June 23, 2020
Ketamine therapy for depression

A K-Hole, what is it and how can you achieve it safely

July 24, 2019
Ego Death - Hero's Journey

Ego Death – Part of a Hero’s Journey

August 14, 2020
ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally

ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally

January 30, 2021
Seelos FDA Ketamine News

SLS-002 Intranasal Ketamine Depression Drug Granted Fast Track Status by FDA

November 19, 2019
ego death

Ego Death Part II – Shadow Work

August 25, 2020

Browse by Category

  • A Day in the Life
  • Esketamine
  • Featured
  • Ketamine Dictionary
  • Ketamine for Anxiety
  • Ketamine for Depression
  • Ketamine for Pain
  • Ketamine for PTSD
  • Ketamine in The News
  • Mental Health
  • Psychedelic Medicine
  • Suicide Prevention
ketamine.news

Ketamine News is the industry's leader in sharing information about the safe, and effective, the clinical use of Ketamine to treat mood and pain disorders. The information on this site contains articles from a variety of media outlets and is not intended as a recommendation or substitute for medical advice. Just like with any form of treatment please consult a licensed physician.

contact@ketaminemedia.com

Categories

  • A Day in the Life
  • Esketamine
  • Featured
  • Ketamine Dictionary
  • Ketamine for Anxiety
  • Ketamine for Depression
  • Ketamine for Pain
  • Ketamine for PTSD
  • Ketamine in The News
  • Mental Health
  • Psychedelic Medicine
  • Suicide Prevention

Recent Posts

  • Top 5 Best TEDTalks on Mental Health
  • ER Doctor Aims for Patient Centered Breakthrough: A Ketamine That Works Orally
  • Self-Care Tips for Introverts (From an Introvert)
  • The Missing Link: Four PM’s Matthew O’Brien on the Future of Cannabis
  • ‘Tis The Season For Handling Holiday Stress

© 2021 Ketamine Media All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Depression
  • Chronic Pain
  • PTSD
  • Video
  • Ketamine Directory
  • Ketamine Media
  • Contact

© 2021 Ketamine Media All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In