Healing After Loss: How Ketamine Treatment Supports Grief Recovery in McLean, VA
Grief can feel overwhelming, and for some, it may lead to prolonged grief or depression. While traditional therapies like counseling and antidepressants can be helpful, they don’t work for everyone. This leaves many people searching for a faster, more effective solution.
This article explores how ketamine treatment can help individuals cope with grief. We’ll explain how ketamine affects the brain and its potential to relieve grief-related symptoms.
The Relationship Between Grief and Depression
Grief is a natural response to loss, especially the death of a loved one. However, grief can sometimes turn into depression when certain risk factors are present.
Intense grief
Grief and depression share similar symptoms, such as feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and persistent sadness. Complicated grief is prolonged and severe grief that impedes daily functioning, often occurring when the loss involves someone very close, like a partner. This can lead to deep loneliness, emotional distress, and in some cases, depression.
Social factors
Social support is crucial during the grieving process. Friends, family, and support groups can ease the emotional burden and reduce the risk of depression. Conversely, a lack of social support can intensify feelings of isolation and sadness and increase the risk of depression.
Neurological Factors
Grief can change how the brain functions, particularly in the reward pathways linked to depression. These changes may cause anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure). Additionally, grief can raise levels of cytokines (proteins produced by the immune system), leading to inflammation and neurological damage, which can disrupt emotional regulation.
Chronic Stress
The emotional intensity of grief can place the body in a prolonged state of stress, altering brain chemistry and increasing inflammation. This can worsen the impact on mental health and nerve function.
The Role of Ketamine Treatment in Healing Grief
Ketamine treatment is a breakthrough for individuals struggling for individuals struggling with depression brought on by grief. Originally used as an anesthetic, ketamine is now recognized for its rapid-acting antidepressant properties. It can alleviate symptoms like persistent low mood and lack of motivation, which are key symptoms of both depression and severe grief.
How Ketamine Works
Ketamine interacts with NMDA receptors in the brain, which leads to increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports nerve cell growth and repair. BDNF increases brain health and can potentially help restore the loss of brain tissue associated with severe depression and other mental health disorders.
On a wider scale, ketamine increases functional connectivity, which is the communication between different brain regions. Functional connectivity can help patients develop new neural patterns, which may translate into new insights, ways of thinking, and behavioral patterns, when combined with talk therapy. This can help people adapt to life after loss.
Why Ketamine Treatment May Be Right for You
Intense and prolonged grief can significantly contribute to the development of mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While various therapies are available for these conditions, they aren’t effective for everyone. Antidepressants are estimated to be ineffective for about one-third of patients with depression, and traditional treatments fail for 40-50% of people with anxiety.
Research shows that ketamine can be a promising option for individuals with treatment-resistant mental health disorders, ilke depression, and can provide rapid relief. If you’re struggling with depression and have failed to find relief from traditional medication, ketamine could be the solution you’re looking for.
Your Ketamine Treatment Experience at McLean NTC
At McLean NTC in McLean, VA, we offer intramuscular (IM) ketamine and Spravato (esketamine) for people with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Many patients with TRD have experienced grief in some form, and we provide trauma-sensitive care to help meet these emotional needs.
What to Expect ForTreatment
- Schedule Pre-Screening Call: Discuss your eligibility with our team.
- Evaluation: Meet with Dr. Haq to review treatment details, ask questions, and assess your symptoms.
- Treatment Session: Receive a ketamine injection or dose of Spravato nasal spray while our staff closely monitors your safety and comfort. You may experience mild dissociation or other temporary effects, which typically wear off within an hour.
- Post-Treatment Monitoring: Stay for at least and a half hours after injection to ensure any side effects are managed. A designated driver is required for your departure.
Treatment Plan
Ketamine treatments generally begin with two sessions per week for the first four weeks, followed by one session per week for the next two weeks. However, your treatment plan will then be adjusted based on your individual needs and response to therapy.
Begin Your Journey Toward Peace and Healing from Grief
If you’re struggling with grief-related depression, you don’t have to face it alone. Ketamine treatment at McLean NTC offers a path to relief and recovery. Take the first step toward reclaiming your mental well-being by scheduling a consultation with one of our team today.
Sources
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6053994/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28042073/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33568318/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4782448/