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Author: Hannah Gantt, LPCC
Your brain consists of a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. The conscious mind contains everything you’re aware of – your physical sensations, feelings, and perceptions. The unconscious (or subconscious) mind is everything that happens in the background. Basically, everything you’re not aware of. This could be patterns, memories, or trauma that influence your life without your awareness.
Sigmund Freud described the two parts of our mind as an iceberg. What you experience and “see” in your daily life is like the tip of that chunk of ice. You’re consciously aware of it because it floats on the surface. But the main bulk lies beneath the water. Just like a real iceberg, most of what exists in your mind is below what you can consciously “see” and it influences how you behave and what you think.
The power of ketamine lies in its ability to transform your thoughts by helping you access the unconscious mind. By going below the surface, you can process emotions, beliefs, and painful memories that are holding you back. And when you start the journey with ketamine therapy online, you can enter into this altered state from the safety and comfort of your own home.
Exploring the Unconscious Mind through Ketamine
Research suggests that using ketamine for depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions can be effective because of its dissociative properties. When you achieve a state that’s removed from your consciousness, you’re able to look at your problems from a new perspective, opening the door to healing.
These effects were discovered in the 1960s when researchers and scientists first started testing ketamine as an anesthetic. Ketamine proved to be a safe and effective sedative for medical procedures, but researchers discovered something else. Many subjects reported experiences like ‘floating in space’ or being disconnected from their bodies and environments. Because of these experiences, ketamine is known as a dissociative anesthetic. People who take a ketamine prescription can expect to experience some type of dissociation. These may include visions, vivid dreams, out-of-body experiences, and even feeling removed from space and time.
Ketamine may also influence the Default Mode Network (DMN) of the brain, a group of interconnected brain regions that help process conscious awareness. Ketamine may reduce activity in the DMN, slowing mental chatter, so a person can dive below the surface to explore the unconscious mind in greater detail.
Why Explore the Unconscious Mind?
When you’re feeling stuck in life or suffering from conditions you can’t seem to move beyond, the unconscious mind might be a cause. Your mind could be holding beliefs that work against you while unprocessed feelings and repressed memories influence your behavior. All of these are housed in the unconscious.
By creating a bridge deep into your mind, you can explore these feelings, memories, and beliefs from a place of curiosity, thus healing and letting them go. You can also look at the underlying causes of your behaviors, reflecting on questions like:
Through beginning your psychedelic therapy healing journey, you’re entering into a safe space where you can find a greater understanding of yourself and a greater awareness of how to move forward. With this knowledge, you can then make the changes needed to live a happier, more fulfilling life.
Author: Derek Du Chesne
