A question that we get asked quite often is “How do I convince my loved one to get ketamine infusions?” As you could imagine, the more patients we see the better it is for us! ! However, not everyone is fully convinced with ketamine treatments. And unfortunately, ketamine isn’t for everyone! In this blog post, we’re going to talk about some ways by which you can speak to your loved one to help them make the right decision to get a ketamine infusion. Do note, however, that it’s not as simple as it seems…

Many people who understand the wonders of ketamine will want their loved ones who are facing emotional pain to try out ketamine for themselves.

Who’s asking?

As you can expect, the individual asking knows and has experienced firsthand the difficulties their loved one is facing, whether that be emotional pain in the form of depression or anxiety. They have witnessed firsthand the many attempts at other failed treatments. Sometimes the individual asking has received infusions themself and has received much benefit and is evangelizing the wonders of ketamine. They see the need for transformation in their loved one, and how they could feel and be much better through ketamine.

Despite all the research and results of ketamine, it unfortunately doesn’t work for everyone.

Ketamine works but it isn’t for everyone

Ketamine therapy can be remarkable for patients and we truly appreciate individuals’ desires to share the meaningful spiritual and transformative experiences they have had under ketamine. Also, we are all about the science, and appreciate all the research data which supports how effective ketamine is as a treatment for mood and pain disorders. But it is definitely not for everyone

Inasmuch as we want ketamine to be the magic potion that heals all emotional pain, that sadly isn’t the case. There are some medical cases that do not work well with ketamine such as hypertension, unstable heart disease, untreated or uncontrolled thyroid disease and more.

There are a few other medical conditions that you should take note of which you can read all about in our blog post HERE.

We’ve also had people ask us if ketamine has any side effects and the natural answer to that is, yes. Just like all treatments and medications, ketamine too has its own side effects such as nausea, high blood pressure, and vomiting.

Regarding long-term side effects, not many studies have looked into this. However, there have been studies done on chronic ketamine abusers which have shown long-term side effects of memory problems, liver failure, and gallbladder inflammation. Do note, however, that these are based on those who have abused ketamine and have taken extreme amounts of ketamine. As ketamine doctors, we vow to do know harm and always control the dosage of our patients.

If you want to learn more about the possible side effects of ketamine, you can read this blog.

If you want to convince someone to get ketamine infusions, they need to make the decision themselves.

Some tips if you are going to try to convince them to get ketamine infusions

If you find that you are very much motivated and compelled to try to convince someone to get ketamine infusions, then here are three suggestions:

Share information: direct them to informative and educational materials - like our blogs and videos (of course we would say that!), but in all seriousness giving them the opportunity to check out the scientific research and learn about other people’s experience with ketamine may inspire them to learn more and take action in getting an infusion. The idea is for them to learn more about ketamine and come to the conclusion themselves that pursuing ketamine infusion treatments is a good idea for them. Note: the key is they come to the conclusion on their own!
If you have had infusions and benefited, live your best life: You are the testimonial. If you have gotten ketamine treatments, and you are visibly feeling better and have made healthy positive changes in your life as a result of a treatment you are the perfect “advertisement” for infusions. Continuing to take care of yourself and living your positively transformed life could cause the person you are trying to convince to think about ketamine treatments.
Don’t push: remember when you were a kid and your parents tried to convince you to do something? How effective was it when your parents kept pushing the issue? Not helpful at all. This is no different. So if you do what we had suggested in #1 and #2, then simply let go of the issue. Don’t poke and prod. Because if you continue to push it, you’re effectively turning them off to ketamine.

No matter how hard you try to convince someone to get a ketamine infusion, only those who truly want to change can actually experience the benefits of ketamine.

The person who wants to change can change

In the past, we've had some parents, partners, spouses, etc. really influence their loved ones to do ketamine infusions and some have reluctantly tried it. These individuals did the treatments not for themselves but for their loved ones. We would hear, “Well, I want to try because I don’t want to disappoint my spouse.” And whenever this would happen, it seemed that the treatments were not as effective.

You’ve probably heard the old joke, “How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb?” Just one, but the light bulb has to want to change! Ketamine infusions are no different. The mind is powerful, and the individual has a personal power they may or may not be aware of. If a person is in their power and they don’t want ketamine therapy. Then that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. Because even if you convinced them to do it, and they do so reluctantly the outcome you desire is less likely to occur. Each individual should make a fully autonomous decision.

At the end of the day, not everyone will be onboard with ketamine, and that’s completely okay!

Don’t Beat Yourself Up Too Much

We completely understand that you want what’s best for your loved ones. And if you think that ketamine therapy is the right way to go, then we understand that you have the best of intentions. But remember that no matter how convinced you are of the effectiveness of ketamine infusions, not everyone is onboard. In fact, we’ve received our fair share of criticism as well! So if your loved one isn’t convinced enough, don’t beat yourself up too much in trying to convince them. You can only do so much. Sometimes, you just need to learn to let go and let them decide for themselves. If you’ve experienced true transformation from ketamine infusions, be the living testimonial that you are and let your positivity speak for itself!