Comment by canadiantim
1 year ago
She should try ketamine. Sounds like it’s exactly what you say, past trauma, that’s holding her back from a good nights sleep. Ketamine has done wonders for someone I love and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. The person in my life who benefited greatly from it only needed one weekend (2 relatively low to medium dose sessions of ketamine) and she was cured of her ptsd.
Also strongly recommend weighted blankets, especially for someone like your SO.
All the best eh
We've investigated ketamine treatment, which does indeed sound very interesting. However very few clinics here that offer it, though it seems to have improved recently. Definitely will follow up on this.
I’m from Canada but still I went to one in Iowa, called Driftless Integrative Psychiatry. I can whole heartedly recommend it, the therapist is an absolute gem of a human being. It’s maybe on the bit more expensive side but it was a one off expense and has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
There’s lots popping up now though. Even in Canada I thought we’d have trouble getting support from our family doctor but she was actually supportive so now if we look to do any more can just get referral from the GP here and do it in toronto.
Definitely do hope you give it a try, might be just what your SO has been looking for. Also seriously don’t discount the weighted blanket!
Look up Spravato. They are also online doctors. And there are similar DIY methods you can grow at home if you're ambitious.
No promises it'll help, though. But hope feels good by itself sometimes.
You just need one clinic there that offers it. Why is the relative number relevant?
Few clinics means limited number of openings.
I'm sad that you were downvoted. I've suffered from depression episodes throughout my life, which could often lead to a "doom loop" of waking up every night between 2-3 AM (early morning waking is a common feature of depression), and then the insomnia made my depression worse.
I had been in therapy for nearly 15 years, and I while I wasn't on antidepressants long term, I had taken them for a couple episodes in the past. For my most recent episode (partially brought on by a particularly bad prolonged string of insomnia) I was having constant suicidal thoughts. I went in and had a ketamine session - I'm reluctant to talk to much about the details of my ketamine trip, because one theory I have for why it worked well for me is that I didn't have any preconceived notions about what I'd experience, and I specifically didn't want to get my hopes up.
The next morning I was singing in the shower. If there was ever a substance that I believed "miracle drug" fit the bill, for me it was ketamine. It helped me develop a whole new outlook on life and how I related to myself. I know that I was very lucky (my psychiatrist says I am a "ketamine responder") and not everyone has that same response. For me, though, I firmly believe ketamine treatment saved my life.