“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” – Joseph Campbell
Welcome to the transformative world of NeuroSomatic Bliss™ (NSB). NSB focuses on restoring the brain-body connection through the principles of Nervous System Coherence Recovery and Ketamine Assisted Therapy.
We believe that all mental health conditions stem from the same source – trauma. This word is known to describe major traumatic events in someone’s life but can be more accurately used to describe anything that is over the brain’s threshold of tolerance and ability to process.
As we experience toxic stress in our daily life – whether through work, family, relationships, or adulting – our brain is not always able to process this “trauma” and compartmentalize it. However, our body still experiences the physical manifestation and symptoms of this trauma, and in response, “ramps up” our nervous system. Over time, this sends our body into a chronic sympathetic nervous system state – the “fight or flight” state or hypervigilant state.
This hypervigilant state is the source of mental health conditions, and emotional regulation, and follows the principles of the Polyvagal Theory. NeuroSomatic Bliss incorporates ketamine assisted therapy, somatic therapy and other modalities to target the root cause for recovery.
Our body has two nervous systems that we focus on – the parasympathetic (rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight). In a functional, regulated system, the two work in conjunction with each other, shifting between the two as appropriate in day-to-day life.
Chronic stress, as described above, sends our body into a chronically activated sympathetic state. The focus of NSB is to restore the connection of the two systems, allowing the body to fluidly shift between the two as they are intelligently designed to do.
The primary method of achieving this is to systematically activate the calming nervous system, through a holistic approach, by directing the therapy to the body, mind, and spirit with the effects of ketamine to drastically enhance the process. With the neuroplasticity effects of ketamine over the entire treatment series, regulating the nervous system facilitates healthy new thought patterns and beliefs to be formed which are now rooted in a calm, regulated mindset.
This updated perspective, inspired by the book The Body Keeps the Score, suggests that trauma is held in the body, especially as tension within the fascial and muscular systems. With NeuroSomatic Bliss, clients will receive an hour-long session of trauma-informed, body-led occupational therapy before each ketamine infusion.
The goal of this body-led preparation is to create a sense of safety in the body and use manual therapy to systematically release layers of stored trauma as the ketamine treatments progress. This includes a wide range of modalities that occupational therapists are known for, including somatic therapy, ketamine assisted therapy, myofascial release, trigger point release, body-led emotional-sensory processing, and nervous system regulation.
These sessions, called preparation sessions, significantly increase the client’s ability to experience the healing effect of Ketamine by releasing stored tension, regulating the nervous system, and educating clients on methods to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and maintaining a safe, calm setting for the transformative process.
Immediately after each body-led preparation session, Ketamine is administered via IV to target the mind and spirit, inducing a dissociative state that breaks down psychological barriers and emotional “armor,” enhancing the patient’s receptivity to processing emotional experiences in a safe setting.
During the infusion, patients will use these nervous system regulation techniques learned in preparation sessions to facilitate the safe, calm feeling of Ketamine, helping them navigate their thoughts and emotions inward, where the greatest change occurs through the rewiring of our thoughts and belief systems. These new thought patterns will now be rooted in a calm, safe mindset.
Each preparation session is individualized to scale with the treatment, offering more bodywork, tension release, and processing before each infusion.
Safety is paramount at Illuminate. Following the recommendations set forth by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, all sessions are conducted under strict medical supervision with emergency protocols in place. Patients are continuously monitored, and their vital signs are checked regularly to ensure their physical well-being throughout the session.
This therapeutic setting is not only safe but also nurturing, designed to foster a sense of security and openness. This environment, combined with professional guidance, allows patients to explore deep psychological processes and start on their path toward healing.
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