In this Post
- Why Music is So Important During Ketamine Therapy
- How Music and Ketamine Work Together to Amplify Healing
- Best Music for Ketamine
- Ketamine Sounds and Playlists
- Bottom Line
Music is integral to ketamine therapy by influencing brain pathways related to pleasure, emotional processing, and learning. When paired with ketamine, music creates a soothing, immersive environment that helps patients relax and engage with their feelings. Tunes that align with ketamine’s effects open new avenues for effective depression and anxiety treatment.
This article explores music and ketamine therapy, examining their synergy and recommending playlists to maximize outcomes.
Why Music is So Important During Ketamine Therapy
Music is so crucial during ketamine therapy because its neural mechanisms improve mood, increase receptivity, and reduce anxiety during the dissociative, psychedelic journey.
Music increases pleasure during ketamine.
Research shows that listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that promotes pleasure and well-being. This effect helps create a calm, supportive environment during ketamine therapy.
The scoping review “Exploring the Impact of Music on Response to Ketamine/Esketamine” emphasized this relationship. The review analyzed 37 studies to find that music consistently reduced stress and dissociation and increased enjoyment during sessions. Such functions contributed to a soothing environment and reduced depressive symptoms post-treatment.
Music supports cognitive and emotional processing.
Music also stimulates brain regions that support decision-making, learning, and processing during ketamine.
The study “Music Improves Verbal Memory Encoding While Decreasing Prefrontal Cortex Activity: an fNIRS Study” found that music enhances cognitive function by reducing prefrontal cortex activation. Reducing the PFC’s decision-making control allows the brain to receive, analyze, and organize new information more efficiently. During ketamine therapy, this effect can promote deeper reflection and therapeutic insights beyond the standard mode of thinking.
Another study, “The Influence of Music on Prefrontal Cortex during Episodic Encoding and Retrieval of Verbal Information: A Multichannel fNIRS Study,” found that music also improves memory retrieval via PFS reduction. During ketamine therapy, accessing specific memories allows patients to revisit the associated feelings to better understand and process them.
Music decreases adverse effects and improves ketamine outcomes.
Research shows that patients who listen to music during ketamine therapy report fewer negative experiences and improved therapeutic outcomes.
One study at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel examined 494 sessions of intranasal esketamine therapy. Researchers compared sessions where patients chose to listen to music with those where no music was played and found that patients who listened to music reported a more pleasant experience and experienced lower systolic blood pressure. Additionally, patients who listened to music tolerated higher ketamine doses compared to those who didn’t, likely due to its calming effects
The MUSIK trial revealed similar findings. This study, conducted in Montreal, Canada, included 32 patients undergoing subanesthetic ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression. Patients who listened to curated music during their 40-minute infusions experienced significantly lower increases in systolic blood pressure compared to those who did not (β = −7.4 mm Hg; P = .008).
How Music and Ketamine Work Together to Amplify Healing
Music and ketamine share a unique synergy that enhances each other’s positive effects.
Music as a ketamine guide
Music serves as a guide during ketamine by providing structure and continuity that help patients navigate the dissociative state more comfortably.
Scientifically, music shapes brain functions related to processing patterns, rhythms, and predictability. In practice, this structure anchors patients in the ketamine experience by creating a narrative where tone, tempo, and harmony act as cues through different journey stages.
Here’s how the partnership works:
● As the ketamine effects arise, soft and repetitive melodies can encourage relaxing into the experience.
● As the session progresses and the dissociative state deepens, the music often transitions to more expansive and resonant sounds. These shifts mirror ketamine’s heightened awareness, helping patients move through intense thoughts and sensations without feeling overwhelmed.
● Toward the end of the session, gentle and familiar tunes can help ground the patient and signal a return to a calmer, more integrated state.
Brain boost from music and ketamine.
Ketamine and music also increase neuroplasticity to amplify healing outcomes.
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to form new neural connections, adapt, and reorganize, which is crucial for recovering from mental health issues. Ketamine achieves this by increasing the release of a neurotransmitter called glutamate. This boost encourages the brain to break out of rigid, maladaptive patterns that exacerbate depression and anxiety and “re-wire itself” to default to healthier ways of thinking.
Music complements this process by enhancing connectivity across auditory and emotional brain regions. Its rhythmic patterns and melodies engage these areas simultaneously, creating a networked experience that encourages the brain to form new associations. This increased synchronization supports ketamine in creating a more adaptable and responsive mind.
Best Music For Ketamine
Music choice during ketamine therapy is deeply personal. Each patient responds uniquely to different sounds and rhythms. However, specific genres can effectively guide and enhance the therapeutic experience.
Experts recommend ketamine music genres that are instrumental, soothing, and free of words and sudden, jarring changes. Binaural beats, ambient soundscapes, classical music, and nature sounds are popular choices for ketamine therapy because these styles can deepen the dissociative state without distracting the patient from the content of their journey.
Psychedelic practitioners also advise selecting playlists whose songs follow the arc of a typical session. This approach starts with softer, ambient tones during the onset phase, followed by more profound, resonant tracks at the peak, and then gentle, comforting music for the descent and re-entry phases.
Ketamine sounds and playlists.
The sounds and playlists below are a great place to start when seeking the best music for ketamine therapy.
Psychedelic Nature Sounds integrates ambient melodies with elements like gentle waves or rain, offering a serene backdrop that complements the dissociative state ketamine induces. Various playlists feature these song types.
East Forest Ketamine Therapy playlist guides patients through different stages of the treatment using gentle instrumental tracks.
Monroe Institute Hemi-Sync Playlist uses binaural beats and frequencies to facilitate deep relaxation and enhance the session’s dissociative effects.
Wavepaths is a music service that provides live, adaptive tunes to align with patients’ real-time needs during ketamine sessions.
The Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Playlist by Kaila Compton features a mix of soft, melodic tracks that maintain a gentle, immersive atmosphere.
Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Playlist can also be used for ketamine therapy, as it offers a carefully curated sequence of tracks that promote introspection and emotional depth.
Imperial College London Psychedelic Therapy Playlist 2 incorporates ambient, classical, and natural sounds, guiding patients through the peaks and valleys of their session.
Music for Mushrooms by East Forest is another option that combines soothing, nature-inspired sounds with gentle instrumentation, helping create a calming environment for therapeutic experiences.
Ketamine Assisted Therapy by Kaila Comptom offers a massive collection of soothing, ethereal tracks that blend natural sounds with smooth rhythms.
Bottom Line
Music is a powerful tool to enhance ketamine therapy because it creates a supportive and flexible environment that helps patients navigate their inner landscapes. Music can reduce anxiety, improve dissociation, and promote neuroplasticity. It can also provide better overall experiences, with lower anxiety and even reduced physical side effects. Clinicians and patients can experiment with different genres and playlists to find what resonates best.
Contact Avesta Ketamine and Wellness’ Bethesda, MD, Washington DC, or McLean, VA, locations to explore the best music for your ketamine therapy journey.
