How to set goals after depression
‘Happiness’ may not actually be what you are looking for after depression. Get specific, and determine what peace and contentment look like for you.
Reevaluate your mental health
When you’re starting a new treatment, it’s a great time to review any other factors that have an influence on your mental health.
TMS Headaches: What to Expect and How to Manage Them
TMS is non-invasive, convenient, and generally well-tolerated – often with minimal side effects. Temporary headaches are the most common side effect of TMS. The magnetic stimulation targets neurons in the brain; however, nearby facial muscles and nerves can also be affected. The contracting of these areas can be a cause of headaches during and after treatment. TMS technicians can adjust treatment to minimize discomfort, Tylenol and Advil can help, rest and hydration can help, and any headache pain should subside with time following treatment.
Does integration matter?
Ketamine is already effective on it’s own — but it can become more effective and its benefit longer-lasting through the aid of therapy and integration work.
Everyday Exercises for Mental Health
Spend 30 minutes every day to maintain your mental health. Here are some exercises you can try.
TMS for OCD
Originally used to treat depression, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has proven to be a transformative treatment option for many people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Wells Medicine offers accelerated TMS protocols designed to target severe and treatment-resistant OCD symptoms, providing a path toward rapid and lasting relief.
What does TMS feel like?
During TMS treatments you’ll hear the machine and you may feel mild sensations, some muscle twitching, or nothing at all. After treatment you may notice some temporary headache pain or scalp discomfort. The experience can be a bit odd, but it is broadly well tolerated and generally comfortable.
Ibogaine: A Promising (Future) Treatment For Addiction & PTSD
Ibogaine is a powerful psychedelic with the potential to treat mental health conditions including addiction and PTSD. Early research shows great promise, but further study is needed to make treatment as safe and effective as possible.
Repetitive vs. Accelerated TMS – What’s the difference?
TMS treatment is evolving, and patients now have more options to fit their lifestyle and mental health needs. New protocols provide effective symptom relief and require less time in the office. Both repetitive and accelerated TMS are great for treating severe or treatment-resistant symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders.
The History of TMS
TMS is an advanced treatment option, originally developed in the 1980s, with a growing body of research and use. Therapeutic use has expanded beyond depression for the treatment of additional conditions and symptoms, with a variety of machines, and a growing selection of protocols.
Why you won’t be sedated for your SGB
We don’t use sedation to administer stellate ganglion blocks. Here’s why you don’t need sedation, and what we do to make the procedure as comfortable as possible.
Think about mental health differently
Just like it takes regular exercise to maintain physical health, it requires a little bit of work every day to maintain your mental health.
Why you should journal after ketamine
Journaling after ketamine treatment can help you get the most out of your infusions.
Do SGBs hurt?
Stellate ganglion blocks feel a bit like a flu shot, and we’ll guide you through the procedure the whole time.
TMS is targeted
TMS is focused and targeted — it targets one specific condition in one specific region of the brain.
Treat pain as a fire alarm
Sometimes you need to replace the batteries, and sometimes there is an actual fire. Emotional pain may be an indicator that there is a larger problem going on in your life that needs to be dealt with.
How to find your own stellate ganglion
Before ultrasound or x-ray, stellate ganglion blocks were done entirely by feel. You can still use these techniques to find where your own stellate ganglion is located.
Side effects of a stellate ganglion block
We expect to see some side effects following a stellate ganglion block, and they are a good way to know that the procedure has been done correctly.
The power of progesterone for mental health
For those experiencing sleeplessness and anxiety, progesterone is an easy and often-overlooked medication that can be a great help during perimenopause and menopause.
Do SGBs erase traumatic memories?
Stellate ganglion blocks reduce the stress response of traumatic memories, but they do not alter your memories of your traumatic experiences.
Walking through your stellate ganglion block
The procedure for a stellate ganglion block, broken down step-by-step.
The Mood Effects of GLP-1 Medications – An Update
New research on GLP-1 medications has found mood side effects of depression and suicidal ideation. This new data may influence the conversation of whether GLP-1 medications are right for you.
How to build healthy habits
It can be difficult to follow through with doing the activities we know would be good for us. To sustain a healthy habit, make it as easy to fall in to as possible.
Unpacking treatment-resistant depression
Treatment-Resistant Depression does not mean that your depression is inherently worse or more difficult to treat — just that you haven’t found the right medication yet.
Weight loss medication and mental health
Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications can be effective for managing diabetes and weight loss, but do they also have an impact on mood and mental health?
How to create distance from your thoughts
A simple linguistic trick can help you create distance between yourself and your thoughts, and make difficult thoughts a lot more bearable.
Confronting the End of the Year – Surviving the Holidays
The end of the year can bring with it existential feelings. This is a good time of year to lean into existentialism and explore those meanings, and uncover what is valuable to you.
Protecting Your Routines – Surviving the Holidays
The holidays bring with them disruptions to your schedule and routines. It is important to protect and maintain the healthy habits that are important for your physical and mental health.
Seasonal Affective Disorder – Surviving the Holidays
The winter holidays may also be accompanied by Seasonal Affective Disorder. These are strategies that can help with managing seasonal depression.
Facing Family Dynamics – Surviving the Holidays
Returning to families of origin during the holidays can trigger traumas and re-ground your nervous system into a past, traumatic state. You have a few options in how you choose to move forward with difficult relationships.
The Weight of Expectations and Comparisons – Surviving the Holidays
Comparing ourselves to an idea of what the holidays “should” look like can set us up for failure and disappointment. Take a step back to consider your values and what is actually important to you.
Handling the Challenges of the Holiday Season
The holidays can be difficult for anyone, even if you love the winter season. There are some common factors that can make this time of year especially difficult.
Reject the grindset mindset
Too much of the world is focused on efficiency. We encourage you to take a moment to slow down and focus — to experience the small, mundane moments of everyday life through aimlessness.
Tips for Seasonal Affective Disorder
The arrival of winter can sometimes bring with it Seasonal Affective Disorder. Techniques including vitamin D supplementation, light therapy, and a perspective shift around the winter season can help you get through the colder days.
Avoid undue suffering
It’s not possible to avoid pain in life completely. However, the way that we think about our pain can make a big difference in how we experience suffering.
2 reasons to game less
Playing video games can be a lot of fun, but the amount of time you spend doing it can have a negative impact on your mental health.
Do you need another ketamine series?
If you are returning to ketamine treatment after a long break, you may need to start with more than one infusion to find relief.
What if depression comes back?
The skills and resources you develop during treatment make you into a different person, with different ways of handling the challenges of mental health.
A quick look at stimulants and anxiety
One of the great things about stimulants is that they give us focus and attention — but if you’re having a lot of anxiety, you may end up with more focus and attention on the things you’re anxious about.
Nitrous oxide for mental health
Nitrous oxide inhalation treatment is quite similar to ketamine treatment, and may be a good alternative for some patients to treat their depression or anxiety.
Reasons why treatment isn’t working
Whether you’re just starting treatment or have been going for a long time, there are some reasons why you may not be seeing the efficacy you expect from treatment.
Optimize your mental health with wearables
Sleep quality, heart rate variability, and blood sugar are important factors in mood and mental health. Tracking these metrics and optimizing them can help you stay on top of your mood.
When being positive is difficult, try neutral
It’s not easy to change your negative thoughts to positive ones, but it can be helpful to just bring things to neutral.
Sometimes, life just sucks
Challenging life circumstances can bring about emotions that echo the experience of depression. Understanding the differences can help you utilize the right tools for your circumstance.
Colors of ketamine treatment
Many people see colors during their ketamine infusions. What these colors are, and how they change over treatment, can offer interesting insight.
Why choose IV for ketamine treatment?
There are many ways to administer ketamine to the body, but the best way to do it is through an IV.
Your ketamine induction series
Ketamine treatment starts with a series of 6 infusions. Here’s what you can look out for after each infusion, and some of the ‘homework assignments’ we give at each appointment.
What patients bring to treatment
We welcome you to bring things that you find comforting or useful to your ketamine infusion appointment.
Goldilocks ketamine dose
We work from the standard weight-based ketamine dose to find the optimal dose for each individual patient — not too much and not too little, but just right — toward the best possible results.