Equanimous: What it means and how Ketamine can help us get there

Equanimous is most narrowly defined as being calm, collected, and able to integrate life’s ups and downs in an emotionally stable way.  For those of us with ADHD, Anxiety, and OCD, our reactivity to triggers can lead to distress for ourselves and others. While we may desire to be equanimous as much as the next person, our natural state of interactivity with the world is simply the opposite.  With OCD, emotional dysregulation may be less obvious externally, as a person may have a robust set of compulsions that provides temporary relief.  

The equanimous brain neither pulls enjoyable experiences closer, nor pushes away distressing experiences.  

One’s reactivity to the world is buffered, and there is minimal panic.  Sometimes, our nervous system is literally reacting to its own reactions

Equanimity does not sedate the nervous system but prevents our prefrontal cortex from responding to the nervous system’s constant alerts.   

A trigger makes our heart beat faster, and before we even realize, the limbic system is interpreting this quickened heartbeat as a threat.  

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, releases cortisol.  Sometimes this can simply be due to the cyclical, self-enforcing cascade effect of a keyed up nervous system.  

With equanimity, we can observe all this noise in our bodies, without assigning meaning.  Mindfulness and meditation practice teaches us these detached observation skills.  

A ketamine experience, especially at a lower dose than may be administered for a psychedelic journey, can lead to a lasting steadiness of the mind.  The ketamine experience and the following calm can reinforce the recipient’s equanimity.  

Ketamine at this dose can create a distance between one's thoughts and emotions and one's spiritual, core self.   Your mind can become more neutral – and still.  

If you would like to learn more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, please contact Kairos Wellness Collective today.