Depression can lead you to withdraw from the things and people you care about.
Take back what is important to you
Health journalism is abuzz with articles on ketamine therapy. Once used as a psychedelic party drug, this anesthetic has been repurposed to treat neuropathic pain, opioid and substance dependency, and treatment resistant depression. The New York Times reports that ketamine has “recently emerged as a promising mental health treatment” and “...success in early trials has surprised and excited researchers who study mood disorders.”
A piece in Forbes explains, “For someone with severe depression, the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine can help bring them back to baseline, at least for a window of time.” Well before the current hype surrounding ketamine, Wellward Medical developed a unique Ketamine Infusion Therapy program. Calling upon the expertise of our staff anesthesiologist, psychiatrist and mental health counselor, Wellward utilizes a safe, guided process for ketamine administration. Our integrated approach assures the most effective and efficient treatment, since our clinicians take into account the intertwined nature of brain physiology, the chemistry of mood disorders, and the psychology of trauma.
What is Ketamine and how does it work?
Watch Dr. Danesh and Dr. James Escaloni Discuss the Benefits of Ketamine
Battling depression when everything else has failed
At Wellward, ketamine infusions usually last a few hours, and patients tend to experience pleasant sensations. Ketamine anesthetizes the middle brain, where pain and emotional processing takes place. Many patients experience immediate improvement of their symptoms; others report gradual relief over the course of a number of treatments. For some, the experience is profound. Wellward patient Paul says, “I felt for days and weeks so much more connected to the world in a way that I never had prior. When I meditate now on that, I am taken back to that miracle, and have so much gratitude as a result.” Paul also reports that he feels happier than he has in decades and was able to stop taking a fairly ineffective antidepressant with no ill effects.
Jerry adds, “Ketamine helped completely change my perception of many of the painful experiences I kept trapped inside my body. With the professional guidance I was able to feel the emotions and then release them. An absolute game-changer for me.” A patient quoted in The Times echoes these positive sentiments. “I noticed color creeping back into my world... my productivity skyrocketed.” Though many patients report life changing outcomes, a small number find that stubborn depression did not subside as much as they had hoped.
We Invite You to A Ketamine Retreat at Pine Knoll Farm
Why Should You Attend?
- A world class training and education center, Pine Knoll Farm’s Synchronicity Wellness Center offers a tranquil space to connect with oneself and others.
- Paired with aftercare integration therapy, ketamine has been shown to have a powerful effect on chronic PTSD, treatment resistant depression, and a variety of other difficult issues.
- The retreat team gives practical help throughout the ketamine experience with guidance from coaches, medical and mental health experts, and equine therapists.
- In a group environment for ketamine, participants share experiences, enabling healing and moving toward better long-term health.
- As a complement to talk therapy, ketamine allows participants to move toward healing in a powerful way.
- Equine Therapy complements the ketamine experience, a cutting-edge duo unique to Wellward.
Why Equine Therapy?
Typically, Equine Therapy is one component of a comprehensive treatment plan, meant to complement conventional approaches appropriate for the specific situation. Equine therapy sessions should always be led by a certified Equine-Assisted therapist, who has received specialized training in equine therapy, as well as traditional training in the mental health field.
The interaction between horse and client often unlocks blocked emotions, allowing them to be processed and healed. Equine therapist Nancy Jarrell states, “I continue to marvel at how a horse can behave in a certain way that results in the presentation of a crucial issue for a client. It is as though the horse already knows the history.”
Healing Beyond Medicine - HorsEmpowerment Ketamine Retreat
Join Us!! April 22-23, 2023!!
Pine Knoll Farm Lexington, Kentucky
Pine Knoll Center for Integrated Horsemanship has been a pioneer in providing educational opportunities and programs collaborating with a comprehensive team of professionals. Pine Knoll is a center of excellence for their Equine Therapy horse-human connection, horse/rider well-being and performance.
Benefits From Equine Therapy?
A recent article in Psychology Today discusses a number of ways people benefit from EAP:
- Increased trust
- Reduced anxiety
- Reduced feelings of depression and isolation
- Increased self-esteem, self-acceptance, and social skills
- Better impulse control
- Increased problem-solving skills
- Improved communication skills, including non-verbal
- Better understanding of healthy boundaries and the importance of assertiveness
- Learn to get outside one’s negative, self-absorbed thoughts and nurture another creature
Certain equine-assisted therapies are effective for children with cerebral palsy, behavioral tics, motor control issues, and coordination problems, and for people of any age with reduced mobility.
Research has found Equine Therapy to also be beneficial for those with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. The therapy helps individuals to better manage their emotions and learn to express feelings more positively. Riding and caring for the horses can improve self-esteem and anxiety, and may improve negative body issues.
Most participants in Equine Therapy benefit from the unconditional acceptance offered by the horses they work with.
Two days, April 22-23, 2023
9-5 pm each day.
Daily Lunch Included $3,000
Lodging is not available at the farm, but we can assist in hotel selection and discounts for your stay in Lexington. Be sure to wear clothing suitable for walking grassy areas and in horse barns (no high heels). Also, if you’re allergic to cats and horses, please note that you will encounter both during this event.
More Information About HorsEmpowerment™
Equine Assisted Learning
We partner with horses to create a space for extraordinary transformational experiences. EAL is an innovative and powerful approach to learning new ways of communicating and developing life skills that open up neural pathways of learning. This horse-human learning collaboration expands human awareness, perception and potential.
EAL offers a holistic integrative perspective on learning and is a fully interactive horse-human experience designed to support the facilitation of corporate or personal development workshops. The horse-herd hierarchy and their spatial awareness provide profound insights for developing human potential and the four realms of our human experience . . . the mind, the emotions, the spirit and the body.
By taking people out of their “usual environment” and providing non-threatening feedback (by the horse) we can create space for change to occur.
Herd dynamics provide great metaphors for us to integrate into social and work environments: awareness, problem solving, communication skills, clear boundaries, emotional intelligence, somatic intelligence, coherence, team building, conflict resolution, non-predatory leadership, holding a clear vision and the power of intent.
“Intention is not something you do, but rather a force that exists in the universe as an invisible field of energy . . .a power that can carry us.” Wayne Dyer
Facilitator role
Our job is to observe the horse-human interaction and based on our extensive equine knowledge and facilitation expertise to integrate this information into a learning opportunity. Through a series of interactive goal orientated exercises our co-facilitators (the horses) provide instant honest feedback in the present moment. The learning process is based on the principle— how we do one thing is most likely how we do everything.
What is the nature of horses?
Horses are prey animals that travel in a herd which has an organized and disciplined chain of command. Horses are intuitive creatures who mirror our internal state when we are in their presence. This present moment horse-human interaction gives non-threatening feedback for better human interaction. This reflective process enables us to see when we are being congruent versus incongruent. Horses are masters of congruency and somatic intelligence.
What can our co-facilitators teach us?
Ninety percent of human communication is non-verbal. Horses are highly social herd animals and they have fine-tuned their non-verbal communication skills over 40 million years.
As a prey animal, they communicate with each other in a chain-of-command structure which is key for their optimum efficiency and survival. We have a lot to learn from their behavior and well-defined herd infrastructure.
Working in collaboration with horses gives us the opportunity to fine tune our relationship and life skills showing us parallels in our life. Horses live in a “we” culture and as humans we tend to live in an “I” culture.
Horses have a “coherent” heart rate and research shows that people experience physiological benefits by interacting with horses: lower blood pressure/heart rate, higher beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters acting as pain suppressors), decreased stress levels and increased joy.
Dr Danesh
Paul Joseph, M.A.
Allison Connolly
