Music plays a profound role in ketamine treatment sessions. It is able to both influence your state of mind, and guide the experience through a narrative arc.

Music surfaces memories, puts you in receptive and open states, and provides opportunities for catharsis, joy, and deep emotions to be felt. It also creates a kind of storyline or thread that can help us navigate the psychedelic experience, should anything challenging surface during a session. Music creates a sense of safety and openness that is critical in deep healing work. 

The music you listen to during a session is a powerful catalyst for your experience, and should be approached with thoughtful consideration.

Creating a Playlist for a Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Experience

The ketamine experience depends on several factors: your set and setting, the compound, its dosage, your intentions, and the music. With ketamine there is a standard experiential arc that lasts about one hour after the initial absorption of the medicine.

Let’s review each stage and examine the type of music that is most useful during this time. 

Stages of Ketamine Experience

Pre-Onset (First 0-10 minutes after taking medicine):

You have taken the medicine and it starts to dissolve. You will begin to feel the effects of the medicine. Recommendation: Try a guided meditation, or a calm relaxing soundscape. 

Onset (7 minutes after taking medicine):

At this point you will spit out the medicine, put your eye mask on, and lie down to begin your experience. Recommendation: Consider this the “starting point” of the music style you would like to have for your experience.

Build Up (10-20 minutes post-onset):

During the build up the effects of the medicine will start to deepen and you will enter the dissociative and psychedelic state associated with ketamine. The felt intensity of your music will begin to increase here as the effects deepen. Recommendation: Your music should be comforting, and invite a feeling of openness and receptivity.

Peak (20-30 minutes post onset):

The peak of the ketamine experience has arrived. Depending on your particular intention for the session or your preference, you can aim to have the main songs/moods arrive here. Recommendation: You might select songs you have a positive association with, ones that invite certain memories, or ones oriented around healing, peace, and comfort.

Post-Peak (30-45 minutes into the experience):

While still feeling the effects of medicine, you are now past the peak intensity. At this point, it is helpful to bring in more meditative, rhythmic, comforting music to help facilitate your gentle return to waking consciousness. Recommendation: Ambient (soft, non-specific music), emotional, and gentle sounds are best used throughout this period.

Re-Entry (45-60 minutes after taking medicine):

During this period you will begin to reconnect with your body and your conscious experience, and the felt effects of the medicine will lessen. Your music should assist this process. Recommendation: Bring soothing sounds that you have a positive association with, to help ground you back into your body and your physical space.

Return to Normal Consciousness (60 minutes):

At around 60 minutes after ingestion —sometimes earlier or later for certain individuals— you will have returned to normal consciousness. There may be some lingering effects of the medicine, but at this point, it is time to journal about your experience. Recommendation: Consider some music that you are comfortable writing to without becoming lost in it.

Best Practices for Creating Ketamine Therapy Playlists

We have outlined the classic experiential arc associated with ketamine treatment, with this in mind, you can begin to select the specific songs you would like to use in your playlist and the order in which they will appear. 

This is completely up to you. Consider the intentions that you have, the intensity that you want to experience, the specific emotions that are most helpful to you, and the depth you would like to go in your experience.

With that said, ketamine is a unique experience, and there are several best practices we would strongly urge everyone to consider and attempt when first making their first playlists:

Be cautious with vocals

In general, we recommend avoiding any songs or music that include vocals in them. If there is a song that you have a deep connection with that includes vocals, this is okay. But as noted, ketamine is a unique experience, and you may not know how you will react to hearing these vocals while under the influence of the medicine. Being alarmed by a sudden voice entering when you are deep in your experience can have an impact. It is best to avoid songs with vocals until you are comfortable. 

Use neutral, ambient, or relaxing tones

Psychedelics and ketamine greatly increase your receptivity to emotions and sensations, and music addresses both of these. When beginning, we recommend using neutral (background, non-vocal, non-specific genre), relaxing songs. As you become more comfortable, you might consider using music of greater intensity or deeper emotionality, such as sad songs if you need to grieve or release anything.

Aim for positive emotionality

When selecting the specific songs and music to use, try to find music with an emotionally positive tone to it. Choose songs that uplift you, those you have positive associations with, while avoiding any songs that are dissonant (chaotic, unorganized, unusual time signatures) or use primarily dark tones.

Consider Your Intention

What is your intention for this session, and for your ketamine treatment program overall? Keeping your intention in mind while designing soundscapes can be very helpful, as you can select music and curate emotions designed to assist in this process. Music is powerful and can be a positive force in your healing journey.

Watch for timing

The playlist should be able to guide you through the entire experience, from taking the medicine, enjoying the experience, and landing you back for journaling and integration work. The core playlist should be no less than 60 minutes. It’s wise to include another 30 minutes of ambient music at the end for journaling, meditation, or other integration practices just after the session.

With these guiding principles in mind, you should be able to create a playlist unique to you and your circumstances.

If you combine these principles when picking your songs, and map them onto the experiential arc that we mapped out above, you are well on your way to creating a powerful healing session for yourself with your own custom playlists. 

Have Questions about Creating Your Ketamine Therapy Playlist?

Reach out to us at ArtistServices (david@artistservicestherapy.com) — we’re experts at playlisting! :) If you need help, we have several options of expertly-curated playlists that you have access to.