Finding Metis
I welcome you to my practice! Here is basic information about Metis/IM ketamine and an explication of the process that I employ to facilitate healing. Feel free to ask me any questions that arise before deciding to move forward. It is very important to me that you feel welcomed, safe, respected, and informed before we begin. All questions are relevant.
Who is this experience intended for?
Metis is useful in facilitating healing from PTSD, refractory depression, chronic anxiety, and suicidality. It can also be an adjunct for use in addictive disorders on a case-by-case basis.
Why Metis?
Metis was one of the primary early goddesses in the Greek tradition. She was the wisest of the wise. Her husband, Zeus, was so threatened by her intellect and common sense that he swallowed her whole so that he would be able to have full use of her faculties. All the wise sayings and forward-thinking deeds that are linked to Zeus were really from Metis. Metis was pregnant with Athena when she was ingested by Zeus. Mythology tells us that Athena sprang out of the head of Zeus fully mature and from then on was always known for her “wise-counsel”.
What does FindingMetis mean?
Shamans, healers, and physicians for thousands of years have known that a healing space can be constellated between a caring, competent, and trusted healer and the patient. This is a living psychic vessel that involves the two humans and a conscious awareness brought to the bedside by the healer. Modern microphysics affirms this and teaches us that we are all energetic “fields of probability”. As such we are connected and influenced by and with everything else. This new reality cannot be ignored. It always exists if the healer brings a conscious awareness of this living entity: a pulsating psychic vessel.
By naming our form of ketamine Metis, we are infusing within the healing space with profound wisdom and ingenuity that is in her archetypal nature. This power significantly amplifies the healing effect of the medicine after it is injected. Potency can be magnified with conscious awareness by both participants. This does not require a certain belief system, only a “willingness” on the part of the patient to accept the possibility that the premise I have outlined could be valid.
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What wants to come through?
Who am I?
I am a 72-year-old female physician who has practiced medicine for over 30 years. I was board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology and took care of very sick people day after day for many years. I was fortunate to have had wonderful teachers, mentors, and patients who taught me not only about medical practice but also about living life. I am also a transgender woman who felt a profound calling to transition late in life. Before that I lived the life of an alpha-male: I graduated from West Point where I was captain of the Army baseball team, then was a paratrooper, father, and husband. I am also a recovering alcoholic and stay active in recovery endeavors.
My gender transition occurred after I experienced dysphoria, a mental condition where one’s sense of self differs from the one assigned at birth. I had read all that I could about this process but going through it and becoming suicidal was a completely novel phenomenon. It dissipated initially with the initiation of cross-sex hormones but returned with a vengeance in 2021. A wise physician suggested that I try intramuscular ketamine. I did and it removed the suicidal ideation with one dose. It was amazing.
After I finished a master’s degree in Depth Psychology, I felt called to offer this sort of therapy in a unique way. I know that the brain effects of ketamine are substantial and include anti-inflammatory properties and recasting of neural networks. I have seen those in my work; but, what has been most amazing is finding that this is a powerful psychoactive agent that benefits the psyche, the realm of the conscious and unconscious that enfolds us all. Metis works in and through the soul.
How Metis might work.
This powerful agent’s mode of action is not completely understood. Although it is known to be an NMDA antagonist that can work through the glutamate neurotransmitter system, it has effects in other complex pathways that are not yet deciphered. For instance, in depression, receptors on neurons that facilitate signal transmission may recede, and the amygdala and hippocampus (brain structures which help govern mood) may shrink. What is certain is this: Metis uses channels of activity that are different from other psychoactive medications available on the market.
A class III agent, it can be administered in a variety of ways including an intravenous infusion (IV), intramuscular injection (IM), subcutaneous injection, intranasal inhalation, or sublingual/oral preparation as a dissolving troche or tablet. Each route varies in the onset of effect and duration of the action. In FindingMetis we use only IM or troche. It is important to note that both IV and IM injections have over a 92% absorption rate. There is no need to start an IV to have this therapeutic experience.
The Metis Experience
It is unlike anything one could imagine. There is a secret built into the ritual of using Metis: the psychedelic experience itself seems to be the one factor that is predictive of a sense of lightness or healing. After an intentional prayer I inject 50-150 mg of Metis into the buttocks. The precise dosing is based on body weight. Within several minutes there is typically a profound relaxation of ordinary concerns. A comfortable sense of being present, yet somehow de-attached from the body is constellated. Sensations are greatly diminished, yet the music that is played serves to tether one to this reality. There is also a typical distorted visualization of colors and textures, and a feeling of being suspended in space or floating. Auditory and tactile awareness of the exterior world is diminished, and sense of time is distorted. Finally, synthesia (a mingling of the senses) may occur. One may also encounter forms of animals, people, or imaginary beings.
In participation with scores and scores of these rituals, I have not found a single person who has had a “bad trip”. Some have had a more muted experiential, but not one person has ever become terrified nor felt panic. It is truly amazing, especially since many of us have had experience with other sacred plants and may have had very unpleasant sessions.
What I have come to realize is that if I do my job as a facilitator and the set and setting are well structured, the chance of anything untoward happening is minimized. The vetting process on-line in which we begin to form a therapeutic bond is one component of feeling safe. I make certain that I discuss potential risks and identify any contraindications for participation. This is structured around a discussion of one’s past medical and mental health history. Another step is a full astrological reading that I do to try to identify underlying energetics at play. Finally, I walk each person through the entire process from start to finish and discuss practical and theoretical aspects of the adventure. After this vetting, a time and place for administration is agreed upon. It will be in a setting most conducive to the patient’s well-being.
I stay at the bedside for the 45 minute- 1.5-hour journey and monitor respiratory rate and jugular pulsation. On the off chance that something untoward were to occur, I would begin emergency medical maneuvers and call 9-1-1. This would be where 30 years of being a licensed physician would have great impact.
One final comment: each experience is unique and cannot be programmed. All journeys are sacred and arise from the psyche in relation to the precise needs of body and soul. One must relax into the path that unfolds.
