Letting Go in Ketamine Therapy: What the Body Can Teach Us

Letting go is not something most of us are taught. In fact, many of us grow up learning the opposite. Hold it together. Keep it in. Stay composed. Keep smiling. We grip so tightly to control, to composure, to the belief that we can think our way through every feeling. But the body, in its quiet wisdom, has a different story to tell. And inside the container of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), this story often begins to unfold.

One of the most beautiful and unexpected parts of KAP is how the body leads. While the mind may come in with an agenda, a list of questions, or a need to figure things out, the body slips in the side door, humming an old tune you forgot you knew. Some clients describe subtle twitches or trembling. Others stretch or sway, or find their hands lifting slowly toward the sky. Some weep quietly, while others release deep waves of emotion through laughter, yawns, sighs, or a gentle rocking back and forth. These are not just side effects. These are stories coming to the surface, truths stored deep in the nervous system finding their way into the light.

This kind of somatic release, which refers to the physical expression or discharge of stored emotional energy through the body, may happen during a client’s first KAP session, but more often it begins to emerge in later sessions, once the therapeutic relationship deepens, the nervous system feels more grounded, and ego defenses naturally soften. As clients begin to trust the process, they are more likely to let themselves surrender to what the body has been waiting to express.

The mind may not always understand what is happening in these moments, and that is perfectly fine. KAP is not about performance or progress in the traditional sense. It is about surrender. When we stop trying to analyze every shift and simply let ourselves feel, the body often responds with deep gratitude. There is no right way to move through a session. There is no gold star for staying still or remaining composed. In fact, the moments when clients feel safest to let go are often the most meaningful and transformative.

What surprises many people is how much emotion can be held in the body. When the medicine softens the noise of constant mental chatter, the body finally has space to speak. And often, it does not whisper. It roars, weeps, stretches, or simply exhales in a way it never could before. These expressions are not random. They are a kind of communication, one that does not require words. The body remembers things the mind has long forgotten, and in the presence of safety and support, it begins to release them.

Of course, not every session is physically expressive. Some are quiet, still, and inward. But even in the stillness, there is movement. The breath deepens. The jaw softens. The chest relaxes. And often, when clients reflect afterward, they describe a sense of lightness or ease they had not felt in years. It is not because something was fixed or figured out, but because something was released. Something was allowed to move.

This is the art of letting go. It is not something that can be forced. It cannot be scheduled or intellectualized. It happens when safety, presence, and care create the conditions for the body to speak. At Kalea Wellness, we hold this process with deep respect. We know that letting go is not a one-time event. It is a practice. A softening. A trust that grows over time, session by session, breath by breath.

For those considering KAP or simply feeling stuck in their healing journey, remember this: the mind is not the only place where healing happens. Sometimes the greatest insights come not from figuring it out, but from feeling it through. Letting go in ketamine therapy often begins when the body feels safe enough to speak. Your body knows how to do that. All it needs is the space to begin.