Brain Chemistry After a Breakup: Understanding the Neuroscience of Heartbreak and the Potential Role for Ketamine and Stellate Ganglion Block
Let’s be real- breakups are the worst. According to Marriage.com, 85% of people will experience a breakup in their lifetime. Experiencing a breakup can be emotionally devastating, and the profound sense of loss and sadness that follows can feel overwhelming. This intense emotional response is not just a psychological phenomenon; it has a strong basis in brain chemistry. Many (if not most) of our patients have endured a recent breakup. Understanding how a breakup affects brain chemistry can provide insights into why it feels so painful and how one might begin to heal.
The Role of Neurotransmitters
Dopamine
Function: Dopamine is often referred to as the "pleasure hormone." It plays a critical role in the brain's reward system, influencing feelings of pleasure and motivation.
Effect of a Breakup: During a romantic relationship, dopamine levels are elevated, creating feelings of happiness and excitement. After a breakup, these levels drop significantly, leading to feelings of depression, low motivation, and a general sense of emptiness.
Oxytocin
Function: Oxytocin, known as the "love hormone," is released during physical intimacy and emotional bonding. It promotes feelings of attachment and trust.
Effect of a Breakup: The sudden withdrawal of oxytocin can cause feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and a deep sense of loss. This reduction contributes to the craving for the lost partner, similar to withdrawal symptoms seen in addiction.
Serotonin
Function: Serotonin is crucial for mood regulation, social behavior, and emotional well-being.
Effect of a Breakup: Breakups can disrupt serotonin levels, leading to increased anxiety, irritability, and mood swings. The destabilization of serotonin can exacerbate feelings of sadness and despair.
Cortisol
Function: Cortisol is the primary stress hormone, released in response to stress and anxiety.
Effect of a Breakup: Breakups can trigger a prolonged release of cortisol, leading to chronic stress. High cortisol levels can affect sleep, appetite, and overall health, contributing to feelings of fatigue and depression. It can also lead to an inflammatory state, which can cause decreased immunity.
The Impact on Brain Regions
Amygdala Activation
Function: The amygdala is involved in processing emotions, especially fear and anxiety.
Effect of a Breakup: Breakups can heighten amygdala activity, leading to increased emotional sensitivity and heightened fear responses. This can make it difficult to cope with the emotional pain and may lead to hypervigilance and anxiety.
Prefrontal Cortex
Function: The prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and rational thought.
Effect of a Breakup: Emotional distress from a breakup can impair the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, making it harder to think clearly, make decisions, and control impulses. This can lead to behaviors such as obsessively thinking about the ex-partner or making impulsive decisions.
Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA)
Function: The VTA is involved in the brain's reward circuitry and is responsible for releasing dopamine.
Effect of a Breakup: The VTA's activity decreases after a breakup, leading to reduced dopamine release. This can contribute to feelings of withdrawal and craving for the ex-partner, similar to the withdrawal symptoms experienced in substance addiction.
Strategies for Healing and Recovery
First and foremost- at StrIVeMD Wellness and Ketamine, we strongly recommend the “No Contact” rule with the ex for at least 60 days. Understanding the brain chemistry behind the pain of a breakup can guide strategies for healing:
Physical Exercise
Benefit: Exercise increases the release of endorphins, which can improve mood and reduce stress. It also helps regulate dopamine and serotonin levels. It can provide a welcome distraction, and also has the benefit of improved fitness, weight loss, muscle gain, and improved confidence.
Social Support
Benefit: Spending time with friends and family can boost oxytocin levels, providing comfort and reducing feelings of loneliness. It’s a great way to vent, but we always recommend doing this in moderation. Venting too much makes it hard to move on.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Benefit: Mindfulness practices can help regulate cortisol levels, reduce anxiety, and improve emotional regulation. Working on breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system which can also reduce anxiety and slow down ruminative thoughts.
Professional Help
Benefit: Therapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of counseling, can help address negative thought patterns and provide coping strategies. For severe cases, treatments like ketamine therapy and stellate ganglion block (SGB) might be explored under professional guidance.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Benefit: Maintaining a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep, and avoiding excessive alcohol or drug use can support overall brain health and emotional stability. In regards to diet, we always recommend an anti-inflammatory diet (Mediterranean, Paleo, Keto) with an emphasis on healthy fats and proteins and minimizing simple carbohydrates which are inflammatory.
Ketamine and Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) After a Breakup: A Path to Healing
Understanding Ketamine Therapy
What is Ketamine Therapy?
Ketamine, originally developed as an anesthetic, has emerged as a powerful treatment for various mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It works by modulating neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly glutamate, which plays a key role in mood regulation.
How Ketamine Can Help After a Breakup
Rapid Relief: Unlike traditional antidepressants that can take weeks to become effective, ketamine can provide relief within hours or days. This comes in handy especially if a breakup is severe enough for a person to not be able to go to work, feed themselves, and in extreme cases, feel suicidal.
Mood Stabilization: It can help stabilize mood swings, reducing feelings of despair and hopelessness.
Improved Cognitive Function: Ketamine can enhance cognitive function, making it easier to process emotions and thoughts associated with the breakup.
Understanding Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)
What is Stellate Ganglion Block?
SGB is a procedure that involves injecting a local anesthetic near the stellate ganglion, a collection of nerves in the neck. This block can modulate the sympathetic nervous system, which is often overactive in individuals with anxiety and PTSD.
How SGB Can Help After a Breakup
Reduces Anxiety: SGB can significantly reduce anxiety levels, providing a sense of calm and control. At StrIVeMD Wellness and Ketamine, we typically see relief as fast as 10 minutes, but can take up to a couple of weeks for full effect.
Alleviates PTSD Symptoms: For those experiencing severe stress or PTSD-like symptoms after a breakup, SGB can alleviate flashbacks, hypervigilance, rumination, and other related symptoms.
Improves Sleep: By calming the nervous system, SGB can improve sleep quality, which is often disrupted during periods of intense emotional stress. Sleep is the best anti-inflammatory and can help offset higher than normal cortisol levels.
Combining Ketamine and SGB for Comprehensive Care
Synergistic Effects
Immediate and Lasting Relief: Ketamine offers rapid mood improvement, while SGB provides sustained anxiety and stress reduction.
Holistic Healing: Combining these treatments addresses both the emotional and physiological aspects of distress, promoting comprehensive healing.
Personalized Treatment Plans
Tailored to Individual Needs: At StriveMD Wellness & Ketamine, we create personalized treatment plans based on each individual’s unique needs and medical history.
Integrated Approach: We integrate ketamine therapy and SGB with other supportive therapies, such as counseling and lifestyle modifications, to ensure a holistic approach to recovery.
Why Choose StriveMD Wellness & Ketamine?
- Expertise and Experience
Our team is highly experienced in administering ketamine and SGB treatments, ensuring the highest standards of care and safety.
2. Patient-Centered Care
We are one of the only concierge ketamine and stellate ganglion block centers in the country. We prioritize patient comfort and well-being, offering compassionate support throughout the treatment process.
3. State-of-the-Art Facilities
Our clinic is equipped with the latest technology, including ultrasound and anesthesia pumps that can precisely microdoseand. We also have a comfortable treatment environment, providing a soothing and supportive space for healing.
Conclusion
The pain of a breakup is deeply rooted in complex brain chemistry involving neurotransmitters and brain regions that regulate emotions and stress. By understanding these mechanisms, individuals can better navigate their emotional recovery, utilizing strategies that support healthy brain function and emotional well-being. If the emotional pain becomes overwhelming, seeking professional help can provide additional support and effective treatment options.
Navigating the emotional aftermath of a breakup can be incredibly challenging, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Ketamine therapy and stellate ganglion block (SGB) offer powerful tools to help you regain stability, reduce distress, and promote healing.
At StrIVeMD Wellness and Ketamine in Illinois (Chicago, Skokie, St. Charles, Champaign), Frisco/Dallas, and now Dublin/Columbus Ohio, we are helping to transform lives with compassionate care and innovative treatments for complex conditions, including speeding up recovery after a breakup. IV Ketamine therapy/IV ketamine infusions as well as ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion blocks to help with depression (including those who get depressed from social media), as well as PTSD, anxiety, and other complex treatment resistant mental health disorders. With a team comprised of physicians board-certified in adult and pediatric anesthesiology, pain medicine, and functional medicine, advanced practice nurses and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA), we are the most comprehensive team from the nation’s best medical institutions to take care of patients of any age including adolescents and geriatric patients. We work with your mental health provider to ensure safety and effectiveness of our program. If you or someone has severe rumination or mental health disease that is worsening, or fighting a chronic medical condition, please consider potentially transformative solutions for mental health challenges or chronic pain that have resisted conventional treatments. your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@strivemdwellness.com.
Contact Us Today
If you or someone you know is struggling after a breakup, reach out to us at StriveMD Wellness & Ketamine to learn more about how our treatments can help. Contact us at:
Phone number: Ohio (614) 992-5484, Illinois (847) 213-0990, Texas (469) 656-4999
Email: info@strivemdwellness.com
Website: www.strivemdwellness.com
Rediscover your peace of mind and take the first step towards healing with StrIVeMD Wellness & Ketamine.