U.S. Surgeon General Advisory: Expanded Adds Service for Mothers and Other Caregivers

Parenting has always been challenging, but today’s parents are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, parents are increasingly struggling with anxiety, depression, and burnout, exacerbated by the pressures of modern life, societal expectations, and the impact of global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, innovative approaches to mental health care are more critical than ever. This is where the ethics and treatments at Expanded, in combination with ketamine therapy, emerges as a powerful solution.

The Mental Health Epidemic Among Parents

The Surgeon General’s report underscores a grim reality: parents are at the forefront of a mental health epidemic. The daily demands of parenting, combined with economic stress, social isolation, and the pervasive influence of digital technology, are contributing to a widespread sense of overwhelm and hopelessness among caregivers. Traditional therapy and medication, while helpful for some, often fall short in addressing the deep-rooted emotional and psychological challenges faced by many parents today.

How It’s Worse for Women

While the mental health crisis is said to affect all parents, a heavier weight has historically been placed on mothers, who carry societal expectations of doing it all — at work and at home.

Research consistently shows that women still perform the bulk of household labor. In the United States, for example, data from the Pew Research Center and the Bureau of Labor Statistics have indicated that around 60-70% of household labor is typically done by women, even in households where both partners work full-time. Globally, the gap is often wider. According to the UN, women globally do more than three times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men. This gender disparity remains a persistent issue, despite societal shifts toward more equality in other areas.

Our Methodology

Gianna Biscontini, co-founder of Expanded Women’s Mental Health and Wellness, has developed The Expanded Method — a revolutionary approach that integrates ketamine-assisted therapy, evolutionary biology, Buddhist psychology, nervous system regulation and other science-supported treatments to foster profound improvements in the lives of women and those who face women’s mental health challenges.

The Expanded Method is designed to help women and female-identifying individuals regulate their bodies’ responses to their specific everyday stressors, societal expectations and gender-based inequities. Ketamine is used as an ally to help patients become more psychologically flexible through expanded states of consciousness, enabling them to explore and resolve underlying emotional wounds that may be contributing to their mental health struggles. Our methodology also incorporates elements of mindfulness and perspective changes through theta wave work, a consciousness-expanding practice, helping parents to reconnect with themselves on a deeper level. This reconnection is crucial for parents who often lose sight of their own needs and well-being while caring for their children.

The Role of Ketamine

Ketamine as a medical ally to therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and other mental health conditions. Unlike traditional antidepressants, ketamine works rapidly, often providing relief within hours or days. It is particularly effective for individuals who have not responded well to other treatments. For parents grappling with severe anxiety, depression, grief, irritability or burnout, ketamine therapy can offer a much-needed recalibration and sense of peace. It helps to break the cycle of negative thought patterns and emotional distress, creating a window of opportunity for deeper therapeutic work.

Why the Combination Works

When combined, the Expanded Method and ketamine therapy create a synergistic effect that enhances the healing process.

Here’s how:

  1. Rapid Relief with Long-Term Growth: Ketamine can provide immediate relief from debilitating symptoms, allowing parents to function better in their daily lives. This relief opens the door for the deeper, more transformative work of the Expanded Method. Parents can use this time to explore their emotional landscapes, identify the root causes of their distress, and develop new coping mechanisms. For parents of children with special needs, Gianna provides additional sessions of parent training, empowering parents to adjust to the needs of their child using evidence-based strategies common in pediatric behavioral therapy.

  2. Enhanced Self-Awareness: The Expanded Method encourages self-exploration and mindfulness, helping parents to become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Ketamine therapy often induces a state of introspection, which can be further enhanced through the Expanded process, leading to greater self-awareness and personal insight.

  3. Spiritual and Emotional Healing: The Expanded Method’s integration of spiritual practices can help parents connect with a sense of purpose and meaning, which is often lost in the day-to-day grind of parenting. Ketamine’s ability to facilitate profound emotional experiences can amplify this process, enabling parents to heal on a spiritual and emotional level.

  4. Building Resilience: Parenting requires resilience, but when mental health is compromised, recruiting the resilience and energy needed to get through the day can be extra challenging. The combination of ketamine therapy and the Expanded Method not only helps parents recover from current mental health challenges but also equips them with the tools to build long-term resilience. This ensures they are better prepared to handle future stressors with grace, grounding and strength.

A Path Forward for Parents

The mental health crisis among parents is not something that can be solved overnight, but innovative approaches like the Expanded Method, combined with the therapeutic power of ketamine, offer a more sustainable path forward.

By addressing both the immediate symptoms of mental health issues and the underlying causes, this combination therapy provides mothers and caregivers with the support they need to thrive in their demanding roles. In a world where the pressures on parents are ever-increasing, it is vital to explore and embrace new methods of care. This innovative combination of therapeutic methods represents a hopeful and effective approach to restoring mental well-being, helping parents reclaim their peace of mind and joy in parenting.

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