Hannah WarrenA ketogenic diet changed my life. But before I discovered ketosis, meditation taught me that change was possible. It helped me envision a better future, reshape my thinking, and transform my behavior.
Later, when I started a ketogenic diet, I found that my meditation practice deepened even further, creating a powerful feedback loop between metabolic and mental transformation.
Starting from a dark place
When I first began practicing meditation in 2018, I did so with only a faint flicker of hope. I had been in an unhealthy relationship. When I caught my boyfriend cheating, the betrayal validated all my worst insecurities: I felt utterly worthless and unlovable.
After being diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder six years prior in 2012, I was put on antipsychotic medications with numerous side effects. I put on over seventy pounds in under six months. I dealt with persistent sedation, cognitive impairment, and lingering depression. I had lost the passion, creativity, and vitality that once defined my life.
The attempts I had made to restore my physical and mental health felt futile, like I was swimming upstream against a riptide of medication side effects. Because nothing worked, I gave up and turned to negative coping habits to self-soothe: chain smoking, excessive alcohol, and junk food offered temporary relief.
After discovering his infidelity, I spiraled, numbing myself with all my usual substances, with the addition of NyQuil because I longed to be unconscious.
It was the brutal wake-up call I needed. I had already survived years of severe depression and suicidal ideation. At that moment, I decided that merely staying alive wasn’t enough; I had to aspire to build a life worth living again.
I decided to start a meditation practice to support my behavior change. Like the hum of an old refrigerator I couldn’t afford to replace, I had learned to tune out the deep sense of purposelessness that had become the undercurrent of my life. But when I shut my eyes to meditate, that faint, almost inaudible hum became an excruciating roar.
However difficult, I knew I had to face my thoughts if I wanted to change them. Initially, I only committed to meditating five minutes a day. These are the practices that got me started:
- Tuning into my thoughts and choosing which ones to embrace
Through meditation, I aspired to become aware of and ultimately change my thought patterns. Without mindfulness, many of our thoughts remain subconscious drivers of our emotions and behaviors. When I began to unveil my subconscious thoughts in meditation, I was surprised just how harmful many of them were. Through daily practice, I became more capable of choosing empowering perspectives and banishing those that held me back. This process took time and was complemented by journaling. Simply using meditation to become aware of damaging thoughts and working to replace them with more constructive ones holds enormous potential for transformation.
-
Activating the imagination and conjuring elevated feelings
Some days, I used Insight Timer, a meditation app. I found guided meditations that helped me conjure soothing scenes. They placed me in a verdant forest or on a rocky ocean shore. I could tap into elevated emotions like peace, awe, and universal love.
I gradually realized that practicing meditation was sharpening my imagination. Learning to control my vivid inner world gave me the power to shift my feelings: even when inundated with external stressors, I could tune into a reservoir of inner peace.
I began to enjoy meditation and would sit for longer periods, from twenty minutes to an hour a day.
-
I discovered future self visualization and began using my imagination as a tool for behavior change.
In future self visualizations, I would vividly imagine the person I wanted to become and the life I hoped to create. I immersed myself in the details: the softness of my worn-in kelly green t-shirt, the refreshing scent of pine and dirt on an exhilarating forest trail run, the feeling of strength in my contracting muscles as I lift weights.
With practice, the scenes in my mind began to feel increasingly real and tactile. Most importantly, they brought feelings I wanted to embody in the future into the present. Even while I had a long way to go to improve my life, I would open my eyes and still carry with me a sense of vibrant health, vitality, and happiness. Starting the day with these positive emotions also made it easier to follow through with the actions I visualized that would take me closer to the ideal future I wished to inhabit. The point of future self visualization, somewhat counter intuitively, is to enhance how you feel in the moment and enrich your experience of the present.
Positive behaviors began to naturally push out the negative ones: drinking, smoking, and gorging on junk food slowly fell away. Gradually, I transitioned to a whole foods diet and incorporated intermittent and extended fasting, which helped me enormously over the next few years.
If you are interested in this approach, two resources worth exploring are Be Your Future Self Now, on the science of future self, by Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and The Six Phase Meditation Method by Vishen Lakhiani.
Discovering a Keto Diet: A Powerful Feedback Loop
The emerging field of metabolic psychiatry is beginning to uncover how maintaining a state of ketosis impacts brain function and can fundamentally alter one’s subjective experience of life. A growing body of research and individual testimonials suggest that ketosis can enhance mental well-being across a spectrum, from relieving everyday anxiety to easing symptoms of serious mental illness.
When I discovered the work of metabolic psychiatry pioneer Dr. Christopher Palmer in 2021 and learned that a ketogenic diet could be an effective treatment for bipolar 1 disorder, I had already established a strong foundation for behavior change through meditation. I started right away.
Almost immediately, I found that my meditation practice deepened in ketosis. It became easier to access a profound sense of peace, concentrate on visualizations, and consciously reshape my thoughts.
Historically, cultures across faiths have embraced fasting, a practice that induces ketosis, as a pathway to spiritual experiences. Research suggests that ketosis increases GABA signaling, which is associated with a sense of calm and peace, while also supporting neuroplasticity and cognitive function. By providing the brain with ketones as an efficient fuel source, ketosis may contribute to greater mental clarity and vitality.
Ketogenic therapy, paired with meditation and other metabolic interventions such as exercise and fasting, ultimately brought my bipolar 1 disorder into complete remission.
I have now used metabolic therapies as my sole form of treatment for five years.* I far exceeded my original goal of simply making life worth living again. My life has not only returned to baseline but is better than ever before; it would have been almost unimaginable during my early future-self visualizations. I have reclaimed my physical health, cognitive abilities, creativity, and love for life. I also recently got engaged to a wonderful partner who shares my devotion to healthy living.
Both ketogenic therapy and meditation have continued to confer deeper benefits the longer I practice them. What began as a simple attempt to change my habits has evolved into a broader exploration of consciousness, imagination, and altered states through practices such as lucid dreaming and breathwork.
If you are seeking transformation through a ketogenic lifestyle, I strongly recommend pairing it with a meditation practice. Together, they create a powerful feedback loop capable of changing not only behavior, but one’s entire experience of life.
* Tapering medications can be dangerous and should be done gradually with provider support. Patients should also research safe practices and stay informed. Visit Metabolic Mind’s Keto and Psych Meds for more resources.
This blog post reflects the opinion and/or experience of the author. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions about a health condition or concerns related to your well-being, always consult with your physician or another qualified healthcare professional.
