How Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Can help
Feeling one or more of the following symptoms?
rapidly relieve symptoms of emotional overwhelm and often within hours. It can provide lasting effects for weeks to months and, after a series of sessions, can produce lasting change, especially when paired with psychotherapy.
Ketamine Therapy can help…
Ketamine also includes instantly increased neuroplasticity in the brain, which means it reintroduces the ability of the brain to create change and alter unhealthy emotional patterns of functioning.
Anxiety
Anxiety causes distress by generating persistent feelings of fear and worry of things outside of one’s control.
These symptoms can contribute to physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and chronic pain in the body.
Ketamine can help disrupt anxious thought patterns and reduce physical tension to give space to gain new perspectives. The insights from the sessions can lead to trust in oneself to form new behaviors and perspectives to face the future with a greater sense of calm and clarity.
Low Mood/Depression
Depression is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, low energy levels, difficulty concentrating, and even thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
Ketamine is a unique and promising treatment option for depression due to its fast-acting and immediate responsiveness, providing relief from symptoms within hours or days. Ketamine binds to receptors in the brain that generate the neurotransmitter glutamate, a key player in regulating mood. While its precise role in depression is under ongoing study, researchers have found that inadequate levels of glutamate in the brain can result in depressive symptoms.
Additionally, ketamine can stimulate the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein promotes neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to adapt and change as we encounter new experiences. By enhancing neuroplasticity, ketamine may assist in altering negative thought patterns and promote positive behaviors, thoughts, and emotions such as peacefulness, fulfillment, and happiness.
Self Doubt
Self-doubt often stems from negative beliefs about oneself and a lack of confidence.
Ketamine's psychedelic properties may enhance an internal state of reflection, which leads to insights and the recognition of self-worth. This state of mind can help individuals challenge and reframe their negative self-doubt, fostering a more positive and confident self-image.
Ketamine works to disrupt patterns of unhelpful ruminating thoughts and allow for the ability to replace them with more compassionate and supportive self-talk. This process can help address issues that interfere with career work, such as imposter syndrome, creative blocks, motivation, fear of public speaking, etc. Hurdles to relationships can also improve as you can confront barriers to connecting with others in dating, commitment, or casual friendships.
Obsessive Thoughts/OCD
Obsessive thoughts are recurring, distressing, and intrusive mental fixations that can disrupt the ability to focus and cause significant anxiety or distress.
Obsessive thoughts are recurring, distressing, and intrusive mental fixations that can disrupt the ability to focus and cause significant anxiety or distress.
Ketamine therapy can also provide meaningful changes in overcoming obsessive thoughts. Unlike conventional medications that primarily target serotonin levels, ketamine influences the glutamate receptor neural pathways in the brain, which has been found to address rumination. Additionally, ketamine provides an altered state of consciousness that can lead to a shift in perspective, making it easier to break free from the obsessive thoughts' constant grip on daily life.
Trauma & PTSD
The impact of traumatic memories can result in symptoms like nightmares, mood changes, aggression, flashbacks to the event, substance abuse, impulsivity, panic, and isolation.
Ketamine temporarily disrupts the neural pathways associated with traumatic memories. It provides an altered state of consciousness to feel "close enough, but far enough away" to access and process an event with reduced intensity. This "distance" allows patients to gain new insights, develop a different perspective on their experiences, and reframe their beliefs and emotions related to the traumatic event.
Medical providers may not recommend ketamine treatment for individuals with a history of psychosis, mania, schizophrenia, or those currently taking stimulants, benzodiazepines, or MAOIs. Additionally, it is important to consider other contraindications such as active substance abuse, severe liver dysfunction, raised intracranial pressure, stroke, epilepsy, acute porphyria, significant coronary disease, and under-managed hypertension. It is crucial to discuss your medical history and any medications you are currently taking with your healthcare provider before considering ketamine treatment.