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Ketamine Therapy

A rapid-acting intervention to address treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and OCD



Is Ketamine Right for You?

  • Do you struggle with chronic depression that doesn’t seem to budge no matter how many medications have been tried?
  • Have you spent years paying for therapy and yet you’re still not seeing the improvements you want and need in your life?
  • Are your relationships and career stalled out until you figure out a way forward?

If this is the case, we want you to know that you are not alone and you have come to the right place. Millions of Americans are suffering from unnecessary levels of depression and are not getting the help that they deserve. But that is all changing now, thanks to a cutting-edge medical treatment called ketamine.

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a medication that has been used since 1970 as an anesthetic. The World Health Organization has it on their list of essential medications. It is used in emergency medicine and minor surgical procedures for pain relief. Ketamine can be easily dosed and injected, reliably produces anesthesia with dissociation, and is safe with proper medical supervision.

Here’s what’s so exciting that’s relevant to you…

Ketamine is a rapid-acting extremely effective intervention to address treatment-resistant depression and shows promise for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as well as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, with a mechanism completely different from all other antidepressant medications. Ketamine remains off-label for the treatment of depression.

First of all, ketamine enhances neuroplasticity by significantly increasing Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor [1] , a key brain hormone which can promote reversal of the loss of connectivity between neurons caused by chronic depression. Second, ketamine normalizes activity of the default mode network [2] , the brain network responsible for obsessive negative thinking in depression, creating an opportunity to get unstuck and regain hope. Third, ketamine blocks receptors for glutamate [3] , a neurotransmitter associated with brain excitotoxicity and inflammation. All of these mechanisms appear to play a significant role in the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine.

How Effective is Ketamine?

When antidepressant medications work well, they can literally save lives. Unfortunately, the largest study ever done on depression, the STAR*D study, has shown that most people who were prescribed antidepressant medications most of the time do not get significant benefits. Even more discouraging was the conclusion that the more antidepressants a person tries, the less likely the drug is to succeed. [4]

The Game Changer: IV Ketamine Infusions

Most ketamine studies gave people with treatment-resistant depression one or more IV ketamine infusions. These studies have reported that IV ketamine reliably produces, in about 70% of people, a significant reduction in symptoms of depression [5] . This is groundbreaking…no medication has ever touched depression with this level of efficacy.

“Recent data suggest that ketamine, given intravenously, might be the most important breakthrough in antidepressant treatment in decades. First and most important, several studies demonstrate that ketamine reduces depression within six hours, with effects that are equal to or greater than the effects of six weeks of treatment with other antidepressant medications. [6] Second, ketamine’s effects have been noted in people with treatment-resistant depression. [6] This promises a new option for people with some of the most disabling and chronic forms of depression, whether classified as major depressive disorder or bipolar depression. Third, it appears that one of the earliest effects of the drug is a profound reduction in suicidal thoughts. [7]”

Tom Insel MD

former Provost of Harvard University and former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health [8]

Benefits of Ketamine with Psychotherapy

In 2019, a large study using Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy reported a significant decrease in depression and anxiety. [8] This study is important because it shows that combining psychotherapy with ketamine is very effective.

Additionally, ketamine comes with a dissociative experience that can be disorienting and bring up a lot of psychological material for people. Having a trusted guide next to you makes the experience more relaxing, while also taking the opportunity to generate new insights into your depression. At IPC, we stand by Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for all of these reasons.

 

  • Personal Outcomes

    Imagine waking up in the morning with the energy to show up for family and friends, feeling strong and vital for exercise, or being ready to jump back into work. People have reported this kind of experience after going through our Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy program. We’ve even had many patients leave feeling more connected to the world and feeling aligned with a higher purpose for their lives. It’s possible to have consistently productive, upbeat and grounded days where you feel able to express your potential. We understand that these things might currently feel impossible, but Ketamine Assisted-Psychotherapy, can make these types of experiences a reality. Individual results may vary.

“My current dose of meds weren’t cutting it anymore. I didn’t want to up my dose, but I needed a helping hand in calming my reactive body and mind. Within six hours of my first Ketamine session, I felt dramatically better, more grounded, less repetitive thoughts, and the darkness of depression significantly reduced. It was very reassuring to have the Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapist “holding the space” when I was under the ketamine. In addition, having someone to help me process what I experienced during the treatment led to greater insights about my visions. I think people should embrace Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy as a great tool in the toolbox. I had fears about experiencing dark thoughts that would overwhelm me, but in all of my Ketamine sessions the opposite happened: I felt comforted and rejuvenated. And, knowing there was a therapist by my side at all times made it a very safe and nurturing environment.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“I started at IPC with severe depression, low self-confidence, and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. After my ketamine treatments, I finally stopped having suicidal thoughts. I have a positive outlook and feel a connection in my relationships. I also see how my degree is useful, and I’m connecting the dots between school and career. It was really nice to have a therapist to talk with throughout the Ketamine sessions about how to be my best self.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“I had treatment-resistant depression for my entire life. I know it sounds cliche but I was only seeing dark clouds. The ketamine sessions allowed me to start functioning again with the desire little by little to get off the couch and re-engage with life. I don’t think there would have been any effect without the therapist. The ability to discuss my experiences and to continue to work on these issues within the integrative sessions was invaluable.””

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“I struggled with depression. The ketamine sessions helped me gain more perspective. I’m now able to see my life and my existence in a larger context and pick up on things I couldn’t previously do. During the sessions, it was really helpful to have a therapist to create a safe container, guide me through the rough spots, and explore the deeper areas.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy had a profound effect on my life. I struggled with chronic depression and was on meds for twenty years. I did the Ketamine series about a year ago and have not had any depression since the treatment. My baseline emotional affect has lifted. I gained tools along with new perspectives. My therapist was so supportive and understanding talking me through what I call the Ketamine world. We talked through how my new insights could be useful and help me with depression.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“Last summer, my twenty year old daughter was struggling with a horrible depression. She was having a hard time functioning, and pharmaceuticals didn’t work for her. We decided to have her try ketamine therapy at the Integrative Psychiatry Center. After six sessions, I saw my daughter completely emerge from her depression and she remains so all these months later. Due to the therapeutic assistance that she received during these sessions, she also seemed resourced to meet her life in new ways. I’m so grateful that IPC offers Ketamine treatment, and I highly recommend this therapy to others suffering from depression.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“Before Ketamine therapy I was struggling mostly with depression that had come on very suddenly and was very debilitating. After the Ketamine sessions, I noticed the depression I had been experiencing began to let up, I noticed I was able to make art again, and socialize with others much better than I had before. Having a therapist present made me feel safe and helped me negotiate some of the experiences I had while on the Ketamine, and also helped me negotiate my relationship with the traditional role of a therapist.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“I had been struggling with severe treatment resistant depression for many years before the Ketamine treatments. I had tried a large number of medications but none of them seemed to work for any length of time. I had been struggling with intermittent severe depression and suicidal thoughts just prior to the ketamine sessions. My mood lifted substantially during and after the sessions. I stopped having frequent suicidal thoughts. I also became more able to make changes in my life. The ketamine treatment was very freeing in this regard. I am a longtime binge-eater and have trauma and was able to work on these issues during the Ketamine sessions which really helped me make changes during and after the ketamine treatment.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

“I decided to get treated at IPC specifically because they had a psychotherapist present during the ketamine administration. Following up with the therapist during and after the ketamine treatment was critical in reinforcing the changes that the ketamine was allowing me to make in my life. Having a therapist present was also important for helping me deal with traumatic memories that came up during the ketamine therapy. All of the staff at IPC were very caring and supportive. I had a wonderful transformative experience.”

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Patient

How We Are Different

Choosing a medical provider can be a stressful experience. We want to help you find the right ketamine provider for your needs. Although there are an increasing number of places offering ketamine, there are several key things that make our clinic different which are important to consider when determining if IPC is the right place for your care:

  • Medical Team:
    Our medical team is one of the most experienced groups of ketamine providers in the country.
  • Investment:
    At IPC we understand that patients who choose to pursue Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy are making a significant financial investment in their long term health and we take that seriously. We are committed to keeping our costs as affordable as possible without compromising any aspect of the quality of care. We do not take medicaid, medicare or insurance, however, we can provide out-of-network claim forms if you want to seek reimbursement.
  • Integrative Psychiatry:
    Our clinic believes in assessing and treating root causes of mental health conditions. Unlike most ketamine clinics, you will be evaluated for your ketamine consult by an Integrative Psychiatrist. Rest assured, if we believe ketamine is not the right or only course of action, you will be recommended other treatments that go after the root of the problem.
  • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy:
    Ketamine’s dissociative effects offer a unique opportunity to uncover new ways of understanding your depression. Most ketamine centers place multiple patients in one room without any psychotherapist. We have treated a number of people who felt very disturbed by the experience of being left alone on ketamine. Each patient in our clinic has a private room and a highly skilled therapist throughout the ketamine treatment. 

  • Physician On Site:
    Some ketamine centers do not provide a physician on site. Additionally, there are therapists who will provide psychotherapy for clients in their office who have received sublingual ketamine without medical staff present, even though the FDA recently mandated that a newly approved version of ketamine cannot be administered outside of a medical office. Although medical emergencies are an extremely rare outcome of ketamine, we stand firmly for safety first by having a physician and nurse on-site, and we do not condone the use of ketamine outside a medical office setting.
  • IV Ketamine:
    There are several different ways of administering ketamine and at IPC we prefer IV infusion because it is the most studied route of administration. If for some reason IV is not best for a specific individual we also have other routes of administration which can be discussed between a patient and their individual provider. Unfortunately, sublingual ketamine research is not compelling and scant, therefore, we do not generally recommend this route of administration.

Powered by the Integrative Psychiatry Institute

We’re not only on the forefront of integrative care for patients, but we are also backed by the educational power of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. Our expert practitioners are learning directly from the premier educational community for integrative psychiatry. Rest assured, our practitioners are constantly implementing new practices from the latest research in innovative mental health care.

References:

1. Huang YJ et al. New Treatment Strategies of Depression: Based on Mechanisms Related to Neuroplasticity. Neural Plast. 2017; 2017:4605971.
2. Hamilton et al. Depressive Rumination, the Default-Mode Network, and the Dark Matter of Clinical Neuroscience. Biological Psychiatry. 2015 Aug 15;78(4):224-30.
3. Andrade, C. Ketamine for Depression, 1: Clinical Summary of Issues Related to Efficacy, Adverse Effects, and Mechanism of Action. J Clinical Psychiatry 2017 Apr;78(4):e415-e419.
4. Gaynes BN et al. What Did STAR*D Teach Us? Results From a Large-Scale, Practical, Clinical Trial for Patients With Depression. Published online 1 Nov 2009. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2009.60.11.1439.
5. Zarate CA, et al. A randomized trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in treatment-resistant major depression.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006 Aug;63(8):856-64.
6. Aan Het Rot M et al. Ketamine for depression: where do we go from here? Biol. Psychiatry. 2012 Oct 1;72(7):537-47.
7. DiazGranados N et al. Rapid resolution of suicidal ideation after a single infusion of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. J. Clin. Psychiatry. 2010 Dec;71(12):1605-11.
8. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2014/ketamine.shtml
9. Jennifer Dore et al. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 51:2, 189-198, DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556.