Ketamine for Depression
Ketamine treatment for depression: a transformative experience
More than a treatment, ketamine is an experience that entails a deeply personal and transformative journey – an experience that dissolves the ego and dismantles one’s false self-narratives.
While there are certainly some essential biochemical effects that ketamine provides, what really sets it apart from traditional psychotherapy and antidepressants is its potential to create a transpersonal experience that can completely remodel a patients psychological paradigm and perspective on life.
Think of it like this: Imagine a ski slope that has been ridden on many times. The snow packed down so tightly that it is nearly impossible for the skier to create a new path. That is the brain pathway that holds onto those depressive thoughts and symptoms that cannot seem to go away. Ketamine is like a fresh snowfall, allowing those deeply embedded paths to now be even with the rest of the slope, giving you the ability to create new pathways. When introducing the experience of ketamine therapy along with psychotherapy integration, these brain pathways can now have positive connections, rather than depressive ones.
By experiencing a non-ordinary state of consciousness, the ketamine experience allows one to step away from the realities of life, shed the layers of self that we have developed over time and rediscover your core self. When in this state of ego dissolution, one can address and heal from the many events of life, leaving you with a new and fresh perspective on the world.
How does ketamine therapy for depression work?
At Klarisana, we believe that ketamine therapy works in two ways: through biochemical mechanisms, and equally as important, the psychedelic experience.
The exact mechanism however, (as with many treatments for mental health) is not totally understood. One of the leading theories is that ketamine blocks the NMDA receptor which causes an increase in a chemical called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). This increase in BDNF causes new synapses (connections) to be created in the brain which in turn improves one’s mood. We theorize that combining these mechanisms with a non-ordinary state of consciousness, ketamine therapy can allow for one’s perspective to be changed and engrained in the newly created brain connections, creating long term change in one’s perception of their life and the world around them.
What is the ketamine therapy procedure for depression?
At Klarisana, we recommend an initial series of six intramuscular ketamine sessions spaced out over two to four weeks to treat mental health conditions. Each intramuscular session is about one to two hours long. During the Induction Series, patients are treated in a private room with careful monitoring and a personalized dosing plan designed by a dedicated team of medical and behavioral health professionals with augmenting each patient’s healing experience in mind.
We progressively increase the dose of ketamine over the course of the Induction Series sessions to help the patient enter a powerful transpersonal and mystical space known as the Psychotropic Therapeutic Response. The Induction Series is a very dynamic process because who you are in terms of how you see yourself and your relationship with the world changes between each session.
After the Induction Series, patients are recommended to continue their journey by engaging in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with one of our licensed Behavioral Health providers. These sessions consist of a low dose of ketamine being administered during a psychotherapy session. In this slightly dissociated state, patients can process the events of their IM ketamine sessions in a more productive and raw manner than with traditional psychotherapy.
Ketamine treatment for depression near me
Interested in becoming a patient at Klarisana? Check out our locations page to see if there is a treatment center near you.
Ketamine therapy redefines depression treatment
At Klarisana, we embrace the idea of breaking the cycle of severe depression with ketamine therapy, whose reduced risk of side effects and addiction allows patients to get rid of long-lasting depression symptomology and enjoy a long-awaited emotional and physical well-being.
Behavioral health services for depression
In case you don’t feel ready to incorporate ketamine into your treatment approach yet, Klarisana works with a wide range of national insurance providers to make behavioral health services a more accessible and viable option for your mental health care journey.
Case studies
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