In the 1970s, ketamine was first developed as a surgical anaesthetic, and it is still used for this purpose today. It is a well-tolerated, safe medicine with psychedelic and dissociative effects at specific doses. It also has a rapid antidepressant effect. Ketamine has been found to have favourable mental health effects when administered in a controlled environment.

Ketamine is an FDA-approved anaesthetic that is increasingly used to treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. "Off-label usage" refers to the prescription of a medication that has not been formally approved for a patient's symptoms; it is legal and prevalent, with one in five prescriptions written in the United States for off-label use. The effectiveness of ketamine in treating treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, neuropathic pain, suicidal ideation, and other related mood disorders has been demonstrated.

Ketamine is fast-acting and can sometimes be beneficial after a single dose, whereas the majority of conventional antidepressants take weeks to take action. Therefore, ketamine can be a vital tool for preventing suicide and swiftly alleviating the pain caused by major depressive disorder (MDD). Our clinic's lower doses and administration techniques do not induce anaesthesia but can induce psychedelic effects.

Ketamine acts as an antidepressant in the brain, increasing neuroplasticity (neuron growth, repair, and reorganisation) via multiple brain receptors and neurotransmitters. Numerous studies have shown that ketamine therapy heals the brain and nervous system by restoring normal neural network functioning in the brain. Ketamine acts as an NMDA antagonist at the receptor level, regulating the availability of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. The antidepressant effect appears to be mediated by AMPA receptors. Other receptors are targeted and contribute to the treatment's acute and long-term effects.

Ketamine has been shown to help improve a variety of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, pain, and substance abuse disorder.

Adverse side effects from ketamine treatments are uncommon due to the lower doses we administer to our patients during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, adverse side effects from ketamine treatments are infrequent, but if they do occur, they are very brief and may include the following:

• Dizziness

• Blurred vision

• Headache

• Nausea or vomiting

• Dry mouth

• Restlessness

• Difficulty with coordination

• Difficulty concentrating

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) uses psychedelics to facilitate therapeutic breakthroughs. In the 1950s, Western medicine started using hallucinogenic treatments and procedures. Recent studies support PAP's effectiveness for depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD. More therapeutic options are becoming available as the legal and medical landscapes evolve.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) employs lower dosages of ketamine than those that have been used safely in anaesthesia for decades. Adults and children tolerate ketamine extremely well.

KAP is an approach in which psychotherapy is combined with a single or several ketamine doses. The first consists of sessions in which a low, sub-psychedelic dose of ketamine is utilised as a catalyst for the psychotherapy process; that is, it facilitates communication between the individual and their therapist. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is also a therapeutic method that comprises lengthier immersive sessions in which a full psychedelic dose of ketamine is provided for a more introspective, visionary experience. A series of preparatory and integrating sessions precede these meetings.

The combination of ketamine and psychotherapy can be more beneficial than ketamine alone.

Your ketamine experience provides additional material to work with in therapy, particularly in the setting of an extended psychotherapeutic partnership. In this treatment model, ketamine is delivered orally using lozenges or intramuscularly (IM). The therapeutic effect of treatment is maximised by increasing physical comfort in a relaxing environment. Repeated administrations of Ketamine may be required to maintain its efficacy. The number of treatments you receive is determined by your physician on an individual basis.

If you believe you may qualify for KAP, please fill out our patient intake form and email it to us. We will contact you to explain the intake procedure, request any additional paperwork, and confirm your eligibility for treatment.

We will then schedule your first KAP session and a video consultation with a clinician. You will receive an initial psychotherapy consultation prior to receiving your first KAP treatment and will complete two or more ketamine sessions followed by virtual integration sessions with one of our clinicians.

After your initial course of treatment, you will be assessed to determine whether further treatment might be beneficial and a specific treatment plan will be created for you.

Ketamine induces a sense of disconnection from one's usual reality and self, which may induce or amplify, among other feelings, creativity, purpose, perspective, serenity, insight, inspiration, gratitude, empathy, connection to others and the world, openness to new ideas, psychological rebirth, and travel outside of oneself. Also possible are visual, auditory, and other sensory experiences.

A ketamine treatment can take between one and two hours. Clinical research indicates that peak antidepressant effects occur between 24 and 48 hours following administration, with the majority of individuals experiencing a mood improvement within hours. You should have little difficulty returning to routine activities the next day.

The subjective effects of ketamine can range from slight changes in cognition and bodily experience to full dissociative states in which one feels completely detached from his or her body and all of one's thoughts dissolve, a condition known as "ego dissolution."

According to research, ego dissolution is associated with improved treatment outcomes for depression and other disorders. These experiences are characterized as "non-ordinary states of consciousness" (NOSC), and you may have never encountered them before. The treatment setting we construct and the dosing protocol we adhere to are intended to enhance your experience.

We will give you a brief questionnaire in the days following your treatment to assess changes in your symptoms, monitor your physical and mental health, and assist our professional staff in individualizing your ongoing care.

We encourage patients to explore reputable, evidence-based resources to better understand ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Below are selected articles and clinical references that provide additional context on safety, effectiveness, and current research related to ketamine treatment.

Please see below for https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9207256/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6767816/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ketamine-for-major-depression-new-tool-new-questions-2019052216673

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/ketamine-depression

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-brief-history-of-ketamines-use-to-treat-depression-180980106/