Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine Treatment for Depression
Ketamine has been used safely as an anesthetic in medical settings for decades. In March 2019 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a form of ketamine for the treatment of depression in adults who have tried other antidepressant medicines but have not benefited from them (treatment-resistant depression).
The term “treatment-resistant depression” refers to 2 or more oral antidepressant medications that do not sufficiently reduce a patient’s symptoms. About one third of depressed patients in treatment for depression do not respond to traditional antidepressants, which focus on helping the brain produce and maintain serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine levels. Ketamine is a novel therapy that works differently, by repairing damaged connections and pathways in a different neurotransmitter network, glutamate, caused by a depressed brain.
Ketamine Can Heal the Brain
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers naturally occurring in the brain. They send information between neurons by crossing a synapse. Electrical signals are not able to cross the gap between most neurons so they are changed into chemical signals to cross the gap.
Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are dysregulated in depression, causing changes in behavior, emotions, and cognition. Neuropathways, the routes along which neurotransmitters move about the brain, also become damaged or shut down completely, making it difficult for neurotransmitters to operate in areas of the brain. Think of these systems as roads (neuropathways) with cars (neurotransmitters) on them – when someone is depressed, certain roads are damaged or closed off and cars are breaking down. This can cause quite a bit of blockage to normal functioning of the brain. High levels of chronic anxiety and depression can also flood the brain with a stress hormone, cortisol, which reduces the brain's plasticity and operation.
This is where ketamine therapy can change brain structure.
Ketamine operates on the brain’s N-methyl-d-aspartate (NDMA) receptors, which can help to rapidly restore neuropathways by growing new synapses for neurotransmitters in areas of the brain impacted by severe depression. Ketamine treatment can also clear excess cortisol and “reset” the brain. Patients report increased clarity in thinking, creativeness, and calmness.
While ketamine is not a cure for depressive disorder, it is a treatment option that can help to accelerate the brain's natural healing process while relieving symptoms of depression. Ketamine is best utilized as part of a comprehensive care plan for depression and other mood disorders.
Ketamine Can Open the Mind
Therapeutic use of Ketamine is a method to help break down the boundaries of the ego, of consciousness and defensiveness, which provides a doorway to healing and growth through energy transfer and alteration in perception.
Ketamine has shown to be a catalyst that expands the mind in the experience of a new way of being. Entrenched ways of thinking and perceiving can be dissolved during the process of ego dissolution and sensing that one is a part of something greater.
The expansion of one’s mind often coincides with a change in perspective and opens a space for healing on a deep level. Whether you experience a mystical journey or just a welcomed feeling of distance between yourself and the depression, you can enjoy this opportunity to consider your life and its challenges from a new angle. You may be able to notice what it’s like not to feel burdened by your problems and appreciate the newfound space you feel. There is a lightness that comes when your true Self is separated from the pain of your depression and anxiety.
Explore wisdom and lessons you might be able to glean from your internal source. Enjoy this opportunity to consider your life and its challenges from a new angle. Open your heart and mind. Experience the relief.
Integration is Essential to the Ketamine Journey
Along with my Team of professionals at Lake View Psychotherapy, we offer Ketamine therapy in a very unique format to our patients. We have a collaborative approach where the physician and therapist combine talents, enabling patients to be accompanied by compassionate and caring guides on their healing journey into health and wellness.
We consider steady support and reflective integration essential components of the transformational Ketamine journey. Processing at every stage of treatment deepens, lengthens, and amplifies Ketamine effects. Processing aids in consolidation of the awakened mind, heart, spirit, and body. When integration and processing is combined with Ketamine, change can be accelerated and more meaningful. This is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Cost of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
We do not bill insurance for K.A.P. or any aspect of this treatment. All payment is made directly to our office based on fees set. You may choose to proceed with the usual course of treatment, which consists of about 6-8 sessions in the initial phase with periodic booster sessions as follow-up. Or you may opt for a partial course of treatment. We may also customize your treatment if your needs are unique. We will discuss this with you and develop a plan that is most likely to be helpful.
In general, our fees are:
Initial Assessment (90 minutes) $450 each
K.A.P. (Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy) Sessions (3-4 hours) $650-1200 each
Psychotherapy/Integration Sessions (60 minutes) $175 each
Your Journey Begins Here
To schedule a KAP Consultation appointment or to request additional information, you may:
Email us at: drjamesfallen@gmail.com
Call our office at (757) 552-0884.