Ketamine Therapy for PTSD: A New Treatment

April 8, 2022· Updated January 9, 2025Ketamine Therapy Basics· Reviewed by Mai Shimada, MD

TL;DR:

PTSD is a challenging condition affecting 6% of the population, with traditional medications often ineffective and having side effects.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) shows promise in treating PTSD by altering brain chemistry and strengthening neuropathways.
KAP has immediate effects on depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, with studies showing significant improvement in PTSD symptoms.
KAP is safe under proper supervision, with low risk of addiction, and can be tailored to individual patient needs.
ISHA offers KAP in a comfortable and supervised setting, combining counseling with the benefits of ketamine for treating PTSD.

PTSD is a challenging psychiatric condition that occurs as a result of being exposed to after a very stressful, frightening or distressing event, or after a prolonged traumatic experience. It's linked to both cognitive and functional impairments. It affects about 6% of the population. According to the studies, eight percent of women and four percent of men have PTSD. Unfortunately, traditional medications such as anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications aren't very effective for PTSD and come with many side effects. However, in recent years Ketamine-Assisted therapy has shown promise in clinical trials for PTSD and other trauma-related disorders.

What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy?

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is a unique kind of psychotherapy. This is a combined approach that uses ketamine a drug belonging to the group of Psychedelics and counseling. This combination has the potential to hasten the growth and change process. Sessions are longer than standard therapy and include medical and psychological assistance to ensure that you are well taken care of during your treatment.

Why PTSD Patients Should Consider Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy has the potential to revolutionize PTSD therapy. According to several studies, counseling and traditional medications such as antidepressants are often ineffective in treating the deep-rooted trauma that many people experience. But with KAPsymptoms aren't just suppressed. Rather, a chemical alteration happens in the brain, allowing PTSD patients to perceive thoughts in a new light. Ketamine can assist in reprogramming the mind and opening new doors in the brain by strengthening different neuropathways [1].

That is because Ketamine improves neuroplasticity by boosting the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor [2], which can help reverse the loss of neuronal connection caused by chronic PTSD. Second, ketamine inhibits glutamate receptors, a neurotransmitter linked to excitotoxicity and inflammation in the brain, which can be an issue in PTSD [3].

Additionally, Ketamine has an immediate effect on depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation, which are all symptoms of PTSD. Suicidal thoughts have been shown in clinical trials to disappear after just one ketamine treatment, which many people with PTSD require. No other PTSD treatment has ever demonstrated such quick efficacy. A study conducted by Dore et al showed that people who underwent Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy reported significant improvement in their PTSD symptoms [4].

Furthermore, studies suggest that Ketamine, unlike standard antidepressants, strengthens and rebuilds the neuronal circuitry in your brain. This permits your brain's nerves to communicate more effectively, potentially softening negative ideas, sensations, and experiences. The chemical makeup of your brain alters, allowing true healing to take place [5].

As far as the safety of KAP is concerned, Ketamine is a safe treamtn for PTSD patients under proper supervision. KAP uses a sub-dissociative dose of ketamine lozenges to facilitate psychotherapy.

By combining the medication with psychotherapy, patients tend to experience significantly faster improvements of symptoms compared to traditional psychotherapy where patients experience improvement of symptoms after months or even years. Given the limited number of ketamine prescribed, a low dosage, and continuous monitoring, the risk of addiction under clinical supervision is very low.

The treatment can be tailored to the specific needs of each patient, depending on different factors. Pandemic forces many psychotherapists including KAP practitioners to go online.

ISHA may be able to help you get through PTSD with ketamine assisted therapy.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy At ISHA

At ISHA, we have professional psychotherapists and physicians who collaborate with physicians in monitoring and supervision patients during treatment. Our therapy clinic combines our caring and results-driven approach to counseling with the potent effects of the only legally available psychedelic medication proven to help treat depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We provide this service in the comfort of your own home, supervised by medical professionals to ensure your safety during treatment.

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References

Feder A, Parides MK, Murrough JW, et al. Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014;71(6):681–688. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.62.
Angelucci F, Ricci V, Gelfo F, et al. BDNF serum levels in subjects developing or not post-traumatic stress disorder after trauma exposure. Brain Cogn. 2014;84(1):118‐122. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2013.11.012
Huang YJ et al. New Treatment Strategies of Depression: Based on Mechanisms Related to Neuroplasticity. Neural Plast. 2017; 2017:4605971.
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.
driana Feder, Sara Costi, Sarah B. Rutter, Abigail B. Collins, Usha Govindarajulu, Manish K. Jha, Sarah R. Horn, Marin Kautz, Morgan Corniquel, Katherine A. Collins, Laura Bevilacqua, Andrew M. Glasgow, Jess Brallier, Robert H. Pietrzak, James W. Murrough, Dennis S. Charney. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Repeated Ketamine Administration for Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2021; appi.ajp.2020.2 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20050596

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Considering ketamine therapy? Isha Health offers physician-led at-home treatment with an 88.8% improvement rate. Check appointment availability.

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Person in a calm room during an at-home ketamine therapy session for PTSD

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