Ketamine Treatment: What to Expect from Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
If you’ve been searching for a ketamine treatment option and aren’t sure where to start, you’re not alone. Many people feel a mix of curiosity and uncertainty when they first hear about ketamine as a mental health treatment. That’s a completely understandable response to something unfamiliar. At Gladstone Psychiatry and Wellness, we offer Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), a treatment that pairs an FDA-approved medication with guided therapeutic support to help people move past patterns that have kept them feeling stuck.
Kristy Garcia, PMHNP-BC, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Gladstone Psychiatry and Wellness, recently joined WJZ’s Wellness Wednesday to explain how this ketamine treatment works and who it may help.
What Is Ketamine Treatment?
Ketamine itself isn’t new. It’s a medication that has been used safely for over 50 years, primarily for pain management and anesthesia. What is newer is its application in mental health care, where ketamine is valued for its effects on neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to form new connections and patterns of thought.
Garcia offers a helpful way to picture this: think of your usual thought patterns as trails worn into a ski mountain over time, shaped by childhood experiences and life events. Some of those trails lead toward anxious overthinking. Others lead toward negative self-talk. Under ketamine, it’s as if fresh snow covers those old trails, creating a temporary, clean slate to work with during therapy.
How Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Works
Ketamine treatment at Gladstone is administered through troches — a swish-and-discard method — always paired with therapeutic support. This is a key distinction: ketamine treatment for mental health isn’t simply about taking a medication. It’s about combining that medication with intentional, guided therapy.
During a session, ketamine is associated with increases in neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin, which can offer antidepressant effects and support a greater sense of emotional connection. Garcia describes this as “bonding glue.” With a clearer mental slate and stronger emotional openness, the therapeutic work that follows can go deeper.
Every session includes a specially trained psychedelic therapist who guides the client’s experience, helping customize the setting, such as music or environment, while a prescriber monitors vital signs and physical wellbeing throughout. This dual-support model means clients are cared for emotionally and physically at the same time.
Who Can Benefit from Ketamine Treatment?
According to Garcia, ketamine assisted psychotherapy can be a good option for many people, though those who tend to benefit most include people managing:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Past trauma
- A general sense of feeling stuck — whether that’s stuck in a treatment routine, a mindset, or a life circumstance
This can include people who have already tried traditional talk therapy or medication management without the progress they were hoping for. For those looking to explore a deeper sense of self and find more clarity in their path forward, ketamine treatment may offer a new way in.
Is Ketamine Treatment Right for You?
It’s normal to feel some hesitation about a treatment you’ve never tried before. Garcia emphasizes that this nervousness is a typical response, not a sign that ketamine treatment isn’t a fit. Speaking with a provider about your specific history and goals is the best way to find out whether KAP makes sense for your care plan.
If you’re curious whether ketamine assisted psychotherapy could help you move forward, the team at Gladstone Psychiatry and Wellness is here to talk through your options.
Learn more at gladstonepsych.com.
Gladstone Psychiatry and Wellness — care that meets you where you are.
