At Innate Wisdom Psychiatry & Wellness, our integrative model also includes interventional psychiatric treatments such as ketamine.

Although ketamine can be used for psychiatric symptom reduction only, we believe that it is best administered in conjunction with therapy (Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy or KAP). Although we do not offer KAP at this time, we provide ketamine treatment evaluations and prescribing for individuals who are working directly with an outside therapist experienced in ketamine therapy. If you do not have one, you can utilize our referral network.

Ketamine is a pharmaceutical anesthetic invented in 1962 and widely used in the medical field. It is an extremely safe anesthetic medication. Since the year 2000, research has grown supporting Ketamine’s beneficial effects as an “off label” treatment for mental health conditions such as treatment resistant depression, suicidal ideation, bipolar disorders, anxiety, PTSD, and substance abuse.

Ketamine has dissociative effects that can disrupt the repetitive thought loops and conditioned patterns of thinking which are characteristic in many mental disorders. Often people feel decreased symptoms, as well as increased self awareness, choice, and a more flexible relationship with their symptoms. Ketamine is also known for its rapid effects, and many patients typically feel relief within days or even a few hours. One downside of ketamine is that the effects can also wear off quickly, although this can be dependent on different factors such as dose, number of treatments, and timing of treatments. Combining it with therapy is thought to mitigate this effect, producing more lasting change.

Ketamine has been shown to increase neuroplasticity by releasing a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps nerve cells survive, grow, mature, and maintain themselves. Undergoing therapy in the 24-72 hours after a ketamine sessions seems to work synergistically with its physical effects, allowing people to work through current or historic stressful or traumatic experiences in a more open and less defensive way. For some, this insight can foster more accelerated positive change.

We will work together to complete a medical evaluation for ketamine treatment and prescribe oral ketamine if appropriate, for use in a KAP setting with your therapist. Additionally, we can help to educate you about the ketamine experience, its mechanism of action, dosing guidelines, interaction effects with other medications, and about important themes related to ketamine and mental health treatment.

Please reach out to Innate Wisdom Psychiatry & Wellness today or make an appointment to learn more about an expert consultation for ketamine treatment management.