Understanding Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Jun 01, 2025
In recent years, there’s a growing interest in unconventional treatments for mental health, like ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Ketamine is an anesthetic that shows great promise in helping chronic mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Because this is a relatively new and unconventional treatment, you may not be that familiar with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and how it works. Our team at Greenwich Avenue Psychiatry in Greenwich, Connecticut, wants to explain what it is, how it works, and how it might benefit you.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is a therapeutic approach that combines the rapid-acting effects of ketamine with the structured support of talk therapy. It’s specifically designed for individuals who haven’t found relief through standard treatments like medications or psychotherapy.
While psychotherapy uses various techniques to improve emotional and psychological well-being, ketamine seems to enhance the brain’s ability to adapt and process emotions more effectively.
This combination may accelerate the healing process and uncover insights that may be difficult to access through talk therapy alone, one of the primary treatments for mental health disorders, using techniques to improve your emotional and psychological well-being.
Though ketamine traditionally has been used as an anesthetic for surgical procedures, growing research suggests that it may provide rapid relief from mental health symptoms that are the result of treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety, and addiction.
We provide ketamine treatment as an infusion or as a nasal spray. Because ketamine is a sedative and hallucinogenic, we always provide the treatments at our office under close medical supervision.
Though researchers are still uncertain how ketamine works, they theorize that the drug blocks neurotransmitters and increases brain chemicals like glutamate, which play a role in mood regulation. These changes may lead to the formation of new neural pathways, potentially promoting a more flexible and resilient brain.
After receiving treatment, you engage in talk therapy, where we reflect on your experience, process emotional breakthroughs, and reinforce new perspectives.
We offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy because of its unique advantages for folks struggling with difficult-to-treat mental health conditions. Some of the most notable benefits include:
Unlike traditional treatments, which may take weeks to show effects, ketamine can provide relief within hours. This quick response is a game-changer for those in crisis or experiencing extreme symptoms, offering hope and motivation to continue with treatment.
Ketamine allows you to take a closer look at yourself, giving you access to memories, emotions, and thought patterns that are difficult to reach. With support from your therapist, you can explore these insights in a safe and structured way, leading to momentous breakthroughs and healing.
Ketamine may stimulate new neural connections in the brain, called neuroplasticity. This rewiring of neural pathways may help address the underlying causes of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, providing long-lasting improvements even after the effects of ketamine wear off.
Determining if ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is right for you starts with an initial comprehensive consultation.
Though an innovative and exciting treatment for mental health conditions, it’s not a first-line intervention. We typically begin with traditional therapies and explore ketamine-assisted options when those aren’t enough or if symptoms are severe.
But if traditional treatments haven’t helped or you’re curious about KAP and how it might help you, we encourage you to reach out. Call our office today or book an appointment online to learn how this innovative therapy might support your mental health journey.