How Can Ketamine Help Depression?

Who is ketamine therapy for? Some people need more than just talk therapy or daily medication. Psychiatric medications can be hard to balance and frustrating to troubleshoot, and talk therapy can only do so much to help you break through your boundaries. Although it isn’t often spoken of, depression often resists treatment, and the results we get from traditional therapy can be underwhelming and disappointing. 

If this sounds like you, this is no call for despair. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy has shown great promise in treating patients who suffer from treatment-resistant depression. But how do you know if it’s right for you?

Can Ketamine Help My Depression? 

There is actually a long history of study into the efficacy of ketamine as a mental health treatment. Because of its status as a legal medical treatment rather than a heavily restricted narcotic, there’s a relatively vast understanding of ketamine’s psychological benefits. Notably, we’ve come to understand that ketamine has shown huge benefits for patients who suffer from treatment-resistant depression.

• Is It Legal To Do Ketamine Therapy In Florida? Ketamine has been shown to be safe for off-label treatment of mental illness. In Florida, it is legal to receive ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) from a qualified practitioner. 
• How Do Expansive Therapies Work? Expansive therapies like KAP engage with our unconscious mind through the biological and creative processes of the mind. Expansive therapies encompass a variety of therapeutic approaches, and ketamine therapy specifically uses the experience of ketamine to allow patients to zoom out on their conscious thoughts and re-pattern their negative thinking. 
• Why Try Psychedelic Therapy? There’s a lot of modern cultural baggage that comes along with the word psychedelic, but humans have been benefiting from these treatments for thousands of years. For patients who are seeking escape from their old patterns, tired of the way things have been, and ready to take the next step, psychedelics can open the door to growth. That is because they allow you to grow new neural pathways in the brain.  

What Are The Risks Of Ketamine Therapy? 

• High blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, you will need to get approval from your primary care physician before participating in ketamine assisted psychotherapy. This is because Ketamine slightly increases blood pressure. 
• Schizophrenia. The dissociative effects of ketamine can be detrimental to patients with a history of schizophrenia or psychosis because the ketamine will exacerbate symptoms of psychosis.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Ketamine is typically not recommended for use during pregnancy because there haven’t been enough studies done on humans to assure its safety and effectiveness. That is why it is best to avoid ketamine while pregnant or breastfeeding. 

How Does Ketamine Therapy Work?

“The best thing for being sad is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”  T. H. White, “The Once and Future King”

Ketamine targets the underlying causes of mental illness rather than merely addressing its symptoms. Its rapid antidepressant and mood-enhancing properties go beyond temporary relief. Ketamine also promotes neuroplasticity, helping the brain form new synaptic connections, which can lead to long-term healing and greater emotional resilience. Over time, this allows for a more adaptive, healthier brain that can better cope with stress and challenges.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) combines the therapeutic potential of ketamine with talk therapy to facilitate deeper healing and personal growth. Think of your brain like a ski slope—over years of repetitive thinking, grooves form in the snow, just as repetitive thought patterns take root in your mind. Ketamine acts like a fresh snowfall, smoothing out these old grooves, and giving you the opportunity to explore new pathways. This “new snow” clears the way for new ways of thinking, which allows for a better way of understanding yourself, and healthier ways of processing your emotions.

What makes KAP so powerful is the combination of the ketamine and the support from your therapist. This process helps you break free from rigid, long-standing thought patterns and helps you to become more adaptable and resilient.  By gently challenging entrenched beliefs and behaviors, KAP can lead to profound shifts in self-awareness, emotional regulation, and mental clarity. 

Where To Get Ketamine Assisted Therapy In St. Petersburg?

Integrative Counsel offers Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in partnership with Journey Clinical. Journey Clinical takes care of the medical portion of treatment, like prescribing the medication and determining medical eligibility, while we take care of the therapeutic portion of the experience, giving you the space to set intentions before you take the ketamine, and to help you work through and integrate what comes up during your dosing session. 

The process begins with a medical intake from the Journey Clinical team, and a psychological intake from the Integrative Counsel team. If you are eligible, you will get prescribed the medication through Journey Clinical, and start your preparation session with Integrative Counsel to set your intentions and determine what you want to work on during the dosing session. Then, you will have a 3-hour long dosing session which will mostly be an internal process, however, your therapist will be there in case anything needs to be processed in the moment. After the dosing session, you will have an integration session where you will review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during the dosing session, and  prepare for the next dosing session.

 If you feel stuck on your healing journey, working with a KAP therapist can help. Based on your needs, our intake specialist will help you get matched up with your perfect therapist. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.