Ketamine Therapy: A Revolutionary Approach to Mental Health Treatment
Ketamine therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking treatment option for those suffering from a variety of mental health conditions. Innate has a national reputation and is trusted by numerous psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists to care for their most vulnerable clients with competence and compassion. Our evidence-based protocols help you reclaim your life and wellbeing.
What is Ketamine? Understanding This Powerful Therapeutic Modality
You may wonder, "Isn't ketamine an abused club drug? How can it help with mental health?" Despite misconceptions, ketamine's impressive safety record and therapeutic effectiveness have earned it a place on the "World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines."
Ketamine was FDA-approved for anesthesia in the 1970s, but around 2000, clinicians discovered its remarkable therapeutic potential: in many patients, ketamine provides a profound and rapid antidepressant effect that lasts much longer than the medicine itself, which clears from the system within hours. This unique property makes ketamine therapy unlike any other treatment available today.
What can ketamine treat?
Ketamine therapy has shown remarkable effectiveness in treating multiple mental health conditions, offering hope where traditional treatments have failed:
Ketamine for Depression: Including treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder
Ketamine for Anxiety Disorders: Providing relief from debilitating anxiety symptoms
Ketamine for Postpartum Depression: Supporting mothers through this challenging time
Ketamine for Existential Anxiety: Helping those facing terminal illness find peace
Ketamine for PTSD: Breaking through trauma patterns that conventional therapies cannot reach
Ketamine for OCD: Reducing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
Ketamine treatment has demonstrated effectiveness where other approaches have failed.
For many individuals, ketamine therapy becomes an integral part of a comprehensive treatment plan that may include psychotherapy, conventional medications, lifestyle interventions, and complementary modalities like EMDR or TMS.
Our Ketamine Clinic, San Rafael
The Ketamine Therapy Experience: What to Expect
Treatment duration
Unlike daily psychiatric medications, ketamine is administered intermittently. After our team determines that ketamine therapy is appropriate for you, we typically begin with an "induction" phase—several ketamine treatments over a 2-6 week period—followed by a "maintenance" phase with less frequent sessions.
How we give ketamine
Ketamine therapy can be delivered through various methods:
IV Ketamine Infusions: Our primary delivery method, providing precise dosing
Ketamine Lozenges: For certain patients and situations
Intramuscular Ketamine Injections: When appropriate for your specific needs
During IV ketamine infusions, we place a tiny catheter in your vein, and the medicine infuses over approximately 40 minutes. To enhance your ketamine experience, we offer eye shades and curated music through headphones, creating an environment conducive to healing and introspection.
Ketamine Experience
Ketamine treatment sessions typically last two hours. The ketamine experience creates a unique state of consciousness unlike ordinary awareness—often described as dream-like or meditative.
Our specialized ketamine therapists provide expert guidance during these journeys, helping you extract maximum therapeutic benefit while feeling supported and secure. Our ketamine treatment suites are designed for comfort and tranquility, resembling a peaceful living room rather than a clinical setting.
Under the effects of ketamine, you may experience vivid imagery that varies with each session. Many find ketamine sessions enjoyable and insightful, though experiences differ. After ketamine therapy, you'll return to normal consciousness within about 45 minutes after the infusion ends. Some patients experience mild dizziness or nausea that typically resolves within hours.