What is Ketamine?

Ketamine has been around for decades as one of the safest anesthetics in use.  In 2000 ketamine was shown also to have robust antidepressant effects within hours of administration and has emerged as a novel therapy for treatment-resistant depression as well as PTSD, OCD, and drug and alcohol addiction at doses a fraction (10-25%) of the doses used in anesthesia procedures, with side effects that are rare and typically mild and short-term.

What does Integrative Ketamine therapy look like?

By using Ketamine as a psychedelic and part of a completely integrative approach, profound insights from the psychedelic journey have the possibility to lead to real-life changes beyond the short-term relief ketamine provided. In this manner, Ketamine is not seen as a solution, rather a resource to potentiate our own capacity to heal through integrity and wholeness.

The focus becomes not on how ketamine will fix you, rather on how it will help you shift in thinking and consciousness to see the whole picture of your life and struggles in a new way. Permanent change happens when you have the support to make meaningful changes to how you care for yourself, your relationships, and feeling connected to meaningful values and work in our lives.

Types of Ketamine therapy we offer:

Oral Ketamine assisted therapy

Oral lozenges of 100-200mg are taken during a 2-hour psychotherapy session. This approach allows for normal defenses to be relaxed, reducing negative and rigid thinking which inhibit accessing of past trauma and grief. In this manner, new connections can be made that are otherwise difficult to access. This approach can lead to the resolution of issues that have been hard to address otherwise.

Intramuscular injection

We use an Intramuscular injection (IM) for treatment-resistant depression, which provides up to 95% bioavailability, as close to Intravenous (IV) administration as any other route. This provides a lower cost and ease of administration compared to IV administration.

IM administration also leads to a peak concentration in the brain which at select doses causes a psychedelic experience. By using ketamine in this way, we offer a combined opportunity for healing through the biological and the spiritual, and psychological effects of the medicine.

MDMA-Assisted psychotherapy for PTSD is showing dramatic results of full recovery in PTSD for Veteran’s. MDMA is a sympathomimetic, which means it boosts our capacity for compassion, forgiveness and full expression of grief such that in one to three sittings it is possible to have full resolution of lifelong unresolved trauma and grief.

MDMA-assisted therapy has garnered significant attention for its potential benefits in aiding mental health recovery. Research suggests that when used in a controlled therapeutic setting, MDMA can foster a deep sense of trust and emotional openness, enabling psychotherapists to guide clients through traumatic experiences.

Studies indicate that MDMA’s effects on the brain may help reduce fear responses while increasing feelings of empathy and connection, which can be especially valuable in treating conditions like PTSD. Clinical trials have demonstrated promising results, showing that MDMA-assisted therapy can lead to lasting improvements in symptoms and overall well-being. Currently phase 3 studies are completed and expected to be approved for medical use for the public by 2024 when we look forward to sharing this offering.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy has gained attention for its potential benefits in mental health treatment. Research suggests that when administered under controlled settings, psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms, can facilitate profound and transformative therapeutic experiences.

Studies indicate that psilocybin-assisted therapy may offer significant relief for individuals suffering from treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The therapy is thought to work by promoting neuroplasticity, enhancing emotional processing, and fostering introspection. Recent clinical studies are supporting the long-term efficacy and safety that support early findings for this innovative approach to mental health recovery.

Current research at Johns Hopkins and other leading academic institutions support the tremendous power of psilocybin mushrooms to help people heal from chronic depression and end-of-life anxiety in a single session. Participants in studies routinely state that this one experience was the most profound of their entire lives.

At Hope we are preparing for the use of this powerful natural medicine and look forward to sharing this offering for end-of-life anxiety and chronic depression when it is legally available for medical use in the coming years.