Where is the evidence?

Over the past few decades, the psychological health sector’s research and development levels dedicated to furthering the capabilities of modern treatments have exponentially improved. 

As the field itself continues to evolve alongside its tools, techniques, and methods, the lives of millions of patients have seen tremendous improvements in their overall conditions. In the case of psychotherapy, constant advancements have allowed the field of study to progress in terms of remedying mental health issues that have persisted without cures for centuries.

If you’ve been meaning to help yourself or a loved one get treatment for a problem like PTSD, depression, or suicidal thoughts, then you’ve most likely tried using psychotherapy to recover and improve. While the treatment method itself can prove to be useful when it comes to making way for progress, greater results can be expected and achieved when ketamine is brought into the mix! 


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The support behind ketamine

While it may seem like a stretch at first, ketamine therapy is more than a mere science experiment, mental health fad, or outdated alternative to counseling. 

With a storied application in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and battlefields that extends to over half a century and counting, it seems as if the drug bears a point for consideration for mental health treatments. As the list of studies backing the breakthrough use of ketamine itself for various purposes grows, it’s clear that it has come a long way from its single-purpose image where it was only used to relieve physical pain.



How does it help with mental health?

Although ketamine is often associated with providing pain relief, scientific research has tied it to an abundance of benefits for one’s mental health, thanks to testing and constant development. 

Based on the findings of a growing number of studies, scientists have discovered that the drug in question possesses profound neuroregenerative effects on the brain. Neuroregeneration has been recognized as a crucial process in the recovery of mental health patients because of its ability to undo any damage that causes a decline in one’s psychological fitness.

Based on these scientific findings, ketamine has been proven to help form new connections that rebuild nerve cell connections and alleviate mood disorder symptoms. The ability to rebuild can lead to successful long-term recoveries because destroyed nerve cells are recognized as the catalysts for conditions such as chronic trauma, depression, and anxiety! 

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Putting the two together for the best results

Like psychotherapy, using ketamine treatments for mental health can lead to desirable outcomes when used correctly. Yet, it is capable of achieving even better results when paired with the aforementioned treatment.

Using the advantages of ketamine therapy and standard psychotherapy, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) helps spark mental health improvements through progressive treatments. The capability of this treatment to achieve marginally better results than either of its comprising approaches alone lies in two key factors:

  1. Conducting a guided psychotherapy session with a patient under a low dose of ketamine allows them to enter a trance-like state where they can interact freely with a therapist while utilizing the anti-depressant effects of the drug

  2. Psychotherapy provided before and after a ketamine treatment makes it easier to increase dosing for greater physiological change and makes way for conducive sessions even without mid-consumption interaction

With the two bases for function mentioned above, a patient will be able to better manage their health condition because KAP makes it easier to achieve progress by handling and approaching challenges more productively. Dr. Stephanie Lyn Coleman’s team, support patients to undergo the treatment method in question because of the wide range of benefits it provides, some of which are (but not limited to):

  • Constant symptom relief

  • Improved brain health and recovery (which also happens through induced plasticity that modifies cognitions and behaviors requiring synaptic plasticity)

  • Improved independence in mental health management

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Conclusion

Dealing with a mental health condition as best as possible will always require the right treatments to ensure the best results possible—this is where Ketamine-Assisted Therapy can be especially helpful. Through the use of KAP, you’ll be able to significantly improve the quality of treatment you’re getting and potentially increase the rate of your progress!

If you are interested in Ketamine Therapy in Santa Monica, LA, and the surrounding areas, then schedule a consultation today!