Imagine waking up and feeling lighter, even for a few hours, after years of feeling weighed down. For many people living with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or chronic pain, that idea sounds almost too good to believe, especially after one medication after another has fallen short. We understand that doubt. We also see what happens when the right treatment is paired with the right support, and that is why we want to answer the questions that bring people to us.
At Renew Ketamine Infusion, we provide physician-led ketamine therapy combined with integrative psychotherapy at our locations in San Juan Capistrano, Seal Beach, and Tustin. Below, we take the four questions we hear most and answer each one honestly: can ketamine therapy help with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain?
Can Ketamine Therapy Help With Treatment-Resistant Depression?
For many people, yes. Treatment-resistant depression describes depression that has not improved after two or more antidepressants. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone, and it does not mean you are out of options.
Ketamine has been shown to be extremely effective and safe for patients with depression, including treatment-resistant depression. One of the biggest differences is speed. Ketamine can reduce depressive symptoms rapidly, within 2 to 8 hours, while traditional antidepressants often take weeks to months to work.
The contrast does not stop at speed. Many traditional antidepressants come with side effects such as reduced libido, weight gain, GI upset, and mood disturbances. They also tend to require daily use for months to years, and even when they work, some people stay on them for the long term. Ketamine is different in how we use it. It is not a medication meant to be taken for the rest of your life. Our goal is sustained relief after a set treatment plan, and in most patients, treatment has been shown to lead to resolution of symptoms without the need for further medications. Additional enhancement sessions are available as needed.
We also pay attention to a gap that many people fall into. A significant subset of patients do not get meaningful relief from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. We think of ketamine as a catalyst. It stimulates a patient’s innate capacity for psychological healing, and when you pair it with therapists trained to work with neuroplastic therapies, it can open the door to deep psychological healing and real breakthroughs.
Before we recommend any treatment, we also look for other explanations. Our physicians screen for vitamin and thyroid problems that can mimic depression, because treating the wrong cause helps no one. If you would like to learn more about our approach, visit our page on ketamine therapy for depression.
Can Ketamine Therapy Help With Anxiety?
Anxiety is often treated with medications that work poorly, carry addictive properties, or cause side effects such as brain fog and drowsiness. Over time, many of those treatments lose their effect and provide only temporary relief. If that has been your experience, it is reasonable to look for something different.
When ketamine is combined with our integrative psychotherapy, it can lead to significant relief of anxiety. The therapy part matters as much as the medicine. During the integration process that follows, patients often gain a better understanding of their anxiety and learn to reframe many of the triggers that provoke it.
There is also a biological side to the story. Ketamine has properties that allow for rewiring of the brain, including new synapse formation and repair of existing synapses. In practical terms, that gives people room to change patterns that felt fixed. We often hear that patients come away feeling they have the power to heal from within and to take control of their relationship with anxiety.
If anxiety is your main concern, our page on ketamine therapy for anxiety goes deeper into what treatment looks like.
Can Ketamine Therapy Help With PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a major public health concern. It affects up to 7% of Americans, and as many as half of all Americans with PTSD get inadequate relief from traditional treatments, which include antidepressants, antipsychotics, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Ketamine combined with psychotherapy has been shown to be very effective at reducing the symptoms of PTSD, and the effects last well beyond its near-immediate relief. Researchers have proposed many mechanisms for how ketamine works in PTSD, and the science continues to develop.
We want to be clear about one point, because it is a common worry. Ketamine will not make you forget your trauma. What it can do is allow you to reacquaint yourself with what happened from an emotionally neutral perspective. You can acknowledge that it occurred without being continually re-traumatized by thinking about it. Depending on the patient, outcomes can be noticed almost immediately, with a sense of lightness and joy. Ketamine followed by psychotherapy has been shown to lead to significant relief from the burdens of PTSD.
That sequence is why we do not treat ketamine as a stand-alone answer. The medication creates an opening, and psychotherapy helps you use it. You can read more on our page about ketamine therapy for PTSD.
Can Ketamine Therapy Help With Chronic Pain?
This is the question where we believe in giving the most careful answer. Our co-founder, Dr. Justin Yanuck, is a Board Certified Pain Medicine Physician. From personal experience, he has had patients with chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, who found significant relief of their symptoms with ketamine-assisted therapy. He is equally direct about the limits. Ketamine-assisted therapy will definitely not work for everyone with chronic pain, and each patient needs a thorough evaluation to make sure they are an adequate candidate for a trial.
The research is still growing. The current evidence for ketamine-assisted therapy in chronic pain is fairly mixed, and most studies looked only at ketamine without any assisted psychotherapy. Ketamine can provide relief on its own, and the mechanisms for this have been well studied. Even so, we feel strongly that its real potential, especially for people with chronic pain, comes when it is combined with psychotherapy. Therapy gives you space to process the experience and to build new psychological frameworks for handling both internal and external stimuli.
Pain is complex, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is not one-size-fits-all. Our treatment plan gives people with treatment-resistant chronic pain, and even those with opiate dependence, a chance to try a different approach. Because we treat both mental health and chronic pain conditions, we can look at the whole picture, since pain and mood often affect each other. To see how we approach this locally, visit our page on chronic pain treatment in Orange County.
Why Psychotherapy Is Part of Every Treatment Plan
You may have noticed the same idea in every answer above. We believe ketamine is an important tool in the healing process, and that an integrated psychotherapy program is just as important. Many ketamine clinics only recommend working with a therapist. We require it, and we give you access to experts in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
In practice, that means your care does not end when your treatment session does. After treatment, you meet with a psychotherapist, either your own or one we work with, to help process the experience. Our team also provides workbook exercises, free weekly Reset Sessions that focus on gratitude, meditation, and breathwork, and regular check-ins with our clinical team. If you want more support, we offer optional coaching programs. Everything is designed so that the relief you feel can become lasting change.
What Treatment Looks Like at Renew
It helps to know what to expect before you decide. Here is how it works:
- A free exploration call. You speak with a specialized Renew team member about treatment options and eligibility and get your questions answered.
- A virtual physician consultation. A specialty-trained Renew physician reviews your medical history, goes through a thorough medical evaluation, and builds an individualized treatment plan. We do not believe in giving everyone the same dose and the same number of treatment sessions.
- Scheduling your sessions. For IV ketamine, treatment is typically 2 sessions a week for 3 weeks. Spravato follows its own FDA treatment guide.
- Your treatment session. A nurse places a small IV in your arm, and the treatment runs over 40 minutes. You relax in a recliner in a private, spa-like setting with an eye mask, noise-canceling headphones, and a curated playlist. A staff member stays with you the entire time, and you can pause or stop at any point.
- Integration. You meet with your psychotherapist and continue with the support described above.
Plan on about 1.5 to 2 hours for an IV ketamine visit and 2 to 2.5 hours for Spravato. You will need a ride home, because ketamine can leave you tired and affect your judgment and your ability to drive for the rest of the day. We recommend no food for 4 hours before treatment and only small sips of water within 2 hours. Most people return to normal activities the next day, though heightened emotions can last for a few days.
Many patients notice effects within hours, and those effects can last a month or more. Ketamine is well tolerated, but you may experience nausea, impaired coordination, dissociation, or confusion during treatment.
Is Ketamine Therapy Safe, and Who Should Not Receive It?
We consider ketamine safe for almost everyone, and it is a medicine that has been used widely and daily for its safety profile for pain control. Safety still depends on the right screening, which is why every patient has a physician evaluation first.
Ketamine is not right for people with uncontrolled blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, active substance abuse where withdrawal could be deadly (such as benzodiazepines or alcohol), a history of brain bleed, blood vessel aneurysm, or arteriovenous malformation, psychosis, active mania, delusions, or hallucinations, acute suicidal ideation, an allergy to ketamine, untreated thyroid disease, or glaucoma. If you are unsure whether something applies to you, ask us. We review your medications with you in detail, and most can be taken throughout the program.
We also take addiction and misuse seriously. The existing data does not show evidence of ketamine being addictive, and our staff monitors you throughout treatment. We only promote the therapeutic, safe, and legal use of ketamine under the supervision of our medical team.
What If Ketamine Does Not Work for Me?
We would rather tell you the truth than make a promise we cannot keep. Up to 20% of patients can be non-responders. To track your progress together, we encourage the use of mood assessment tools through Osmind, a platform we partner with. It also makes scheduling easier and lets you share your progress with your primary care providers if you choose.
If treatment is not helping, we work with you to find alternative care. You are never charged up front for sessions, only per session.
Your Next Step: Start With a Conversation
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain can make it hard to believe that things can change. Ketamine therapy does not work for everyone, but for many people who have not found relief elsewhere, it opens a path that medication alone did not. The best way to find out whether it can help you is to talk with a physician who looks at your whole situation.
We offer a free exploration call and a free physician consultation, and we offer next-day or same-week intakes because we know that waiting is hard. Our team stays directly reachable between sessions. You can call us at (949) 503-1414 or email info@renewketamineinfusion.com. We are open Monday to Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm, or by appointment.
Schedule your free exploration call today, and let us help you take the next step toward renewing your outlook.
