970-832-0800 [email protected]

Beyond Talk Therapy: Exploring Ketamine as a Tool for Healing PTSD

by | Jun 30, 2024 | PTSD

healing ptsd

Nearly every American will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives. Witnessing or being a victim of an accident, an assault, abuse, or a natural disaster can all be very traumatic. Participating in combat or being a first responder are some of the best-known ways people have exposure to trauma.  Having a serious health care crisis, being bullied, or living in an environment that is dangerous and unpredictable can also be sources of trauma.  It is normal to be reactive, to have difficulty sleeping, to experience a “fight-or-flight” response, or to replay the events in your mind.  Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition in which a person experiences symptoms long-term (more than one month).  PTSD can have significant impact on daily life and healing PTSD may involve numerous modalities and approaches.

Symptoms and Causes of PTSD 

Symptoms of PTSD can appear immediately after a traumatic event or years later.  In addition to those described above, symptoms can include emotional numbness, shame, guilt, rage/anger, panic attacks, anxiety, depression, flashbacks, hypervigilance, sleep disorders/nightmares and substance abuse/dependency. 

When exploring PTSD, we most often talk about it in the context of military service but there are lots of other ways that people can develop this disorder.  Trauma can be “simple” as in a single traumatic event like an automobile accident or an assault.  It can also be “complex” in which repeated events occur. Examples of traumatic events can include:

  • surviving an abusive relationship as an adult or child
  • being a first responder who cares for victims of trauma
  • experiencing a natural disaster, such as a devastating flood or tornado
  • being a victim of a mass casualty incident, such as a shooting or living in a conflict zone. 

How PTSD Affects Your Daily Life: Why Healing PTSD is so Important

Post-traumatic stress disorder can significantly impact your ability to live a healthy and productive life. Having untreated or inadequately treated PTSD can make it difficult to be in relationships or keep a job. Sometimes people will respond inappropriately to situations, reacting in a way that seems out of proportion to the situation at hand. For example, a person with PTSD might lash out angrily when a child drops something because the sound triggers a “fight-or-flight” response.

Recommended treatments for PTSD include:

  • talk therapy, specifically cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT
  • benzodiazepines like Valium or Ativan
  • antidepressants
  • sedatives. 

Some research has shown that “extinction” therapy, the idea of repeatedly exposing the individual to the traumatic memory, can help to extinguish the trigger. 

Healing PTSD can be a lengthy process.  Talk therapy by itself isn’t always the most effective way of addressing the symptoms. This is partly because the reactions become “hardwired” in the brain. Most medications work by slowing or partially suppressing the response.  However, they don’t really change the underlying pattern. Ketamine and other dissociative or psychedelic medicines can support changing the way a person with PTSD responds to triggers.   

How Ketamine Can Offer Hope for Treatment-Resistant PTSD 

Research has shown that a single ketamine infusion can result in a reduction in symptoms of PTSD when combined with an intensive exposure treatment.  Additional research has demonstrated that repeated ketamine therapy  produces a longer-lasting positive impact.  

How does ketamine work in healing PTSD?  Ketamine has the ability to promote changes in the connections between cells in the brain, a process known as neuroplasticity.  You can check out our neuroplasticity blog post here. The exciting part about this is that your brain has the ability to learn new things by building new pathways and accumulating new knowledge.  Ketamine can allow your brain to create a space to build new memories.   

At Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic, we see ketamine therapy as a pathway to healing PTSD.  Under the supervision of Dr. Tamara Stoner, a board-certified anesthesiologist and fellowship trained integrative medicine practitioner, ketamine is administered in a safe and supportive environment.  Dr. Stoner coordinates your care with your psychotherapist to help you work through the issues surrounding PTSD and move closer to living the quality of life you want. 

If you’re suffering from PTSD and want to move on with your life, contact us at 970-832-0800 or [email protected] to schedule a consultation. 

References