Living with chronic pain can be exhausting, especially when medications, physical therapy, injections, or other treatments have only provided temporary relief. Chronic pain can also affect your sleep, mood, energy, and overall quality of life. Because of this, treating the physical pain alone may not always be enough.
That is where CTK therapy for chronic pain may offer a different approach. CTK combines TMS and ketamine therapy to target areas of the brain involved in both pain and mental health. Research on this combination is still developing, but early results are promising for people with complex or treatment-resistant conditions.
Understanding Chronic Pain and Why It Can Be Difficult to Treat
Pain has an important job: it tells your brain when something may be wrong. However, with chronic pain, the nervous system can sometimes continue sending strong pain signals even after an injury has healed.
Chronic pain and depression are also closely connected. Some of the same areas of the brain that affect how we experience pain are involved in mood, attention, and repetitive negative thoughts.
This can create a difficult cycle. Pain may contribute to depression, while depression can make pain feel harder to cope with.
That is one reason chronic pain and depression treatment may be more effective when it looks at both physical symptoms and mental health.
What Is CTK Therapy?
CTK combines two treatments: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and ketamine therapy.
TMS uses gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain. It is commonly used to target areas involved in mood and may also affect the way the brain processes pain.
Ketamine works differently. It affects a brain chemical called glutamate and may help the brain form new connections. This ability to change and build new pathways is known as neuroplasticity.
At Satori Clinic, combined TMS and ketamine therapy is provided through an individualized and medically supervised treatment plan.
How CTK Therapy May Help with Chronic Pain
The idea behind CTK therapy for chronic pain is that TMS and ketamine may support each other in different ways.
TMS may help change how the brain responds to pain signals. Ketamine may help calm certain pain pathways while also making it easier for the brain to form healthier patterns.
Together, these treatments may help interrupt some of the ongoing pain, stress, and negative thought patterns that can develop when someone has been living with chronic pain for a long time.
A review published in Psychiatric Times looked at how TMS and ketamine may affect several connected areas of the brain involved in depression, neuropathic pain, and substance use disorders. This study suggests that targeting more than one of these brain systems may be helpful for people with complex symptoms that have been difficult to treat.
Ketamine is also being studied on its own for several types of ongoing pain. Learn more about ketamine therapy for chronic pain including its possible use for neuropathic pain, CRPS, fibromyalgia, and other conditions.
Other Conditions CTK Therapy May Help Address
Treatment-Resistant Depression
Treatment-resistant depression is one of the areas with the strongest research behind the combined approach.
A 2024 systematic review looked at studies using both TMS and ketamine for people whose depression had not improved enough with traditional treatments. The results were promising, although researchers also noted that larger studies are still needed.
For people exploring ketamine for treatment-resistant conditions, CTK may be another option when medications or individual treatments have not provided enough relief.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain happens when nerves are damaged or are not working properly. It can cause symptoms such as burning, tingling, shooting pain, numbness, or sensitivity to touch.
Ketamine may help reduce some of the overactive pain signals associated with neuropathic pain. TMS may also influence the areas of the brain that control how pain is felt and processed.
Research suggests ketamine can reduce neuropathic pain for some patients, although results can vary from person to person.
Substance Use Disorders
Addiction can also involve brain systems connected to reward, self-control, cravings, and repetitive thoughts.
Early research suggests that combining TMS and ketamine may affect some of these systems and could potentially help reduce cravings or unhealthy thought patterns. However, more research is needed before CTK can be considered an established treatment for substance use disorders.
Why a Multimodal Approach Can Help
Chronic pain and mental health conditions are often complicated. There may not be one single treatment that addresses every part of the problem.
That is why multimodal mental health treatment can be helpful. Instead of relying on only one therapy, providers can combine different treatments based on each person’s symptoms and needs.
At Satori, this may include CTK along with treatments such as nutrient therapy, lidocaine infusions, lifestyle changes, and other supportive options when appropriate.
The goal is to look at the full picture and create a treatment plan that supports both physical and mental health.
Is CTK Therapy Right for You?
CTK may be an option for people living with chronic pain, treatment-resistant depression, or other difficult-to-treat conditions, especially when more traditional treatments have not provided enough relief.
However, CTK is not right for everyone.
Before treatment begins, a medical provider should review your health history, medications, previous treatments, symptoms, and goals. This helps determine whether TMS, ketamine, CTK, or another treatment may be a good fit.
Explore CTK and Chronic Pain Treatment in Glenwood Springs
At Satori Clinic, Ryan Nau, CRNA, and the Satori team take an integrative approach to helping people with chronic pain and complex mental health concerns.
If you are looking for chronic pain treatment in Glenwood Springs, Satori serves patients throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and surrounding mountain communities, including Aspen and Vail.
Contact our team to schedule a consultation and learn whether CTK therapy could be part of your personalized treatment plan.
References
- Arubuolawe OO, et al. Combination of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2024.
- Best SRD. Combination Therapy With TMS and Ketamine for Depression, Neuropathic Pain, and Substance Use Disorder: A Network-Based Approach. Psychiatric Times. 2025.
- Bruna-Mejias A, et al. Use of Ketamine in Patients with Multifactorial Neuropathic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pharmaceuticals. 2024.
- Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic. Combined TMS and Ketamine Therapy.
- Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic. Ketamine Therapy for Chronic Pain.
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