Ketamine and PTSD: A New Kind of Path Toward Healing

Living with PTSD can feel overwhelming, especially when therapy or medication brings only partial relief. Emerging research shows that ketamine therapy may provide fast, meaningful improvement in PTSD symptoms, including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and sleep problems. By working on the brain’s glutamate system, ketamine helps “reset” how the brain responds to trauma, offering hope for those who haven’t found success with traditional treatments.

If you’ve experienced trauma, whether from combat, abuse, an accident, or another deeply painful event, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) can feel like it’s taken over your life. Whether it’s memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness, these aren’t just in your head; they interfere with your daily life. Many people try therapy, medication, or other treatments, but sometimes relief is slow or incomplete. That’s where ketamine is starting to offer hope.

What Is Ketamine and How Could It Help?

Ketamine has been used in medicine for a long time (originally as an anesthetic), but only more recently have researchers begun to explore how it might help with psychiatric conditions like PTSD. Instead of targeting the usual brain chemicals we hear about, like serotonin or dopamine, ketamine works on the glutamate system. One key effect is on something called NMDA receptors, which are involved in how our brain remembers fear, threat, and trauma.

What researchers seem to be finding is that ketamine may help “open a window” in the brain, making it more flexible, more capable of relearning how to respond to traumatic memories. In some studies, patients treated with ketamine had less fear, fewer nightmares, less avoidance, better mood, and improvements in other PTSD symptoms.

What the Evidence Shows

In a major study from Mount Sinai, people with chronic PTSD got repeated ketamine infusions. Within two weeks, about 67% of the ketamine group saw a 30% or more drop in symptoms, compared to only about 20% in a control group. Patients noticed improvements quickly, some 24 hours after just one infusion, and the improvements lasted for almost a month on average.

A newer meta-analysis study looked at various trials and found that ketamine produced significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, especially in people with more longstanding PTSD. The effects were strongest around one week after treatment in many cases.

There’s also emerging evidence that combining ketamine with trauma-focused psychotherapy might make the improvement more robust. For instance, one pilot study showed that a single ketamine infusion plus several days of exposure therapy helped patients reduce the power of traumatic memories and improve PTSD symptoms more than therapy alone in some measures.

In an article published by the University of Florida earlier this year, patients treated in community clinics with PTSD reported improvements in sleep, fewer triggers, less anxiety, and better quality of life after ketamine treatments. Many also felt that ketamine helped them emotionally disconnect from overwhelming parts of their trauma long enough to process things more safely.

What to Expect in Treatment

If someone is considering ketamine for PTSD, here’s generally how the process goes—keep in mind, this can vary depending on clinic practices and individual situations:

  • Initial evaluation: You meet with a clinician or psychiatrist who evaluates your history, symptoms, how severe and long-standing your PTSD is, and whether there are risk factors (e.g. other medical or psychiatric issues).

     

  • Treatment plan: Infusions are given intravenously (IV) in many of the strongest studies; sometimes there are nasal or other forms. They are done under medical supervision.

     

  • Number & schedule: Some treatments involve just 1 infusion followed by therapy; others use repeated infusions over 1–2 weeks. The Mount Sinai study, for example, used 6 infusions over two weeks.

     

  • Monitoring: Because ketamine can have side effects (dissociation, mild hallucinations, temporary changes in perception or thinking, etc.), it’s done in settings where you’re observed, and recovery time is allowed.

     

  • Follow-up: After the acute phase, many people continue with additional infusions or therapy to maintain gains. Studies suggest symptoms can stay improved for several weeks, but more research is needed to see how long that lasts for different people.

 

Things to Know: Benefits and Limits

The Benefits:

  • Rapid relief: Much faster than many traditional PTSD treatments, which often take weeks or months to see major change.
  • Broader symptom relief: Not just fewer flashbacks or nightmares, but also improvements in mood, sleep, anxiety, and avoidance behavior.
  • Works when other treatments have been tried: Many participants in studies had long-term PTSD and didn’t respond well to other meds or therapy.

 

The Limits:

  • Effects may fade: Many people relapse or notice symptoms return over time unless ongoing treatment or maintenance is planned.
  • Not everyone responds: Some people see big changes, others smaller. It depends on things like how long someone has had PTSD, whether they’re also getting therapy, and individual health conditions.

 

Side effects and risk: Because ketamine is a powerful medication, it can temporarily distort perception, cause dissociation, or have cardiovascular effects. It must be given under medical supervision. Some caution is needed, especially if there are other health risks.

Is Ketamine Right for Me?

If you:

  • Have PTSD that has been going on for a long time,

  • Have tried other treatments (therapy, meds) but still carry heavy symptoms,

  • Are open to working with a team that closely monitors what’s happening,

Then, ketamine could be one more tool in your healing journey.

Living with PTSD can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face it alone. For many, ketamine treatments offer relief, sometimes fast relief, and open a door to greater healing. 

If you decide this is something you want to explore, rest assured: all ketamine treatments here are administered by and monitored under Dr. Ashford and his dedicated, experienced staff. Your safety, comfort, and well-being are top priority. We’ll walk with you through evaluation, treatment, and follow-up, taking care of every detail so you feel supported every step of the way.

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