Your Guide to Healing with Holistic Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine works by targeting NMDA receptors within the brain. This assists in creating new pathways and generating new synapses that otherwise were damaged or not working as well due to mental and physical illnesses. People experiencing depression, anxiety, PTSD and various mental illnesses have neural pathways that are essentially damaged or not working optimally leaving people feeling “stuck”. These behaviors, compulsions, and thought distortions can keep them from fully experiencing and being present in their lives. Ketamine works to help create new neural pathways and activating synapses that can allow for drastic improvement in emotional symptoms caused by mood disorders, PTSD and depression.

An Intravenous Ketamine infusion is administered directly into the bloodstream over a series of 6 infusions provided over a 4 week period with each treatment session lasting about 60 minutes. During an IV ketamine infusion you are closely monitored by our highly experienced medical team led by Dr. Bawa who is a Board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. He has worked with the administration and management of Ketamine since 2002. At tHKI hospital-grade monitoring equipment is used to monitor your pulse, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Even though ketamine is incredibly safe, especially in low doses, tHKI takes extra precautions to ensure your safety and monitor your body's bio-feedback to maximize your experience.

Intramuscular Ketamine is injected directly into your muscle (usually the upper arm/shoulder) over a series of 8 injections over a 4-6 week period. Each treatment lasts approximately 45-50 minutes. With either IV or IM routes of treatment we provide time in our rejuvenation space to journal, meditate and relax. We will also eventually be providing opportunities for deconstruction of the ketamine session with our licensed therapists.

While other modalities for Ketamine are available, such as a nasal spray and oral troches, their bioavailability is significantly inferior to that of an IV or IM administration. The effects are much more limited and simply do not have the same efficacy as IM or IV dosing.

Yes, Ketamine is recognized as one the the safest, most widely used anesthetics in the world. It is approved for several medical uses in human and veterinary medicine and is the medication of choice for sedating young children due to its safety profile. The World Health Organization regards ketamine as an essential medication. Multiple studies have confirmed the efficacy of ketamine infusions for the treatment of mood disorders and various pain conditions.

We have contracted with PracticeQ, a Ketamine/Mental Health based electronic medical records platform, that will provide you with a HIPPA compliant, secure avenue to allow you to put in your medical history. This platform will also allow you to schedule your appointments, provide evaluation tools that allow you to follow and track your progress online, and allow you to contact the tHKI directly via a secure messaging line.

The effects of Ketamine will vary based upon each patient's own response to the treatment. Initial physical effects may include feelings of relaxation, warmth, openness, lowered defensiveness, empathy and increased capability for introspection. The client will have a black out blind fold on for a maximum sensory experience. Each client will be lying in a zero gravity chair with the option for a vibrating massage effect if they so choose. With higher doses, patients may experience an increasing disconnection from one’s body, which is often described as an out-of-body experience (disassociation) or ego dissolution (loss of individual identity, with simultaneous deep feelings of euphoria). This is to be expected during the experience as the subconscious is activated. Some patients may require several treatments before feeling these effects. It is somewhat variable depending on the dosing regimen, the condition the ketamine assisted therapy is being used to treat, and each patient’s individual makeup. The majority of these subjective effects of the medication, for all routes last approximately 40-60 minutes. Ketamine temporarily impairs coordination, balance and vision including depth perception. Operating a vehicle or heavy machinery is dangerous on the day of treatment and goes against tHKI policy as this can put clients and others at risk for harm.

Ketamine is completely legal as administered under the guidance of a medical professional. It is used off label which is a common practice in the medical field. Many commonly administered medications are administered “off label” as they have been extensively and safely used for decades but have not been specifically studied by the FDA for those uses. This is usually, unfortunately, because pharmaceutical companies have not wanted to pay for these studies for medications that are now generic as they cannot be patented for financial gain.

Ketamine assisted therapy, and the general use of psychedelics, has only recently taken off in the United States over the past decade. Initially, there were many people studying these medications for the effective use of mood disorder and pain control in the 1970s. However, with the emphasis on the “War on Drugs” that was initiated in the 1980s, many of these medications were no longer supported or allowed to be studied by various governmental agencies. Hence the general public has not been aware of the significant beneficial applications of these therapies.

No, you do not need a therapist or a psychiatrist's referral although we do encourage you to maintain any current therapy or psychiatric treatment you are currently receiving.

Unfortunately, IV/IM Ketamine is currently being used off label for many of its intended purposes. Many medications are used off label but these are often not covered by insurance companies. However, at tHKI, we do provide a super bill that can be submitted to insurance companies for potential reimbursement. We also provide the ability to use CareEverywhere for insurance needs and we also accept HSA cards.

You MUST bring a government issued photo ID with you for each appointment. Please wear comfortable, loose clothing so we are able to easily place the cardiac monitor leads under your shirt. Although we highly recommend listening to our choreographed healing music specifically designed to guide you through the natural course of the 45-60 minute ketamine assisted journey, you may bring headphones and listen to the music of your choosing, preferably something soothing to you. Noise canceling, wireless, Bluetooth headphones will be provided and made available. If you have a blanket or pillow that you are fond of, please feel free to bring these items with you. Otherwise, our sterilized blanket and pillow service will be provided for each client. Infusion times vary depending on the condition we are treating. You are encouraged to sit back and relax and pay attention to what you are feeling.

You can take a ride-share (Uber/Lyft), a medical transportation service (Butterfli/Access, etc.), or be driven home by a friend or family member. Only with the 4-hour infusion protocol for chronic pain treatment will a client be required to have a trusted friend or family member drive you home after your infusion due to the increased recovery time. You should not drive or operate heavy machinery for the remainder of the treatment day.

Yes, Ketamine is a dissociative medication and not an anesthetic at the doses prescribed at the tHKI for therapy.

There are a few underlying disorders that can preclude you from treatment. Specifically, if you are in an acute manic phase of Bipolar disorder, if you have uncontrolled, untreated hypertension or glaucoma (elevated pressure in the eyes), untreated or poorly controlled cardiovascular disease, untreated hyperthyroidism, active substance abuse, or if you have a previously documented allergy to Ketamine. Also, we do not currently treat patients that are under the age of 18 or are pregnant. These potential contraindications will have been discussed and evaluated during your initial consultation to ensure that you are a candidate for the therapy.

Generally speaking, we encourage you to continue to take your daily medications to optimize your medical condition prior to treatment. Certain medications such as sedatives (benzodiazepines such as valium, ativan, clonazepam, etc.) can dull the effects of the Ketamine therapy.

Although each individual's response to treatment cannot be predicted, the advantage of ketamine assisted therapy is that there is an actual physical change that occurs in the brain with the growth of new neuronal connections. This allows for a pathway to create permanent changes to the brain. For many people, once the initial ketamine course has been completed, they may no longer need further ketamine treatments or may only need an occasional “booster” to maintain the same level of effects of the initial treatment.

Ketamine is not considered to be an addictive medication if it is administered under the guidance of a physician and administered in a controlled setting. At tHKI, ketamine is not given as an agent that is self administered and is otherwise not readily available to the general public which greatly diminishes its abuse potential.

Sound healing uses frequencies and vibrations—from instruments like crystal bowls, gongs, and tuning forks—to promote physical, emotional, and energetic balance in the body.

Sound healing works by entraining the brain and nervous system into relaxed states (alpha, theta, or delta brainwaves), which can reduce stress, improve mood, and support deep healing.

You'll lie down or sit comfortably while sound healing instruments are played around and sometimes near your body. Sessions are deeply relaxing and non-invasive.

Absolutely! Sound healing is a beautiful complement to therapies like ketamine treatment, psychotherapy, acupuncture, massage, or meditation.

Wear comfortable clothes. You may bring a yoga mat, blanket, eye mask, or anything that helps you feel cozy and relaxed.