Ketamine Assisted Therapy For Depression Santa Monica and Venice
Ketamine is gaining recognition as a treatment for those navigating depression who are seeking alternatives to traditional talk therapy or antidepressants. This growing interest is supported by a wave of clinical studies and increased scientific attention, with recent research underscoring the profound effects of ketamine and other psychedelic therapies on treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
What is Ketamine Assisted Therapy?
Ketamine Assisted Therapy is a therapeutic process that combines the administration of ketamine—a psychedelic medicine known for its fast-acting antidepressant effects—with supportive psychotherapy. Unlike traditional antidepressants, which can take weeks to work (and sometimes are non- or minimally effective), ketamine has been shown to offer rapid relief, particularly for people with treatment-resistant depression.
Harnessing the psychedelic properties of KAT isn’t about getting high or escaping, it’s about using the shift in consciousness to explore parts of yourself that are usually hidden or hard to reach. It’s about using an altered state of consciousness as a doorway—a way to soften long-held defenses, rewire thought patterns, and access deeper layers of emotional material that can be hard to reach in a standard therapy session.
Ketamine’s ability to promote neuroplasticity makes it uniquely effective for treatment-resistant depression.
Ketamine works differently than traditional antidepressants. Instead of targeting serotonin or dopamine (like SSRIs), ketamine acts on the glutamate system, particularly the NMDA receptor. This boosts a process called synaptogenesis—basically, the brain’s ability to form new connections.
By encouraging the brain to form new connections, ketamine can help break rigid patterns of negative thinking and the emotional shutdown that characterize chronic depression. It can create a sense of mental and emotional "space," allowing new insights to emerge and emotional shifts to occur. Research has shown that ketamine’s antidepressant effects can begin within hours of administration, and they often last for several days to weeks.
Ketamine, when administered at therapeutic doses, offers a unique opportunity to step outside of ordinary patterns of thinking and being. It quiets the usual noise of the mind, relieves the grip of negative thought loops, and opens a sense of expanded awareness that can connect a person to a broader, more integrated sense of self. This shift creates fertile ground for meaningful psychotherapeutic work—both during and following the experience—by fostering a sense of inner spaciousness, reflective insight, and emotional presence. From a neurobiological perspective, chronic stress and anxiety have measurable effects on the brain, disrupting its structure and flexibility. This impaired neuroplasticity—our brain’s ability to form new connections—often leads to rigid, repetitive thinking (rumination) and diminished emotional resilience. As these distorted patterns solidify, they reinforce internal stress, making it harder to adapt, shift perspective, or heal.
Ketamine interrupts this cycle. Research shows that it not only reduces activity in the brain’s default mode network—quieting excessive rumination—but also reopens pathways to neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to recover its adaptability. Most critically, there appears to be a window of heightened plasticity in the days following treatment—a period in which the brain is particularly receptive to forming new, healthier patterns. What happens during this window matters profoundly; as it is offers the opportunity to shift patterns of thinking, feeling, and self-perception.
Clinical research indicates that ketamine can:
Lift feelings of hopelessness and emotional numbness
Rapidly reduce depressive symptoms—even in people who have experienced treatment resistant depression
Decrease suicidal ideation within hours of administration
Enhance neuroplasticity, making the brain more flexible and open to change
Interrupt negative thought loops and increase emotional flexibility and openness
Enhance motivation and a sense of purpose
Why Ketamine + Therapy Is More Effective Than Ketamine Alone
Although ketamine can create a window of relief from depression—often within hours or days—the window may be temporary. Without support, integration, and context, the insights or emotional shifts that surface may fade quickly. But with regular therapeutic support and integration, these benefits can become more sustained over time.
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy isn’t for everyone, but it can be a powerful option for those:
Who have tried other therapies or medications and haven’t found lasting relief.
Who feel stuck in loops of depressive or anxious thinking.
Who are willing to engage in the therapeutic process before, during, and after medicine sessions.
Who are open to exploring the emotional roots of their symptoms in a supported environment.
Who are curious about alternative or integrative approaches to healing.
Who want to address depression, anxiety, or PTSD with support that includes both medicine and psychotherapy.
Who are seeking a deeper connection with themselves or a shift in long-standing patterns.
Who feel ready for an internal reset or a new perspective on their mental health.
Who value a therapeutic container that includes intention-setting, integration, and emotional safety.
Who are looking for support that acknowledges both the physiological and psychological aspects of suffering.
If you want a grounded, heart-centered space to explore the possibility of Ketamine Assisted Therapy to treat depression, I invite you to reach out. My office is located in Santa Monica, one block from the border of Venice, CA. Together, we can explore whether this path might be the right one for you.
About Michele
My approach is relational, trauma informed, somatically oriented, and non-judgmental. I offer an open mind and heart, along with evidence-based tools, to help individuals face the human challenges of grief, depression, anxiety, life transitions, isolation, and complex trauma. I hold a master’s degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in Spiritual and Depth Psychology, and have training in a wide variety of modalities including Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and Ecotherapy. The work I do addresses the whole person, weaves somatic and mindfulness-based approaches, and incorporates creative practices that align with each client’s core values. I work from a trauma informed lens and draw from somatic, humanistic, depth and transpersonal models of psychology. In addition to individual psychotherapy. In addition to Ketamine Assisted Therapy, I also offer traditional psychotherapy services, as well as process groups and women’s circles.
