Our Services

01.

Ketamine Assisted Therapy

Ketamine allows access to a unique state of consciousness that can promote healing, alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, or trauma, and enhance self-discovery. Your experience will be tailored to your individual needs, and you’ll be supported before, during, and after each session to integrate the insights you uncover into your everyday life.

Your Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) will provide not only the medical expertise necessary to ensure your safety throughout the experience but also a grounded and empathetic presence to hold space for your journey. This is a collaborative process. Together, we will create a space where you can safely explore your inner world and move toward greater emotional freedom, clarity, and peace.

How does it work?

Ketamine Therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking treatment for mental health conditions, particularly depression, anxiety, trauma, and treatment-resistant disorders. Originally developed as an anesthetic, ketamine has shown remarkable potential in psychiatry due to its rapid-acting effects on mood regulation and its ability to promote neural plasticity, which can enhance therapeutic progress. Unlike traditional antidepressants, which can take weeks to show effects, ketamine has been found to provide rapid relief, often within hours of administration. This makes it an invaluable tool for individuals who have not responded to conventional treatments.

Want to know more?

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's remarkable ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This adaptability allows the brain to recover from injuries, adapt to environmental changes, and learn new information or skills. Neuroplasticity strengthens processes like learning, memory, and recovery from mental health disorders, making it a cornerstone of brain resilience and adaptability.

Ketamine's Role in Neuroplasticity is that it facilitates neuroplasticity by interacting with the brain's glutamatergic system, primarily through the blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. This action triggers a cascade of molecular events, including increased release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a critical protein that promotes the growth and maintenance of neurons, enhancing the brain's capacity to form new synaptic connections.

Simply put, neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt, like rewiring itself to learn new things, recover from injuries, or form new habits. It’s how the brain stays flexible and responds to what life throws at it. When you take ketamine, it helps boost this flexibility by increasing a chemical called BDNF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which acts like a growth fertilizer for your brain cells. This helps your brain form stronger or new connections, which is why ketamine is being used to treat things like depression—it helps "reset" stuck thought patterns and makes it easier to form healthier ones (MindMD Wellness, 2023; Reset Ketamine, n.d.).

Studies

Check out this study in JAMA Psychiatry highlights ketamine's effectiveness in reducing symptoms of major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation, demonstrating its potential as a fast-acting intervention (Murrough et al., 2013).
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) discusses how ketamine's ability to modulate glutamate receptors in the brain can help reset neural pathways that are implicated in mood disorders, offering hope for long-term recovery when used in conjunction with psychotherapy (NIMH, 2021).
If you enjoy podcasts, check out Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast (link below) "How Ketamine and Other Psychedelics Work in the Brain to Treat Mental Health Issues."

References

Huberman, A. (2022). How ketamine and other psychedelics work in the brain to treat mental health issues. Huberman Lab Podcast. Retrieved from https://hubermanlab.com/how-ketamine-and-other-psychedelics-work-in-the-brain-to-treat-mental-health-issues
MindMD Wellness. (2023). Ketamine and neuroplasticity: A new horizon in brain healing. Retrieved from https://www.mindmdwellness.com

Murrough, J. W., et al. (2013). Ketamine for the treatment of major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 70(10), 1032–1040. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1694311
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (2021). Ketamine and other rapid-acting antidepressants: New insights. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/ketamine-and-other-rapid-acting-antidepressants
Reset Ketamine. (2021, June 2). Ketamine and its neuroplastic effect on the brain. Reset Ketamine Blog. Retrieved from https://www.resetketamine.com/blog/2021/6/2/ketamine-and-its-neuroplastic-effect-on-the-brain
Scientific American. (n.d.). Neuroplasticity explained. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com

The Japanese art of Kintsugi. The Philosophy is based on the idea that embracing flaws and imperfections can create a stronger, more beautiful piece of art. The technique highlights the "scars" as part of the design, rather than trying to repair the item like new.

You are not broken

02.

Integration Therapy

While Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAT) has shown promise as an effective treatment for a range of mental health conditions, its true therapeutic potential is maximized when combined with integrative approaches. Integration provides a structured and supportive process for making sense of the insights, emotions, and experiences that unfold during and after the ketamine sessions. Without proper integration, the powerful effects of ketamine—such as emotional breakthroughs, altered states of consciousness, and shifts in neural pathways—can be fleeting or even confusing for patients. It helps to bridge the gap between the altered state of consciousness facilitated by ketamine and the patient’s everyday life, making the therapeutic experience more meaningful and sustainable.

Why Integration Matters:

Deepening Understanding: Ketamine can bring up profound emotions, memories, and insights. Integration allows you to unpack these experiences and connect them to your personal history, challenges, and goals.
Grounding and Stability: The altered states of consciousness ketamine induces may leave you feeling untethered. Integration helps ground these experiences, making them accessible and useful in your day-to-day life.
Creating Meaningful Change: Insights gained during ketamine sessions often point toward areas of growth or healing. Integration translates these revelations into actionable steps to improve mental, emotional, and relational health. Integration is where change takes root.

03.

Medication Management

Medication is not a "one-size-fits-all" solution, but for many, it can serve as a cornerstone of healing. Combined with a supportive therapeutic relationship and integrative care, medication management can help pave the way for greater emotional stability, resilience, and overall mental health.

At Balancing Stone Integrative Psychiatry, we prioritize open communication, empowering patients to actively participate in their treatment decisions. Our experienced psychiatric nurse practitioners take a holistic and patient-centered approach to medication management, considering not only the biological aspects of mental health but also the psychosocial and emotional dimensions that influence an individual's well-being. This comprehensive strategy ensures that medication is used effectively as part of a broader treatment plan tailored to each patient's unique needs.