How Is Ketamine Therapy Used for Addiction?

Ketamine is one of the most common anesthetics used around the world. But, in the last few decades, the medical community has extensively researched and used this dissociative medicine for more than just its anesthetic properties. Ketamine has powerful, medically proven therapeutic and healing properties for many conditions, including drug addictions and alcohol use disorder.

Mental and emotional barriers often prevent us from progressing through treatment and making lasting changes. Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) can be effective in treating addiction because it breaks down your inhibitions and helps you get out of the purely defensive “survival mode” many of us are stuck in. In this way, ketamine can actually help you acknowledge and address the root causes of using and abusing addictive substances and medications.

At The Sanctuary, we meticulously integrate our science-based ketamine-assisted treatment sessions into your personalized addiction treatment program. With this approach, ketamine’s healing powers work alongside the rest of your therapeutic treatments, complementing your complete healing journey.

Ketamine can be a key stepping stone along the path to healing your addiction. We hope that understanding more about addiction and ketamine therapy for addiction will help you choose the best program for you to find healing.

Understanding What Addiction Is

We can form addictions when our behaviors and thought patterns get stuck in a loop. Substance and alcohol abuse occurs when we repeat these patterns regardless of any harmful consequences. Addictions often form as a response to and a result of trauma, whether physical, mental, spiritual or emotional.

We know that trauma can have both psychological and physiological effects on us. Often, it doesn’t matter how long ago or how recently our trauma occurred. These negative mental and physical impacts prevent us from being able to move past our traumas, which is why so many of us develop addictions. Our addictions are an “escape” from our pain. Or at least that’s what we believe.

Treating Addiction With Ketamine

Ketamine therapy can help repair the brain by building new neural pathways through a mechanism known as neuroplasticity. The process can remap connections in the brain to restore and improve certain neurological functions.

When ketamine is used in a therapeutic setting, you can experience and understand your emotions with new perspectives. During the therapy, you may view your emotions and your addiction differently. A new mindset can help you make the most of other addiction therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy.

Since its discovery in the 1960s, scientists have worked to understand how ketamine can help people with addictions. According to a study on ketamine as a treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, ketamine has powerful antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects that may benefit the treatment of substance addiction. Even tiny doses of ketamine can lead to significant results, and some patients only need a few doses for long-lasting effects.

In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved a ketamine-based medicine for the treatment of severe cases of depression. This was an important step forward in the national recognition of ketamine as a therapeutic treatment. Now, ketamine clinics and rehab facilities are tapping into the healing properties of ketamine to treat everything from depression and anxiety to chronic pain and addiction.

Ketamine Therapy for Specific Addictions

When used in a controlled setting, ketamine therapy for drug addiction proves promising.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic condition. Alcoholism is a medical condition that can have devastating consequences. People with this condition have an impaired ability to control alcohol use, even if they face adverse social, health or occupational repercussions. For some, alcohol addiction can have mild symptoms, while other times, the effects can be severe.

Ketamine therapy for alcohol addiction has created promising results across multiple studies. Adjunctive ketamine treatments led to significantly higher rates of abstinence than other types of treatment alone, like aversion therapy, psychotherapy and midazolam medication.

Substance Use Disorder

Substance use disorder is a chronic condition that is defined by the compulsive use of drugs. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and LSD are some commonly used illicit substances. Substance use disorder causes extreme cravings and withdrawal symptoms, like nausea, anxiety and fever, between use and following attempts to stop.

Because ketamine therapy can help reduce symptoms of cravings and withdrawals, it is a beneficial treatment for substance use disorder. For cocaine addiction, research suggests ketamine can improve motivation to quit and reduce cravings, leading to significant reductions in cocaine use compared to treatments with lorazepam or midazolam.

Prescription Drug Addiction

Substance use disorder does not only involve the use of illegal drugs — many come from legally prescribed medications. Some of the most commonly misused prescription drugs include opioids like codeine, morphine and oxycodone. Pharmaceutical medications can have the same devastating consequences as illicit substances when misused. Common symptoms of prescription medication also include failure to stop using the substance and withdrawals.

When research is limited for ketamine’s effects on prescription opioids, several studies have found promising results for long-term abstinence from heroin, which is in the same class of drugs.

Experiencing Ketamine Therapy at The Sanctuary

At The Sanctuary, ketamine-assisted treatment sessions are not just add-on treatments. If applicable to you, KAT becomes an integral part of your addiction healing program.

During ketamine therapy, the setting affects the overall experience and potential outcomes. Because of this, we’ve purposefully created a calming environment for your ketamine sessions that assists in the healing process.

In addition to the restorative ambiance, our KAT program includes:

A thorough intake evaluation by our nurse practitioner to determine program eligibility.
A second evaluation with our on-staff naturopathic doctor for KAT program approval.
A guided intention-setting ceremony before every KAT session.
On-staff medical professionals to administer your ketamine dose.
A detoxifying, organic meal in an intimate setting with your KAT program peers.
A KAT-related personal therapy session after every KAT session.

Together, all of these components help maximize the healing properties of ketamine. They also facilitate your physical, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being during your time in rehab.

NAD+ IV Therapy at The Sanctuary

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NAD+, is another beneficial treatment that can help prepare your body for addiction recovery. Your body naturally creates the co-enzyme NAD+ to help cells produce energy from food — but drugs and alcohol can deplete your supply. Infusions of NAD+ support detoxification and reduce withdrawal effects from substance or alcohol use disorder.

The benefits of NAD+ IV therapy include:

Improving brain functions.
Boosting energy levels.
Enhancing immunity.
Cleansing toxins in the body and brain.
Decreasing withdrawal symptoms.

The most effective delivery system for this co-enzyme is intravenously. At The Sanctuary, we use the highest quality NAD+ compound in our 4-Day Jump-Start Detox Program. During the treatment, one of our practitioners inserts an IV line to administer the treatment to the bloodstream.

We also offer ketamine and NAD+ IV therapy in our residential 30-day holistic drug and trauma recovery program.

Learn More About The Sanctuary’s Ketamine Therapy for Addiction

Every person’s body and brain are unique. And so is each of our own experiences with trauma and with addiction. Many people have been able to overcome and truly heal from their addictions with ketamine therapy. At The Sanctuary, we’ve created a ketamine-assisted treatment program that supports you throughout your time at our holistic addiction treatment center.

Contact us today for all the latest information about The Sanctuary’s science-based, empathy-driven ketamine-assisted treatment program.

Learn More About Ketamine-Assisted Treatment:

Dr. Brett Forrest Shenkman

Dr. Forrest is a licensed Naturopathic Physician specializing in retreat-style holistic medicine, natural detoxification and cleansing, mind/body medicine, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Forrest brings to his work a sense of humility, respect, and compassion that is too often absent in the sterile, rigid world of modern medicine. He is deeply honored and grateful to be continuing this work as part of the community and healing that is taking place at the Sanctuary. [email protected]