Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects around 6% of adults in the United States, causing recurrent symptoms like nightmares and flashbacks stemming from traumatic memories. At Ki Ketamine, Dr. McAllister and the team provide one-on-one Ketamine infusions to reduce PTSD symptom severity. To find out if you’re a candidate for low-dose Ketamine infusion therapy, call Ki Ketamine or book an appointment online today.

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How does PTSD start?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a traumatic event. Even if there was no singular event in your past that caused trauma, you can develop PTSD because of challenging long-term circumstances in your life or by simply witnessing a traumatic event.

Some examples of trauma that can cause PTSD are:

  • Physical abuse
  • Emotional abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Assaults
  • Combat
  • Accidents
  • Severe illnesses and injuries
  • Natural disasters
  • Bullying
  • Sudden death of a loved one

The effects of experiences like these can last for months, years, or even the rest of your life in the form of PTSD.

 

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

PSTD symptoms vary from person to person and can cause ongoing challenges in your life. They fall into four key categories:

Intrusive symptoms

  • Involuntary Thoughts
  • Flashbacks
  • Nightmares
  • Memories

Avoidant Symptoms

  • Stepping away from reminders of the trauma
  • Avoiding specific activities, situations, or people
  • Pushing away painful memories themselves

Mood and Thought Changes

  • Experiencing persistent feelings of guilt or shame
  • Feeling detached or isolated from loved ones and others
  • Developing negative thought distortions and altered patterns

Arousal and Reactivity Changes

  • Feeling unusually irritable, reckless, or easily startled
  • Struggling with disrupted sleep patterns or insomnia

 

How do Ketamine infusions treat PTSD?

Symptoms of PTSD can be challenging to treat as they have a broad impact on your life. If standard treatments like medications and psychotherapy don’t improve your symptoms, Ketamine infusion therapy may be able to regulate your nervous system to reduce symptoms. You’ll get the best outcome by continuing counseling or therapy alongside your infusions.

Low-dose Ketamine works in your central nervous system by targeting specific receptors in your brain to increase levels of a neurotransmitter called glutamate. These neurotransmitters play important roles in brain function, including memory, cognition, and emotional regulation. By blocking receptors, Ketamine decreases mood, memory, and behavior symptoms of PTSD.

During your appointments at Ki Ketamine, you can interact with the practice’s therapy dog for further relaxation and contentment.

To find out if Ketamine infusion therapy can treat your PTSD, call Ki Ketamine or book an appointment online today.