What Is Ketamine Therapy?
Ketamine is an FDA-approved anesthetic that has been used safely in hospitals and surgical settings since the 1970s. Over the past two decades, medical researchers discovered that sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine produce rapid, powerful antidepressant and anti-inflammatory effects — often within hours to days, not weeks.
This makes ketamine fundamentally different from traditional antidepressants, which can take 6–8 weeks to show effects and fail up to 40% of patients. Today, ketamine therapy is one of the most evidence-based treatments available for treatment-resistant depression and several other conditions.
Important context: At Seaside Ketamine, ketamine is administered in a controlled medical environment by a board-certified physician. This is a medically supervised treatment — not recreational use — and is carefully dosed and monitored to maximize safety and therapeutic benefit.
How Ketamine Works in the Brain
Traditional antidepressants like SSRIs work primarily on the serotonin system. Ketamine takes a completely different approach — it targets the glutamate system, the brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter network.
NMDA Receptor Blockade
Ketamine temporarily blocks NMDA receptors, which triggers a cascade of downstream effects that rapidly restore healthy brain signaling.
BDNF Release
Ketamine dramatically increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) — often called "miracle-gro for the brain" — which stimulates the growth of new neural connections.
Synaptogenesis
Within hours of treatment, ketamine triggers the regrowth of synaptic connections in key brain regions like the prefrontal cortex that are damaged by chronic stress and depression.
Neuroplasticity Window
Treatment creates an enhanced window of neuroplasticity — making the brain temporarily more adaptable and receptive to new patterns and positive change.
This mechanism explains why ketamine works so differently from other antidepressants: rather than simply altering neurotransmitter levels, it fundamentally repairs and regrows the neural architecture disrupted by depression, PTSD, and chronic stress.
The bottom line: Ketamine doesn't just relieve symptoms — research suggests it actually helps repair structural damage in the brain caused by depression and trauma. This is why patients often describe the experience as a "reset" or feeling like themselves again for the first time in years.
Conditions We Treat
Ketamine therapy has robust clinical evidence for a growing number of conditions. At Seaside Ketamine, we evaluate each patient individually to determine whether ketamine is an appropriate and safe treatment option.
Treatment-resistant depression is defined as depression that has not responded adequately to at least two different antidepressant medications tried at adequate doses and duration. This affects approximately one-third of all people diagnosed with major depression.
Ketamine has the most robust evidence base for TRD, with multiple randomized controlled trials demonstrating rapid and significant antidepressant effects. Response rates in TRD populations consistently range from 50–70% in clinical studies.
Even for patients who haven't tried multiple antidepressants, ketamine can be considered when faster relief is needed — such as in cases of significant functional impairment, suicidal ideation, or when a patient prefers to avoid long-term oral medications.
Ketamine's rapid onset is particularly valuable in MDD with suicidal thinking, where it has demonstrated the ability to reduce suicidal ideation within hours.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder involves altered fear memory consolidation and hyperactivation of stress circuits. Ketamine's neuroplasticity-promoting effects can help "unlock" deeply ingrained trauma responses and facilitate the formation of new, adaptive memories and associations.
Emerging research also supports ketamine's use in conjunction with trauma-focused psychotherapy, where the window of heightened neuroplasticity may enhance therapeutic processing.
Ketamine has shown promising results for several anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder. The glutamatergic mechanism appears to dampen pathological anxiety circuits that are hyperactive in these conditions.
For OCD specifically, several studies have demonstrated meaningful symptom reduction that persists beyond the acute effects of treatment.
The depressive episodes of bipolar disorder are often the most debilitating and the most difficult to treat, as many antidepressants carry a risk of triggering manic episodes. Ketamine has shown efficacy for bipolar depression with a lower risk of mood destabilization compared to traditional antidepressants.
Treatment of bipolar disorder with ketamine requires careful medical supervision and is always coordinated with the patient's existing psychiatric care team.
Ketamine's NMDA receptor blockade also affects pain processing pathways. It has demonstrated clinical utility in conditions including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, and refractory migraine.
For patients with both chronic pain and depression — a very common co-occurrence — ketamine may address both conditions simultaneously, making it a uniquely efficient treatment option.
What to Expect: The Treatment Process
We believe that a well-supported treatment experience produces better outcomes. Here is what your journey with Seaside Ketamine typically looks like:
Free Consultation
Your journey begins with a complimentary consultation — a no-pressure conversation to discuss your history, goals, and whether ketamine therapy may be appropriate for you. We review your medical history, current medications, and prior treatment experiences.
Medical Evaluation & Clearance
A thorough medical intake is completed to identify any contraindications and optimize your treatment plan. This includes a clinical intake questionnaire, review of prior records, and coordination with your existing care providers as needed.
Individualized Treatment Plan
No two patients are the same. Your dosing protocol, session duration, and series length are customized based on your condition, body weight, medical history, and goals. Most patients begin with an induction series of 6 infusions over 2–3 weeks.
IV Ketamine Infusion Sessions
You relax comfortably in a private treatment room while ketamine is administered intravenously at a carefully calibrated dose over approximately 45–60 minutes. Many patients wear an eye mask and listen to curated music. You are monitored continuously throughout. The experience is often described as dreamlike, introspective, or profoundly peaceful.
Recovery & Integration
After your infusion, you rest in our recovery area for 30–45 minutes until you feel clear and comfortable. You will need a driver for the day. We encourage journaling and reflecting on your experience, as integration is a key part of lasting benefit.
Maintenance & Follow-Up
After your initial series, most patients benefit from periodic maintenance infusions — typically monthly or as needed — to sustain their results. We monitor your progress and adjust your plan over time as part of our ongoing partnership in your mental wellness.
Spravato (Esketamine Nasal Spray)
In 2019, the FDA approved Spravato (esketamine) as a nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression — making it the first truly novel antidepressant mechanism to receive FDA approval in decades. Spravato is the S-enantiomer of ketamine and works through a similar, though not identical, mechanism.
🌿 Spravato
- FDA-approved specifically for TRD and MDD with suicidal ideation
- Often covered by insurance (prior authorization required)
- Nasal spray administered in-office
- Session lasts ~2 hours with monitoring
- Typically dosed twice weekly for 4 weeks, then weekly
- Requires concurrent oral antidepressant
💉 IV Ketamine
- Off-label use with robust clinical evidence
- Typically not covered by insurance; self-pay
- Intravenous infusion — most direct delivery method
- Session lasts ~45–60 minutes
- Induction series of 6 infusions, then maintenance
- Can be used with or without other medications
Which is right for you? Both Spravato and IV ketamine have meaningful evidence behind them, and the best choice depends on your insurance coverage, diagnosis, treatment history, and personal preference. Our physician will help you understand which option fits your situation at your consultation.
Safety, Side Effects & Who Qualifies
Ketamine has a well-established safety profile when administered by a qualified physician at therapeutic doses. Understanding what to expect — and what may disqualify you — helps you approach treatment with confidence.
Common Side Effects During or Shortly After Infusion
Dissociation
A temporary altered sense of reality or "floating" sensation. This typically resolves within 30–60 minutes after the infusion ends and is a normal, expected part of the experience.
Nausea
Mild nausea occurs in some patients. We use anti-nausea protocols proactively and recommend fasting 4–6 hours before treatment to minimize this.
Blood Pressure Changes
Ketamine can temporarily increase blood pressure and heart rate. Vital signs are continuously monitored throughout every session to ensure safety.
Fatigue
Many patients feel tired after their session — this is completely normal. Plan to rest the remainder of the day and arrange for someone to drive you home.
✓ Good Candidates
- Diagnosis of treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, or qualifying condition
- Adults 18 and older
- Failed at least one prior medication or therapy
- No history of psychosis or active mania
- Stable cardiovascular health
- Committed to the full treatment series
- Willing and able to have a driver on treatment days
⚠ Contraindications
- Active or history of psychosis or schizophrenia
- Uncontrolled hypertension
- Active substance use disorder
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Certain cardiac conditions (evaluated individually)
- History of ketamine misuse
- Some medications may require adjustment
Frequently Asked Questions
At the doses used therapeutically, ketamine produces a state of mild dissociation — not hallucinations in the traditional sense. Most patients describe the experience as dreamlike, introspective, or deeply relaxing. You will remain conscious and able to communicate with our team throughout.
You will not "lose control." Our physician and clinical staff are present the entire time, and the experience is contained, predictable, and safe.
When administered medically at therapeutic doses in a clinical setting, ketamine has not been shown to produce addiction or physical dependence. Misuse of ketamine in recreational settings — at much higher doses — carries different risks, but this is entirely distinct from medically supervised treatment.
At Seaside Ketamine, doses, frequency, and access are all carefully controlled. Patients with a history of substance use disorder are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
This varies significantly between patients. After a complete induction series of 6 infusions, many patients experience relief lasting weeks to months. Some patients maintain results with periodic monthly or bi-monthly maintenance infusions.
Integration practices — therapy, mindfulness, lifestyle changes — during and after the neuroplasticity window appear to significantly extend the duration of benefit.
Not necessarily. Most patients can continue their existing medications during ketamine treatment. However, certain medications — particularly high-dose benzodiazepines and lamotrigine — can reduce ketamine's effectiveness and may need to be adjusted.
Our physician will review your complete medication list and make individualized recommendations. We always coordinate with your prescribing providers.
IV ketamine infusions are typically not covered by insurance as they are considered off-label use. Costs vary by provider but typically range from $400–$800 per infusion. We provide transparent pricing and will work with you to find the best path forward.
Spravato (esketamine nasal spray) is FDA-approved and is often covered by insurance with prior authorization. We can help determine your Spravato coverage eligibility at your consultation.
Absolutely — and we strongly encourage it. The neuroplasticity window opened by ketamine treatment is an optimal time for psychotherapy, as the brain is more receptive to forming new patterns and perspectives.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is a growing modality where therapy is conducted during or immediately following infusions. We can provide referrals to therapists experienced in integration work.
Seaside Ketamine is physician-owned and operated by Dr. Scott Gillin, a board-certified physician with deep expertise in integrative and functional medicine. Every patient receives direct physician oversight — not care delegated to non-physician staff.
Our Cardiff, California clinic is designed to be a calm, comfortable, healing environment. We integrate ketamine treatment within a broader framework of functional medicine and mental wellness, giving you access to a truly comprehensive approach to mental health optimization.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with Dr. Gillin to find out if ketamine therapy is right for you.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Ketamine therapy is a prescription medical treatment that must be evaluated and supervised by a licensed physician. Individual results vary. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider to determine whether ketamine therapy is appropriate for your specific situation. Seaside Ketamine · Cardiff, California · seasideketamine.com