Ketamine therapy to help depression and anxiety
At Mindstream Medicine, we recognize that even with compliance and dedication, traditional medications and talk therapy do not provide relief for all patients suffering from mental health complications such as depression and anxiety.
Why Ketamine?
While initially developed as an anesthesia agent in the 1960’s, ketamine has more recently become recognized as a medication that can be used in the treatment of multiple mental health disorders (1). Ketamine functions as an anesthesia agent by blocking incoming sensory information to the brain. It is unique among other anesthesia medicines because it does not slow down the brain or stop a patient from breathing on their own. Because less sensory information is coming into the brain, the nerve cells there create new branches to reach out for new connections and information. The ability to build new pathways in the brain after a ketamine experience is known as “neuroplasticity,” and this is the phenomenon that is believed to be responsible for the ability to build new neural networks, or streams, as we integrate that experience into our therapeutic relationship with a mental healthcare provider (2).
Even a brief break from the constant influx of sensory input and the sometimes disorganized or harmful cognitive patterns that we live with every day can provide an opportunity to rethink the way we appreciate our own existence and how we interact with the people around us.
While some mental health providers perform psychotherapy after administering ketamine orally or under the tongue, we provide ketamine through an IV, which results in a deeper psychedelic experience. No talk therapy takes place while the patient is under the influence of the medication, so that they may focus on the experience itself. It is in the days following the session that the patient will return to their therapist to talk about their experience and how it relates to their goals in therapy, a process known as integration.
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8801551/
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7047599/
Meet Us
Evan Husted is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician who lives in Queen Village, South Philadelphia. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Delaware County, Evan earned a BA in Psychology with a focus on Neuropharmacology at American University before graduating from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. After completing his residency in Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 2011, he worked as an Emergency Department attending physician at Virtua Marlton Hospital until 2016. While at Virtua Marlton, he earned a Master’s degree in Public Health at the Jefferson College of Population Health in 2015. From 2017 until 2022, he worked as a provider at multiple Urgent Care clinics for Atlanticare in South Jersey. A persistent interest in mental healthcare throughout his career has led to his enthusiasm for the potential of psychedelic medicines such as ketamine to provide relief to those suffering from chronic mental health disorders that have not been successfully treated by traditional methods. In his personal time Evan enjoys grilling, bicycling and kayaking the creeks and rivers of South Jersey.
Pricing
$450 for IV infusion, includes phone consultation and in-person medical examination with Dr. Husted.
