Ketamine Therapy, Psychotherapy, and Neuroplasticity: A New Path Toward Healing
Ketamine therapy has become one of the most talked-about innovations in mental health. While originally used as an anesthetic, research over the past two decades has shown that, under medical supervision, ketamine can provide rapid relief for people struggling with depression, anxiety, or trauma who haven’t responded to other treatments.
At Uptown Downtown Psychotherapy, we view ketamine as a catalyst—not a cure on its own. Its benefits are most powerful when combined with psychotherapy, helping people turn biological changes in the brain into lasting psychological growth.
Why Ketamine?
Unlike most antidepressants, which act slowly and target serotonin, ketamine works through the brain’s glutamate system. This system plays a central role in learning, memory, and adaptability.
Studies have shown that ketamine can restore weakened brain connections and promote synaptogenesis—the growth of new synapses (Kang et al., 2022; Abdallah et al., 2023). In simple terms, ketamine can make the brain more flexible and open to change, a process known as neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity: The Brain’s Capacity for Change
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself in response to new experiences. Under the effects of ketamine, this plasticity increases, creating a window in which old patterns of thought and feeling can loosen, and new perspectives can take hold.
Clinical research shows these changes happen quickly. For example, one study found measurable brain changes within 24 hours of a single ketamine treatment, particularly in areas linked to memory and mood (Fava et al., 2022). Another showed that ketamine increases connectivity between brain regions involved in emotional regulation—changes linked to improved mood (Ballard et al., 2023).
Why Psychotherapy Matters
While ketamine can open the door, psychotherapy helps clients walk through it. The temporary state of heightened plasticity creates an opportunity to process difficult experiences, learn new coping skills, and reshape self-understanding. Without this therapeutic work, the benefits of ketamine may fade more quickly.
Emerging studies back this up:
Pairing ketamine with Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD led to sustained improvements (Wilkinson et al., 2024).
Using ketamine alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helped people with treatment-resistant depression maintain progress over time (Williams et al., 2021).
Using ketamine alongside weekly psychotherapy enhanced the therapeutic effects of ketamine infusions and reduced depressive symptoms more than ketamine alone (Sakopoulos & Todman, 2025).
Even brief, structured interventions after ketamine extended its antidepressant effects (Szymkowicz et al., 2022).
At Uptown Downtown, we also offer both individual therapy and process groups for people in ongoing ketamine therapy, providing a supportive space to integrate insights in community with others.
A Holistic Approach
We see ketamine as one part of a larger healing process. It may unlock new possibilities in the brain, but psychotherapy is what helps turn those possibilities into real and lasting change—whether that means healing trauma, building resilience, or deepening relationships.
At Uptown Downtown Psychotherapy, we bring together cutting-edge science and compassionate care, helping clients make the most of what ketamine therapy and psychotherapy together can offer.
References
Abdallah, C. G., et al. (2023). Ketamine and the neurobiology of depression: Toward next-generation rapid-acting antidepressant treatments. PNAS.
Ballard, E. D., et al. (2023). Neural connectivity moderators and mechanisms of ketamine treatment among treatment-resistant depressed patients. eBioMedicine.
Fava, M., et al. (2022). Rapid neuroplasticity changes and response to intravenous ketamine: A randomized controlled trial.
Kang, H., Hawken, E. R., & Vazquez, G. H. (2022). The mechanisms behind rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine: A systematic review with a focus on molecular neuroplasticity. Journal of Affective Disorders.
Wilkinson, S. T., et al. (2024). Ketamine plus Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD: An open-label trial.
Williams, N. R., et al. (2021). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to sustain the antidepressant effects of ketamine in treatment-resistant depression.
Sakopoulos, S., & Todman, M. (2025). The Effects of Psychotherapy on Single and Repeated Ketamine Infusion(s) Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression: The Convergence of Molecular and Psychological Treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(14), 6673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26146673
Szymkowicz, S. M., et al. (2022). Automated Self-Association Training to extend antidepressant effects of ketamine.