Ketamine-Assisted Therapy at Paracelsus Recovery
At Paracelsus Recovery, we make sure our treatment programmes are compassionate, cutting-edge, and effective. Countless studies show that ketamine-infusion therapy is highly effective at treating a range of psychological conditions.¡
15+ experts will be focused on you and your health.
When applicable and desired, we provide clients with daily or weekly infusion sessions in conjunction with psychotherapy and psychiatric support. We only ever work with one client at any given time, which means a team of 15+ experts will be focused on you and your health.
Seven‑day Executive Detox Programme
At Paracelsus Recovery, we know how exhausting it can be to battle a mental health disorder but find little to no relief in traditional treatments and medication. We start to lose hope that we can ever recover, which tends to set the stage for numerous other difficulties.
We also know that classical treatment methods such as psychotherapy, the 12-step model or antidepressants only work for certain people. We so often treat clients who are exhausted from trying to adapt to a pre-disposed treatment plan that was never designed to work for their unique issues. We believe that an effective treatment plan has to be tailored to the client.
That’s why we are committed to providing alternative treatment solutions for those of us struggling, such as ketamine-infusion therapy. In Switzerland, it is legal for medical organisations to provide ketamine-assisted psychiatric support in conjunction with psychotherapy. As a result, we can provide ketamine-infusion therapy (racemic ketamine) at our Zurich-based treatment centre.
Conditions We Can Treat via Ketamine-Infusions Include:
- Treatment-Resistant Depression
- Mood Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Chronic Pain
- Eating Disorders
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Substance Abuse Dependencies
Ketamine-Infusions
Numerous studies show that ketamine-infusion therapy is a highly effective, fast-acting and promising treatment modality for mental health conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders and substance abuse issues
Ketamine-Infusions at Paracelsus Recovery
Our treatment programmes are bespoke, private, and tailored to each client. We use a multidisciplinary approach (a 360-degree treatment model) that will address each root cause of your suffering, not just the explicit symptoms. We conduct a thorough assessment to identify these issues, and we design an individual treatment programme based on the results of those tests.
If we deem ketamine-infusions as helpful for you, then the duration and frequency of your sessions will depend on the severity of your symptoms. In general, infusions typically last 45 – 60 minutes and take place in the comfort of your private penthouse residence. During the treatment, you will not lose consciousness, but you may experience a mild euphoria or ‘out of body’ sensation (known as dissociation).
Your mind will also become very engaged during the treatment. Clients often report that infusions feel like a therapy session in and of themselves.
Your psychotherapist will be there with you during these sessions so as to discuss any emotions, traumas, ideas, fantasies, or memories that are coming up for you.
The process is usually a very peaceful one. However, if you would rather avoid infusions, we can also provide a ketamine nasal spray, known as esketamine. There are certain molecular differences between these forms of treatment that alter their effects. For example, the nasal spray tends to be much more fast-acting. Some experts (2020) also argue that racemic is more effective than esketamine when it comes to dual diagnoses.
As always, our doctors will run tests and take your preferences into account
Although ketamine is not yet considered a first-line therapy, its healing potential for issues like treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are astounding. In fact, many experts argue that with its capacity to provide lasting relief for even the most persistent cases of TRD, ketamine-therapy is one of the most important breakthroughs in recent memory.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Ketamine-Infusion Therapy
For those of us struggling with TRD, paralysing anxiety or persistent PTSD, the benefits of ketamine-infusion therapy include:
- Fast-Acting Symptom Relief
The benefits of ketamine infusions will be felt very quickly – usually within a matter of hours. For example, research shows that over 50% of people struggling with treatment-resistant depression feel a significant amount of symptom relief after just one infusion.
While we are still trying to figure out the exact reason behind this fast-acting effect, scientists have discovered that ketamine stimulates a rapid increase in glutamate which is the neurotransmitter in charge of how quickly synapses grow within your brain.
- Highly Effective
Studies show that ketamine-infusion therapy has a high success rate in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and various other conditions. For example, studies show that oral ketamine treatment can decrease chronic suicidal ideation by up to 50%.
- Lasting Symptom Remission
Not only are the benefits fast-acting and significant, but studies show that ketamine-infusions can also lead to a full remission within a matter of weeks or months. For example, one study found that ketamine-infusion therapy led to an 80% reduction in bipolar symptoms within 56 patients over a 9-month period.
Drawbacks
In terms of drawbacks, the main issues include its side-effects. Although ketamine infusion therapy uses sub-anaesthetic doses, it can still induce temporary side effects including out-of-body experiences, addiction, and bladder problems. It is also not a ‘cure.’ Without psychotherapy and additional support, a course of multiple doses can wear off within a few months.
Finally, it cannot be overstated that ketamine therapy will only work for you in a controlled setting and administered by professionals. Prolonged ketamine abuse can lead to chemical changes in the brain that make it very difficult to quit.
Signs of ketamine addiction are similar to most other substance abuse dependencies, characterised by needing more and more of the drug to feel pleasure, feeling preoccupied with the substance to the detriment of one’s relationships, career and wellbeing as well as experiencing withdrawal symptoms. You can learn more about how we treat ketamine addiction here.
FAQs
Ketamine infusion therapy can be an effective and safe treatment method when combined with psychotherapy. However, we cannot stress enough that it is only safe to do so in a clinical setting and with professional doctors.
Unfortunately no, we cannot provide ketamine-infusion sessions exclusively because we need to conduct an elaborate assessment procedure before we can administer ketamine-infusion therapy. Further, you can only avail of ketamine-infusion therapy if it is used in conjunction with psychotherapy in Switzerland. However, we provide different types of treatment programmes, each with a different focus and duration. For example, we provide a 7-day long detox programme and a 3-day comprehensive health assessment programme. Please get in touch to find out more.
Yes. Numerous studies show that ketamine-infusion therapy is a highly effective, fast-acting and promising treatment modality for mental health conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders and substance abuse issues.
Yes - studies show that ketamine can help people overcome alcohol abuse dependency. For example, in one clinical trial, researchers found that participants who were given low doses of ketamine along with psychological support stayed sober much longer than other groups.
At Paracelsus Recovery, our substance abuse treatment programmes are built on compassion, care, and pragmatism. Each programme is tailored to the client, we only ever have one client at any given time and we use a holistic treatment modality. Our programmes are also built on a harm-reduction framework which means whether your substance abuse problem requires absolute sobriety or not less than is a decision that stays with you. We will provide the tools needed to regain control over your health and wellbeing. You can learn more about our substance abuse treatment programmes here.