Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: opportunities and challenges

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic with unique pharmacological and psychological properties. Its antidepressant effects are mediated through the glutamatergic system and subsequent neuroplasticity and can be amplified when combined with psychotherapy. The ketamine-induced dissociative state should not be seen as an unwanted side-effect, but as a unique opportunity for psychotherapeutic intervention. When psychotherapy is augmented by subanesthetic doses of ketamine, a synergistic effect is seen that increases and prolongs the effect on depressive symptoms, general well-being and quality of life.