How ketamine helps anxiety
Generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety often live in a hyperaroused nervous system. Ketamine can quiet that system and create a window where new, calmer patterns can take root.
Common outcomes
- Reduced frequency and intensity of panic episodes
- Diminished anticipatory worry
- Easier engagement with daily life and relationships
- Greater benefit from ongoing therapy
Conditions we treat in this category
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia
- Social anxiety disorder
- Health and performance anxiety
- Anxiety co-occurring with depression or PTSD
Why a different approach helps
Most anxiety treatments either dial down the system temporarily (benzodiazepines) or slowly rebalance serotonin (SSRIs). Ketamine does something different — it creates a window of neuroplasticity in which your nervous system can re-pattern itself. Many patients describe their first session as the first time in years their mind has been quiet.
Our typical anxiety protocol
We usually begin with a series of 6 sessions over 2–3 weeks using IV, IM, or lozenge dosing depending on your goals and history. Maintenance is highly individualized — some patients only need an occasional booster, others benefit from a steady monthly cadence.
Pairing with therapy
For panic and social anxiety in particular, pairing ketamine with cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure work tends to produce the most durable results. We’ll coordinate with your existing therapist or offer our own guided sessions.