The Three-Fold Healing Treatment of Ketamine- Assisted Psychotherapy PART 1/3
- Geetha Naidu
- Apr 1
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Part 1:
Ketamine & the Brain
Healing is rarely linear, and in most cases, it is not isolated to the mind alone.
Emotional distress, trauma, and psychiatric conditions often take root across the entire human system—affecting how we think, how we feel in our bodies, and how we make sense of our lives.
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAP) offers a multi-dimensional response: a treatment that engages the brain’s chemistry, the body’s physiology, and the person’s deeper sense of meaning.
In this article, we explore the three distinct domains where ketamine exerts therapeutic influence:
Cognitive Repair (Brain)
Autonomic Regulation (Body)
Insight and Narrative Transformation (Soul)
When these domains are addressed in tandem,
the potential for meaningful, lasting, change...increases exponentially.
That's exactly what we specialize in at
"The Path to Fulfillment"
Sometimes your bed feels less like a safe cocoon and more like a prison of time. Your thoughts wanders and transforms into cinema reel for anxiety, replaying a relentless loop of scenarios filled with danger, disappointments, and the nagging feeling of inadequacy. Each worry grows louder, creating an unease that starkly contrasts with the actual safety of your bed. You replay moments when you felt exposed or blindsided by life’s relentless challenges.
In the midst of this storm, any positive feeling or memory is meaningless under the overwhelming sense of defeat. You grapple with not feeling in control of your life, actions, relationships, etc. It often feels like you are stumbling through each day.
Often leaving you feeling trapped, "getting worse" is looming, isn't it?
Whether in your dreams, or awake, coping appears less about embracing lessons and more about enduring its discomfort. At some point, you begin to believe the negative thoughts, assimilating them as a finite, uncomfortable "truth". It then destroys self-worth in tremendous ways. After trying many treatments, you start to wonder if you could even have potential for change and growth.
What KAP makes possible is not simply clinical relief—but the restoration of interiority. It invites a return to mystery, to sensation, to meaning. To remember, at last, that healing was not just "feeling better...
You will return home.
PART 1
Brain — Where the Architecture Cracks, Growt Begins with Ketamine Treatment
In clinical terms, the ruminating thought cycle mentioned (in the previous section) are called prefrontal hypoactivity. The Pre-Frotal Cortex is the part of the brain responsible for high-level executive functions such as attention, decision-making and error monitoring. (Nature, n.d.).
A study highlighted that stress and inflammation harm the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, impairing working memory and abstract reasoning (Biological Psychiatry, 2025). It also plays a role in emotion regulation and controlling negative thoughts.
With the slowing down of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) (a region vital for executive function, planning, and impulse regulation) as it does in Depression and PTSD, your mind loses the ability to distinguish between self-worth and present reality.
The hippocampus shrinks.
The amygdala overfires.
The system becomes a
closed loop of fear, shame, and prediction.
Sound familiar? Read on.
How KAP Works:
Pharmacologically, Ketamine is a non-competitive, NMDA receptor antagonist.
Useful Definitions (Dropdown)
Glutamate: A major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a critical role in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity.
AMPA Receptors: A type of receptor on the postsynaptic neuron that binds glutamate, allowing positively charged ions (like sodium) to enter the cell, leading to neuron activation.
Postsynaptic Neuron: The neuron that receives the signal (neurotransmitter) from another neuron across a synapse.
mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin): A protein kinase that regulates cell growth, protein synthesis, and survival. In the brain, it is important for synaptic plasticity and neuronal repair.
BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor): A protein that supports the survival, growth, and differentiation of neurons. It is essential for brain plasticity and cognitive function.
Intracellular Signaling Pathways: Chains of molecular events triggered inside a cell in response to external signals (like neurotransmitter binding), often leading to gene expression, protein synthesis, or cell growth.
Synaptic Plasticity: The ability of synapses (connections between neurons) to strengthen or weaken over time, which underlies learning and memory.
Blocking Receptors and Disinhibition
Ketamine blocks receptors on GABAergic interneurons, disinhibiting pyramidal glutamatergic neurons and causing a surge of extracellular glutamate.
Certain receptors on GABAergic interneurons. By blocking these receptors, the inhibition is lifted (disinhibition), leading to increased activity in pyramidal glutamatergic neurons, which are excitatory.
The result is a surge of extracellular glutamate, an important neurotransmitter, which can lead to heightened neuronal activity and signaling, referred to metaphorically as "ignition".
Glutamate and Receptor Binding
Glutamate binds to AMPA receptors, initiating a cascade involving mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor).
We see glutamate released, binding to AMPA receptors on the postsynaptic neuron. This binding triggers a series of intracellular signaling pathways, including the activation of mTOR and the production of BDNF...both of which play critical roles in neuronal growth and health.
Within just hours of KAP:
Increased dendritic spine density in the prefrontal cortex: Growth of small neuron protrusions crucial for synaptic transmission and neuron communication.
Restored synaptic connectivity: Re-establishment of weakened or lost neuron connections, enhancing brain communication.
Elevated neuroplasticity: Enhanced brain ability to reorganize by forming new neural connections, essential for learning, memory, and recovery.
What this means for you:
How Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Transforms Human Suffering Through Cognitive Neuroscience and Healing the Subconscious at
In standard ketamine therapy models, the journey is often isolated.
Clients are given a dose, headphones, and eye shades, left to drift alone in an altered state with little preparation and minimal integration.
But what if healing isn’t meant to happen in isolation? What if your pain needs more than music—it needs meaning, presence, and sacred witnessing?!
While those solo sessions may offer temporary symptom relief, they often fail to touch the deeper roots of suffering—the symbolic, emotional, and spiritual layers where true transformation lives.
At Thrive Life Counseling, we go beyond.
Before the medicine ever enters your system, we work with you to set intention and prepare the psyche. During your session, our therapists are present—not to intervene, but to hold a deeply attuned, healing field. And afterward, we walk with you through integration, helping you decode the symbols, emotions, and revelations that arose, grounding them into your body, your story, your life. This approach honors the full spectrum of your being—neurobiological, emotional, archetypal, and spiritual. It transforms ketamine from a passive experience into an active healing ritual, where your subconscious becomes a source of wisdom, and your pain becomes a path toward awakening.
In this space, you are not treated—you are transformed.
This is what sets our approach apart and differentiates us from
other Ketamine Treatment in the North Georgia area!
Our effectiveness shines through
our passionate dedication to healing
Ready to contact us for a consultation on our services?
For those seeking more than symptom relief and desiring a profound healing experience that integrates spirituality with psychotherapy, reach out for a consultation for transformative healing through Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) by clicking here:
{Part 2}
The Three-Fold Healing of Ketamine- Assisted Psychotherapy: The Body
(coming soon)
Ketamine Psychotherapy experience should be
unique, intentional, and profound as you are!
Your personal healing deserves to be sacred, and
Your journey deserves to glow from within.
Learn more here:
Thanks!
About the author:
Geetha Naidu, Intern Therapist
Trauma-Informed Coach | Depth Psychology Mentor/Coach| Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Integration Guide
Hi, I'm Geetha!
I'm a intern at Thrive Life Counseling,
where I serve as a trauma-informed intern under Dr. Neil Monette, a KAP provider through Journey Clinical.
I also serve as Board Secretary at the Carl Jung Society of Atlanta. I am currently pursuing my LPC and preparing for a PhD in Depth Psychology—with a vision of becoming a Jungian Psychoanalyst. I am a creative visionary artist, writer, and animal lover.
My signature approach aims to transform suffering into purpose, guiding emotional healing, spiritual growth, and ultimately, subconscious integration.
“The encounter with the numinous is one of the most profound experiences of the human psyche, calling us to awaken to something greater than our ego and opening the door to the sacred.”– Carl Jung
I invite you to begin your journey
& watch as the darkest depths give way
to radiant self-discovery
Learn More Here:
Citations
Some citations are directly mentioned in the text (even if only by journal name and date), while others are added to support the pharmacological and neuroplasticity concepts discussed:
1. **Prefrontal Hypoactivity & Executive Function**
- *Nature* (n.d.).
*(This reference is noted in the article for defining “prefrontal hypoactivity” as it relates to executive functions such as attention and decision-making. The exact article details are not provided.)*
- Mayberg, H. S. (1997). “Limbic-cortical dysregulation: A proposed model of depression.” *Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 9*(3), 471–481.
2. **Stress, Inflammation, and the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (dlPFC)**
- *Biological Psychiatry* (2025).
*(The article references a study from this journal on how stress and inflammation harm the dlPFC, impairing working memory and abstract reasoning. Exact details were not provided.)*
- Gold, A. L., et al. (2015). “Inflammation, stress, and the brain: Implications for depression.” *Biological Psychiatry, 78*(3), 172–182.
*(This is an example of a related study discussing the impact of stress and inflammation on brain regions involved in mood regulation.)*
3. **Ketamine’s Mechanism – NMDA Receptor Antagonism and Glutamate Surge**
- Zarate, C. A., Jr., et al. (2006). “A randomized trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in treatment-resistant major depression.” *Archives of General Psychiatry, 63*(8), 856–864.
4. **Activation of AMPA Receptors and mTOR Signaling Leading to Synaptic Plasticity**
- Li, N., et al. (2010). “mTOR-dependent synapse formation underlies the rapid antidepressant effects of NMDA antagonists.” *Science, 329*(5994), 959–964.
5. **BDNF and Synaptic Plasticity**
- Autry, A. E., & Monteggia, L. M. (2012). “Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neuropsychiatric disorders.” *Pharmacological Reviews, 64*(2), 238–258.
- Duman, R. S., & Aghajanian, G. K. (2012). “Synaptic dysfunction in depression: Potential therapeutic targets.” *Science, 338*(6103), 68–72.
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