Intravenous ketamine administered in a supportive environment with preparation, intention-setting, integration sessions, eye shades, and evocative music—paralleling psychedelic therapy—was associated with large reductions in PTSD symptoms. In a retrospective sample of 117 outpatients, mean PCL-5 scores dropped from 52.54 to 28.78, with 75% showing clinically meaningful improvement and 62% suggesting remission. No serious adverse events occurred, and concomitant psychotherapy was a significant moderator. The findings suggest that environmental factors may account for variation in previous ketamine studies and that this approach may be a promising option for PTSD unresponsive to other treatments.
Intravenous ketamine given in a supportive environment with preparation, intention-setting, and integration sessions—similar to psychedelic therapy—led to large reductions in PTSD symptoms. In 117 outpatients with elevated PTSD Checklist scores, the mean score dropped from 52.54 to 28.78, a large effect size of 1.64. No serious adverse events occurred. Concomitant psychotherapy also contributed to improvement. Of the patients, 75% showed clinically meaningful improvement and 62% showed remission of symptoms. The results suggest that environmental factors may account for variation in previous ketamine studies.