Your life's turning point could be Integrative Ketamine Therapy
Grounded Healing with Ketamine Therapy
Your life's turning point could be Integrative Ketamine Therapy
Your life's turning point could be Integrative Ketamine Therapy
Your life's turning point could be Integrative Ketamine Therapy
I am Dr. Samantha Merz and at Naturopathic Ketamine, we are dedicated to providing integrative ketamine therapy in the grater Portland, Oregon area.
I am a licensed naturopathic doctor with a focus on integrative mental health. As a mother, healer and educator, I know the importance of creating a grounded space for healing. My approach combines the clinical effectiveness of ketamine with naturopathic medicine, somatic grounding techniques and emotional processing to support deep and lasting healing. True healing is personalized and multidimensional.
Whether you are navigating depression, anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain or feeling stuck in life, I am here to walk with you through it.
Ketamine alters a chemical called glutamate by blocking NMDA receptors in the brain and may produce a more rapid antidepressant effect compared to drugs that work on serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine. Ketamine can interrupt negative thoughts and feelings and help the brain create new, healthier patterns by stimulating neuroplasticity. By altering connectivity in the brain, ketamine can help people to break out of old thought patterns that cause anxiety and depression.
Intramuscular (IM) Injections are a single shot of Ketamine that is administered via a needle into one of the muscles. IM injections typically last around 45 minutes. Smaller micro-doses are occasionally prescribed for maintenance and are for home administration.
Patients should start to receive an antidepressant benefit from a single in-office dose within 1-2 hours. This is beneficial in times of distress as oral antidepressants may require 4-6 weeks before taking full effect. The duration of effect is specific to the individual patient but most find benefit for days to weeks of an expanded consciousness from a single in-office dose.
While each plan is custom to your needs, a typical plan looks like the following:
- Consultation appointment (15 minutes) - free and optional
- First naturopathic intake (60 minutes) - $250
- First ketamine treatment with somatic grounding (2-3 hours) - $500
- Follow up integration within 48 hours of ketamine treatment (45 minutes) - $200
- Followed by 3-5 more ketamine and integration appointments.
Please reach us at drsammerz@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
The appointment length for IM ketamine injections is scheduled for 2 hours at our clinic. That gives us time to prepare, grounding and somatic techniques and integration during the session.
Integrative follow up appointments are 30 minutes and may be in person or telehealth.
We recommend 1-2 ketamine treatments followed up with integrative appointments per week. Duration of treatments is individualized but most plans include 3-6 weeks of treatment.
There are certain cardiovascular conditions such as uncontrolled hypertension or being pregnant and/or breastfeeding would indicate someone not being a good candidate. During the intake appointment, medical history, current medications and any other pertinent health information will be reviewed.
Most medications are safe to use while doing ketamine treatments. Antidepressants dosing does not need to be adjusted. There are a couple exceptions to the timing of taking the medication with the ketamine but these will be reviewed and instructed during the intake appointment.
Ketamine therapy is not covered by insurance at Naturopthic Ketamine.
We can provide a superbill for the medical intake appointment and post-treatment integration sessions that may provide full or partial reimbursement of expenses depending on your insurance plan.
We can accept cash, Venmo, or credit card at the time of service. We are also able to take HSA and FSA funds.
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