Patient Research Review: Can Ketamine Help PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep?
This real-world study looked at how ketamine impacts people with both PTSD and depression—two conditions that often occur together and make each other harder to treat,
I’m excited to share that a research collaboration I contributed to has just been published—and for the next two months, it’s free and accessible to anyone to read.
This real-world study looked at how ketamine impacts people with both PTSD and depression—two conditions that often occur together and make each other harder to treat.
If you’ve ever wondered whether ketamine can truly help with PTSD, anxiety, and sleep issues, this paper answers a lot of those questions. And it does it with real-world data from real patients—not just a lab setting.
Here’s the plain-English breakdown of what we found.
Publication: Self-reported improvements in comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, and sleep among real-world patients receiving medical ketamine: Exploring the role of adjunct therapies
When someone has PTSD, it usually doesn’t show up alone. It often comes bundled with depression, anxiety, chronic sleep problems, and sometimes physical pain. And unfortunately, this combination is really tough to treat with standard methods like antidepressants or talk therapy alone.
This study asked:
How does ketamine work for people who have PTSD plus depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances?
Does it work better when combined with therapy (like talk therapy, EMDR, or somatic practices)?
And can ketamine help people process trauma, not just numb the symptoms?
Participants:
202 people treated with ketamine in real-world clinics (not just research labs).
Nearly half (98 people) had been diagnosed with PTSD.
Most were being treated for depression, anxiety, or trauma—not just chronic pain.
People received ketamine via IV, IM, lozenge, or nasal spray (most were IV or IM).
Results (Spoiler: It Works)
✅ Ketamine dramatically reduced symptoms of:
PTSD
Depression
Anxiety
Sleep disturbances
People with PTSD started with worse symptoms than those without—but after ketamine treatment, both groups ended up with similar, significantly lower symptom levels. In other words: ketamine leveled the playing field, even for people with more complex trauma.
What did patients actually say?
“I'm less fearful and have much better connection to the world and those around me.” (39-year, female)
“I'm a veteran and am rated fully disabled by the VA for PTSD. Before the ketamine I had multiple panic attacks a day/week, couldn't sleep, could barely function. I tried ketamine for CRPS [complex regional pain syndrome], but the difference it's made for my mental health is astounding. I'm now back to work full time, it's given me my life back physically and mentally.” (40-year, female)
“I am no longer in debilitating anxiety every day. Triggers do not trigger me like they used to. I used to have to take Xanax every day and I haven't needed it in over a year” (26-year, female)
“I no longer go into complete shutdown when a trigger event occurs. It's much easier to address the trigger and carry on.” (48-year, male)
Participants reported fewer nightmares, less hypervigilance, reduced panic attacks, better sleep, and improved mood. Many described being able to process trauma for the first time—without feeling overwhelmed by it.
How Does Ketamine Work for PTSD?
Here’s what participants described—and what neuroscience supports:
Dissociation with purpose: The ketamine experience created a safe “buffer” that helped people revisit painful memories without being overwhelmed by them.
New perspectives: Many described seeing their trauma “like a movie,” detached enough to process it, but still present enough to do the emotional work.
Calm the nervous system: People reported relief from the constant fight-or-flight hyperarousal common in PTSD. Sleep improved. Triggers became less intense or disappeared.
Neuroplasticity: On a brain level, ketamine increases neuroplasticity—helping the brain form new connections, heal from the impacts of chronic stress, and essentially ‘rewire’ itself toward safety instead of fear.
Does Therapy Help or Is Ketamine Enough?
75% of people with PTSD were doing some form of therapy alongside ketamine (like EMDR, somatic work, talk therapy, etc.).
But… the data showed that everyone improved—whether or not they were doing therapy.
This doesn’t mean therapy isn’t helpful—it absolutely is for many. But it does suggest that for some people, the ketamine experience alone was enough to create significant shifts. Personally, I will not administer therapy within my practice without coaching or therapy.
Why This Matters
PTSD and depression together are notoriously difficult to treat. Standard meds often fall short, and they rarely improve sleep (in fact, some make it worse and/or increase nightmares).
This research offers real-world evidence that ketamine may be a powerful tool for treating multiple conditions at once.
It’s not a silver bullet, but for many, it’s a life-changing catalyst—especially when paired with the right support, whether that’s therapy, somatic work, or integration practices.
The paper is free to read for the next 2 months. If you love diving into the science—or just want to better understand how ketamine works—you can check it out here.
This reinforces what I see every day in clinical practice: ketamine, for many, is a window of neuroplasticity that allows real healing to happen.
But it works best when we meet it halfway—with preparation, intention, and integration. Whether that’s through therapy, movement, meditation, or supportive community—it’s the combination of the medicine and what we do with it that creates lasting change.
I’m grateful to have participated in this research, and I want to express my gratitude for all patients and clients who have responded to the survey. By answering this survey and allowing us to compile this research, more professionals (and patients) are able to access information about this medicine.