Interventional psychiatry across Greater Seattle: at-home ketamine available now, with SPRAVATO® and TMS coming soon. Call or text 425-598-7088.
Interventional psychiatry across Greater Seattle: at-home ketamine available now, with SPRAVATO® and TMS coming soon. Call or text 425-598-7088.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can trap you in a cycle where the past feels more real than the present. Intrusive memories, nightmares, and hypervigilance make it impossible to feel safe, even years after the trauma ended. Traditional treatments like prolonged exposure therapy and SSRIs help many people, but for those with treatment-resistant PTSD, symptoms persist despite multiple treatment attempts. Ketamine offers a different approach that works through a distinct neurobiological mechanism, combined with therapy to help process traumatic memories and reduce symptoms that haven’t responded to other interventions.
Nomad Therapeutics provides ketamine treatment for PTSD throughout Seattle, Tacoma, and South Seattle. Our registered nurses administer ketamine via intramuscular injection in your home or therapist’s office, creating a safe environment for treatment while maintaining full medical oversight. This complete ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program integrates rapid-acting medication with structured trauma therapy to produce lasting improvements in PTSD symptoms and quality of life.
PTSD that hasn’t responded to evidence-based treatments requires approaches that work through different mechanisms. Nomad Therapeutics delivers ketamine treatment as part of a complete therapeutic framework designed specifically for treatment-resistant trauma conditions.
Our at-home service model brings registered nurse-administered ketamine directly to your location in Seattle, Tacoma, and South Seattle. When PTSD makes leaving home feel unsafe, when hypervigilance makes clinical settings overwhelming, at-home treatment removes these barriers while ensuring you receive proper medical supervision. You get the same safety protocols and clinical oversight used in traditional settings, but in an environment where you can control the surroundings and feel secure.
What distinguishes our approach is the integration of ketamine with trauma-focused psychotherapy. The medication creates a neurobiological window where the rigid fear responses and avoidance patterns maintaining your PTSD become more flexible. Structured therapy during this window helps you process traumatic memories, develop new coping strategies, and reduce symptoms that have persisted despite other treatments. This combination produces improvements that extend well beyond the medication’s immediate effects.
Post-traumatic stress disorder develops after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events—situations involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. PTSD involves four main symptom clusters that persist for more than a month and significantly interfere with daily functioning.
Intrusive symptoms include unwanted, distressing memories that intrude when you’re trying to focus on present tasks. Nightmares disrupt sleep and make you dread going to bed. Flashbacks create vivid experiences where the trauma feels like it’s happening again in the present moment. Even reminders of the trauma—certain places, sounds, smells, or situations—can trigger intense psychological distress and physical reactions.
Avoidance symptoms involve going to great lengths to avoid anything that reminds you of the trauma. You might avoid certain locations, activities, people, or conversations. Many people with PTSD avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, which makes it impossible to process what happened and move forward. This avoidance provides short-term relief but maintains PTSD symptoms over time.
Negative changes in thoughts and mood include persistent negative beliefs about yourself, others, or the world. Many people blame themselves for the trauma or its consequences. Emotional numbness makes it difficult to feel positive emotions like love, joy, or connection. Interest in previously meaningful activities disappears. Some people feel detached from others or unable to maintain close relationships.
Hyperarousal symptoms create a constant state of being on guard. You might startle easily, have difficulty concentrating, struggle with sleep, or feel constantly irritable or angry. This persistent activation of your stress response system exhausts you physically and mentally, making it impossible to relax even when you’re objectively safe.
Treatment-resistant PTSD means you’ve engaged with evidence-based treatments—trauma-focused psychotherapies like prolonged exposure or cognitive processing therapy, medications like SSRIs—without achieving adequate symptom relief. When standard approaches haven’t worked, treatments targeting different neurobiological pathways become essential for finding relief from symptoms that have dominated your life for months or years.
Ketamine received FDA approval as an anesthetic in 1970 and has been used safely in medical settings for over five decades. Research over the past two decades has revealed that at sub-anesthetic doses, ketamine produces rapid improvements in various psychiatric conditions, including treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.
The discovery of ketamine’s psychiatric applications represented a significant advance in mental health treatment. For the first time, researchers identified a medication that could produce rapid symptom improvements through a mechanism completely different from traditional psychiatric medications. Rather than targeting serotonin or other monoamine neurotransmitters, ketamine acts on the glutamate system, which plays a crucial role in how the brain processes memories, forms new connections, and responds to stress.
This glutamate-focused mechanism has particular relevance for PTSD. Traumatic memories involve glutamate pathways, and the persistent fear responses characterizing PTSD relate to how these pathways maintain threat detection even when danger has passed. Ketamine’s effects on glutamate transmission help interrupt these maladaptive patterns.
Nomad Therapeutics administers ketamine via intramuscular injection. This route achieves 90-95% bioavailability, meaning nearly all of the medication reaches your brain to produce therapeutic effects. IM administration delivers effectiveness comparable to the intravenous infusions used in clinical research, with the convenience of receiving treatment at home rather than spending extended time in a clinic for IV sessions.
Ketamine’s effects on PTSD involve multiple interconnected mechanisms. The medication acts on glutamate receptors involved in fear memory formation and maintenance. Research shows that ketamine helps reduce the emotional intensity attached to traumatic memories without erasing the memories themselves. This allows people to think about or discuss the trauma without experiencing the same overwhelming distress that previously made processing impossible.
Ketamine also enhances neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new connections and modify existing patterns. PTSD involves rigid neural pathways that maintain fear responses and avoidance behaviors long after the trauma ended. The window of increased neuroplasticity that ketamine creates allows these rigid patterns to become more flexible, making it possible to develop new, healthier responses to trauma reminders.
Many people with PTSD describe feeling stuck—unable to move forward because the trauma feels more real than the present moment. During and after ketamine treatment, patients often report gaining distance from traumatic memories, experiencing them as events that happened in the past rather than ongoing threats. This shift creates space for therapeutic work that addresses the trauma directly rather than avoiding it.
Research demonstrates that ketamine produces significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, with improvements appearing within days of treatment. Studies show that ketamine reduces scores on standard PTSD measures and prolongs the time before symptoms return compared to placebo treatments. When combined with trauma-focused psychotherapy, these effects become more robust and longer-lasting.
The rapid onset distinguishes ketamine from traditional PTSD medications. While SSRIs typically require six to eight weeks before showing effects, ketamine can produce meaningful symptom reduction within 24 hours to one week. This rapid relief provides crucial support for people whose PTSD symptoms have become debilitating and need faster intervention than traditional approaches provide.
Treatment with Nomad Therapeutics begins with a free consultation where you can learn about ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and ask questions about whether it might help your specific situation. This conversation involves no commitment—just an opportunity to understand the treatment approach and determine if it makes sense for you.
If you decide to proceed, you’ll complete a clinical evaluation with a Nomad Therapeutics clinician. This appointment reviews your trauma history, PTSD symptoms, previous treatment attempts, current medications, and overall medical history. The evaluation determines whether ketamine treatment is safe and clinically appropriate for your specific presentation. Not everyone qualifies for treatment, and this careful screening ensures that ketamine represents an appropriate option.
Our standard protocol follows clinical research: six ketamine sessions administered over three weeks. This schedule provides sufficient repetition for meaningful symptom improvement while maintaining treatment intensity that prevents long gaps where PTSD symptoms might return to baseline levels.
Each treatment cycle integrates three components. Before your ketamine session, you’ll work with a trauma-informed therapist in a preparation session. This meeting helps you prepare mentally and emotionally for the ketamine experience, set intentions for what you hope to process or address, and establish safety strategies for managing any difficult material that emerges. For PTSD treatment, preparation becomes especially important because the sessions may bring up traumatic content.
For the medication session, a registered nurse arrives at your chosen location in Seattle, Tacoma, or South Seattle with all necessary medical equipment. You decide where you feel safest receiving treatment—your home or your therapist’s office. The session begins with checking your vital signs and ensuring you feel as comfortable as possible. The nurse administers ketamine via intramuscular injection, which takes just seconds.
Throughout the ketamine experience, which typically lasts one to two hours, the nurse monitors your vital signs at regular intervals and watches for any complications. You remain in the safe environment you’ve chosen, with a medical professional present the entire time. Our clinical team stays on standby throughout every session, available for consultation or emergency response if needed.
After the experience concludes, your nurse performs a final vitals check to ensure you’ve returned to baseline before leaving. You’ll then schedule integration therapy with your trauma-informed therapist to process what emerged during the session. For PTSD treatment, this integration work is where traumatic memories that surfaced become less overwhelming, where new insights about the trauma get incorporated into your understanding, and where you develop concrete strategies for managing symptoms differently. This therapeutic processing transforms temporary neurobiological changes into lasting reductions in PTSD symptoms.
Ketamine treatment works best for specific PTSD presentations. The strongest evidence supports its use for chronic PTSD—symptoms that have persisted for months or years after the traumatic event. Research specifically demonstrates effectiveness in treatment-resistant cases where you’ve tried trauma-focused therapies or medications without achieving adequate symptom relief.
If you’ve engaged in prolonged exposure therapy or cognitive processing therapy without sufficient improvement, if multiple SSRI trials haven’t reduced your symptoms, ketamine’s different mechanism may help where other treatments haven’t. The medication works through glutamate pathways rather than serotonin, offering a distinct approach for people who haven’t responded to conventional interventions.
Ketamine shows particular promise for PTSD with co-occurring depression. This combination is common and especially difficult to treat, as the conditions reinforce each other and make recovery more challenging. Ketamine’s effects on both PTSD and depressive symptoms can help break this cycle when traditional treatments haven’t been sufficient.
However, ketamine treatment isn’t appropriate for everyone with PTSD. Certain medical conditions, particularly uncontrolled cardiovascular problems, may make ketamine unsafe. Active substance use disorders, especially those involving dissociative drugs, typically preclude treatment. The dissociative effects of ketamine, while generally well-tolerated, can be challenging for some people with trauma histories. The clinical evaluation carefully assesses these factors to determine whether ketamine represents a safe and appropriate option for your specific situation.
The decision to pursue ketamine treatment requires consideration of your trauma history, current symptoms, previous treatment attempts, and willingness to engage with trauma-focused therapy during the treatment process. Ketamine isn’t a standalone solution—it works best when integrated with structured trauma therapy that helps you process what emerges during medication sessions. For people with treatment-resistant PTSD who are willing to engage fully with this therapeutic framework, ketamine offers genuine hope for the kind of symptom relief that has remained elusive with other approaches.
Safety remains paramount throughout ketamine treatment, especially for PTSD where feeling unsafe is a core symptom. Each medication session involves a registered nurse providing active medical monitoring from beginning to end. Your nurse checks vital signs multiple times, watches for complications, and responds immediately if concerns arise. This consistent medical presence helps create the sense of safety needed to engage with potentially difficult trauma-related material.
Our full clinical team backs every session, available for consultation or emergency response throughout your treatment. We maintain comprehensive medical protocols regardless of where treatment occurs. Emergency equipment, proper medication handling, sterile injection technique, and thorough monitoring all travel with our nurses to your location. The safety standards remain identical whether the session happens in a clinic or your chosen safe space.
The at-home setting offers particular advantages for PTSD treatment. When hypervigilance makes unfamiliar environments feel threatening, when leaving home triggers anxiety about safety, at-home treatment eliminates these barriers. You receive treatment in a space where you can control the surroundings, have trusted support people nearby if desired, and feel as secure as possible while engaging with challenging therapeutic work.
You decide what feels safest—receiving treatment in your own home surrounded by familiar objects, or having sessions at your therapist’s office where you’ve already established a sense of safety through previous therapy work. This control over your environment supports the therapeutic process by reducing the baseline anxiety that clinical settings might trigger.
Our approach integrates ketamine treatment with trauma-informed psychotherapy from the beginning. We coordinate medication sessions with your existing trauma therapist or connect you with a PTSD-specialized therapist through the Nomad Network. This coordination ensures that preparation happens before each medication session and trauma processing occurs afterward, creating the structured support needed to work with traumatic material safely and effectively. The goal isn’t just symptom reduction—it’s helping you reclaim your life from PTSD through comprehensive treatment that addresses both neurobiological and psychological aspects of trauma.
Treatment-resistant PTSD doesn’t mean you have to accept that symptoms will dominate your life indefinitely. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy offers a treatment approach that works through different mechanisms than traditional PTSD treatments, combined with trauma-focused therapy designed to produce lasting symptom reduction rather than temporary relief.
Nomad Therapeutics brings this complete program to patients throughout Seattle, Tacoma, and South Seattle. Our at-home treatment model removes the barriers that make clinic visits difficult when PTSD symptoms make leaving home or being in unfamiliar environments overwhelming, while maintaining the medical oversight and safety protocols that effective treatment requires.
We offer a free consultation to answer your questions and help you understand whether ketamine treatment might help your specific PTSD presentation. This conversation involves no pressure or commitment—just an opportunity to learn more about how ketamine-assisted psychotherapy works for trauma and make an informed decision about whether this approach makes sense for you.
Many patients notice PTSD symptom reduction within days to one week after their first ketamine session. Research shows significant improvements in PTSD measures within this timeframe. However, the timeline varies between individuals. Some people experience rapid relief from intrusive symptoms, while others see gradual improvement across the six-session protocol. The speed of response distinguishes ketamine from traditional PTSD medications like SSRIs, which typically require six to eight weeks to show effects.
During the ketamine experience, you may feel dissociated or experience altered perceptions. For some people with trauma histories, these dissociative effects can feel unsettling, though they’re temporary and resolve within hours. Our nurses monitor you throughout the session and can adjust the approach if you experience significant distress. Some people have mild nausea, dizziness, or temporary blood pressure increases during treatment. Serious side effects are rare when ketamine is administered by trained medical professionals with proper screening and monitoring.
Our standard protocol involves six ketamine sessions over three weeks, based on clinical research for treating PTSD. Many patients experience meaningful symptom reduction during this initial series. Some people may benefit from maintenance sessions after completing the protocol, depending on how symptoms respond. The need for ongoing treatment will be determined by your clinical team based on your individual response and symptom trajectory.
Most people continue their existing psychiatric medications during ketamine treatment. The clinical evaluation reviews all current medications to identify any that might interact with ketamine or affect treatment safety. You should never stop or change PTSD medications without consulting your prescribing physician, as sudden discontinuation can cause withdrawal effects or symptom worsening.
Ketamine treatment works most effectively when integrated with trauma-focused psychotherapy, not as a replacement. The medication creates a neurobiological window where traumatic memories become less overwhelming and more accessible for therapeutic processing. Your therapist uses this window to help you work with traumatic material, develop new coping strategies, and reduce avoidance patterns. The combination of medication and therapy produces better outcomes than either approach alone.
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No commitment — just a conversation about which intervention might be right for you. A Nomad Therapeutics representative will answer your questions and walk you through what to expect.
