Ketamine Treatment for PTSD in NYC
If you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD and SSRIs, exposure therapy, or EMDR haven’t brought lasting relief. IV ketamine offers a different mechanism with a different result. Many patients notice fewer intrusive symptoms within days, not months.
Understanding PTSD That Hasn't Responded to Standard Treatment
For roughly half of people diagnosed with PTSD, first-line treatments — SSRIs, prolonged exposure, CPT, EMDR — don’t produce sustained relief. This is called treatment-resistant PTSD, and it doesn’t mean you’ve failed treatment. It means PTSD is a complex, network-level condition, and the standard tools weren’t built to act quickly on the brain circuits driving it.
"I know what happened logically, but emotionally I can't escape it."
"I've tried the medications. I've done the therapy. But the symptoms haven't gone anywhere."
IV ketamine is being studied specifically for this group — patients with a formal PTSD diagnosis, who’ve tried the standard pathway, and who need a different mechanism of action. If you’re carrying significant trauma but haven’t been formally diagnosed with PTSD, our Ketamine for Trauma may be a better starting point.
Do any of these resonate?
- Intrusive memories or flashbacks that hijack your day
- Recurring nightmares about the event
- Constantly scanning for danger (hypervigilance)
- Avoiding people, places, or conversations that remind you
- Exaggerated startle response to ordinary sounds
- Emotional numbness or detachment from loved ones
- Sleep that never feels restorative
- Persistent guilt, shame, or self-blame
- Irritability or anger that surprises you
- Symptoms that have lasted more than a month
How Ketamine Helps People With PTSD
Rapid Symptom Reduction
Unlike SSRIs that take weeks, ketamine can produce measurable PTSD symptom reduction within 24 to 72 hours of your first infusion.
Promotes Neuroplasticity
Ketamine triggers the growth of new neural connections, helping rebuild brain regions worn down by chronic trauma stress.
Quiets the Threat Response
Patients describe the amygdala's grip easing — triggers stop hijacking the whole system the way they used to.
Enhances Therapeutic Work
Research shows ketamine supports fear extinction learning, helping your existing therapy work move forward when it had plateaued.
Rapid Symptom Reduction
Unlike SSRIs that take weeks, ketamine can produce measurable PTSD symptom reduction within 24 to 72 hours of your first infusion.
Promotes Neuroplasticity
Ketamine triggers the growth of new neural connections, helping rebuild brain regions worn down by chronic trauma stress.
Quiets the Threat Response
Patients describe the amygdala's grip easing — triggers stop hijacking the whole system the way they used to.
Enhances Therapeutic Work
Research shows ketamine supports fear extinction learning, helping your existing therapy work move forward when it had plateaued.
Who Ketamine Helps
PTSD develops from many sources. The protocol is the same, the source of the trauma is not.
- Combat Veterans & Active Military
- First Responders (Fire, EMS, Police)
- Healthcare Workers & ER Staff
- Survivors of Assault
- Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
- Accident & Injury Survivors
- Sexual Trauma Survivors
- Medical Trauma Survivors
- Treatment-Resistant PTSD
- PTSD with Co-occurring Depression
You don't need to bring a formal diagnosis to your consultation. Dr. Qureshi will review your history and confirm whether ketamine is the right next step for you.
What Research Shows About Ketamine for PTSD
- Reduces PTSD symptoms within days, not weeks
- Improved sleep quality and duration
- Strongest outcomes when paired with therapy
- Fewer intrusive flashbacks and nightmares
- Significant results in veteran populations
- Effects can last weeks to months per series
What a Session Feels Like
Your comfort and safety are our highest priorities. Each session is designed to feel like a gentle, supported journey.
Safe
Calm
Steady
Clear
Grounded
Held
Quiet
Present
During a ketamine session, most patients describe a sense of deep calm and emotional distance from their trauma — observing memories without the body reacting as if the event is happening again. The dissociative state ketamine produces is typically floaty and observational, not re-experiencing.
You remain aware throughout, resting in a comfortable private room with soft lighting and gentle music. You are not asked to talk about your trauma during the infusion. The internal work happens on its own; integration with your therapist happens in the days that follow.
Your PTSD Treatment Journey
A clinically structured protocol based on the dosing schedule used in the research that established ketamine’s efficacy for PTSD.
Initial Consultation
A thorough medical and psychiatric review with Dr. Qureshi. We discuss your diagnosis, prior treatments, current medications, and confirm ketamine is clinically appropriate.
Six Infusions Over Three Weeks
Two sessions per week. This loading-series frequency is what the PTSD research supports — single infusions help briefly, but the full series is what produces durable change.
Personalized Dosing
Each session is calibrated based on your response to the previous one — ensuring the therapeutic effect without overwhelming intensity.
RN-Monitored Sessions
A registered nurse monitors your vitals — heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen — and remains present throughout every session.
Integration Support
We strongly recommend continuing (or beginning) trauma-focused therapy in parallel. Ketamine opens a neuroplastic window; therapy helps you use it.
Optional Maintenance Boosters
Many PTSD patients benefit from periodic booster infusions every 4–8 weeks to sustain results. Some don't need them. The schedule is yours.
Safety & Trauma-Informed Care
Your sense of safety is our highest priority.
- Full medical clearance before your first infusion
- Continuous RN monitoring during every session
- You're never asked to relive or narrate your trauma
- You can pause, slow, or stop the infusion at any time
- Private treatment rooms with no interruptions
Our team is trained in trauma-sensitive care and protocols developed specifically for PTSD patients. Healing happens at your pace.
We are making Ketamine accessible and affordable for all in need
As one of the leading providers of ketamine therapy in NYC, Queens, and Long Island, we offer transparent pricing and flexible treatment options to support your care.
IV Drip — Introductory Session
$550
Designed for new patients exploring ketamine therapy.
IV Drip Ketamine
$650
Single supervised ketamine infusion session.
Package of 6 IV Drips
$3150
Recommended treatment series for sustained relief.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ketamine FDA-approved for PTSD?
Not specifically. Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic, and its use for PTSD is off-label. This is standard medical practice when evidence supports it, and the research base for ketamine in PTSD is substantial and growing. The S-isomer (Spravato) is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression, but not PTSD.
Will I have a flashback during the infusion?
Rarely. The dissociative state ketamine produces is typically floaty and observational, not re-experiencing. If difficult material does surface, our team is trained to support you and can adjust the infusion in real time.
Do I need to stop my current PTSD medications?
Usually no. Most SSRIs, SNRIs, and prazosin can be continued. A few medications, notably benzodiazepines and lamotrigine can blunt ketamine’s effect, so we’ll review your full list before starting.
How quickly will I notice change?
Most patients notice some shift, calmer reactivity, better sleep, less intrusive imagery within the first one to three infusions. The full effect of the six-infusion series is typically assessed at the two- to three-week mark.
Is this only for combat veterans?
No. PTSD develops from many sources – assault, accidents, medical trauma, first-responder exposure, sudden loss. The same protocol applies regardless of the source of the trauma.