New Study Details the Connection Between Ketamine and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A small study out of Yale School of Medicine, combined Ketamine treatments and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They discovered a connection between CBT and relief of treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Wilkinson states “CBT may provide an effective treatment strategy to sustain ketamine’s antidepressant effects.”

The principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have been around for quite some time, in 1979 Dr. Aaron Beck wrote a groundbreaking book on cognitive therapy for depression. Almost 2000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Epictetus noted “People are not disturbed by things but by the view they take of them.” The history of mindfulness goes back thousands of years to Hinduism and Buddhism.

Psychological problems are based, in part, on unhelpful or faulty ways of thinking, along with learned patterns of unhelpful behavior. CBT helps break the vicious cycle of negative thinking and feeling. CBT is a systematic and structured form of psychological therapy that has been proven effective for a whole range of mental health problems including anxiety, PTSD, depression, and anger control.  CBT focuses on distorted perceptions about the self and typically involves changing your thinking patterns, incorporating better ways of coping, and relieving symptoms. Numerous evidence-based research studies suggest that CBT can significantly improve one’s functioning and quality of life.

Combining the antidepressant and neuro regenerative effects of Ketamine, along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, can produce a powerful treatment approach. This combination can provide substantial results, by helping an individual gain insight and acquire new skills, that will sustain improvement and recovery.

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Magda Villegas is the Clinical Administrator for KWC Tucson