Once used only as an anesthetic, ketamine is now among the fastest-acting tools in mental healthcare. Administered in small, controlled doses, it is primarily used by people struggling with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and PTSD.
Unlike traditional antidepressants that work on serotonin or dopamine, ketamine targets glutamate, the brain’s primary messenger, involved in about 90 percent of all brain activity — it plays a big role in mood, memory, and learning. By acting on this system, ketamine helps the brain form new connections quickly, which is why many people feel better within hours instead of weeks.
“The patient will undergo a mystical or spiritual state of consciousness — it seems to allow a doorway that opens up between the conscious and the unconscious mind,” says Dr. Samuel Ko, founder and medical director of Reset Ketamine in Palm Springs. “They can see what’s going on ‘under the hood’ of the mind and get to the root causes of depression or anxiety.”
Ko pairs treatment with integration therapy to help patients process the insights that may arise during a session. Some describe the experience as deeply introspective, like stepping outside themselves to see things from a radically new perspective.
“It brings emotions into sharper focus, which is why support and guidance before and after each session is key,” he explains.
Reset Ketamine has temporarily closed due to damage sustained in the May 2025 bombing near its Palm Springs location. The clinic is actively seeking a new space and will resume services as soon as possible.
