Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for trauma-exposed patients in an outpatient setting: A clinical chart review study

Trauma exposure across the lifespan produces risks for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, as well as global disability in functioning. This retrospective clinical chart review is the first of its kind to assess the utility of sublingual ketamine-assisted body-centered psychotherapy in trauma-exposed patients in a real world clinic setting. De-identified clinical records data on self -re-ported symptom measures were retrospectively analyzed for patients (N = 18; Mage = 45.22, SD = 12.90) entering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy treatment in an outpatient clinic between 2018 and 2020. Patients who completed six sessions of ketamine therapy reported meaningful (e.g., medium effect size) improvements in PTSD symptoms (P = 0.058; d = -0.48) and global disability in functioning (P = 0.050; d = -0.52) and statistically significant and meaningful improvements in depression (P = 0.019; d = -0.53). There were no improvements in anxiety symptoms. Sublingual ketamine-assisted psychotherapy was associated with heterogenous clinical utility among patients with trauma-exposure in an outpatient setting. This study was underpowered and unrepresentative of the population of ke-tamine patients in the United States. Replication of these findings is needed with larger and more diverse patient samples.

Automated summary

Trauma exposure throughout the lifespan poses risks for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and global disability. This study retrospectively analyzed data from trauma-exposed patients receiving ketamine-assisted psychotherapy treatment, showing meaningful improvements in PTSD symptoms, depression, and global disability after six sessions, but not in anxiety symptoms. Further research with larger and more diverse patient samples is needed for replication.