If you think that this sounds like the most extreme form of therapy you will ever go through you are probably right, but it isn’t as crazy as it first sounds. If you don’t already know Ketamine is a medication primarily used for starting and maintaining anaesthesia often used for medical purposes like having a localised operation. In small doses, it can help ease pain, but in very lower levels it can indeed be used to cure depression, anxiety and even many of the symptoms of BPD. Read on to find out a little more about this highly controversial form of therapy…
What is Ketamine-Assisted Therapy?
If you have never heard of this form of therapy before you are not alone because their first clinic to perform this form of controversial therapy only opened in 2021, but this is not a rush-job, it is the result of over 15 years of work in the field of psychology studies and research. While it isn’t a therapy targeted towards the treatment of BPD it can work with many of the symptoms of it like severe depression and extreme emotional swings. While it does sound like a scary form of therapy I suspect many people will be considering it when no other form of therapy has worked.
Does Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Work?
The results from the first trials of this form of therapy that took place in Oxford are encouraging with supposed long-term results in most of the trials subjects. But this is something that will need LONG-TERM study to make sure the patient is really benefiting from such a controversial form of treatment. Sadly it is also a form of therapy that could be open to abuse and misuse by the patient and the person administering it. As with any new form of therapy the results will speak for themselves.
How Can I Get Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Here in the UK?
The worlds first ketamine-assisted therapy clinic opened in Bristol this year (2021) with previous tests and trials being done in Oxford, so I wouldn’t expect a national roll-out just yet. But that doesn’t mean it might not ever happen as a lot will depend on the success of the clinic in Bristol. The bad news is Awakn Clinic (the company running the clinic) charge people £6,000 for a course of low-dose treatments alongside 12 months of talking therapy. Much like other Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies, this will take time to go mainstream and only if the results outweigh the controversial aspect of it.
As with any of these BPD treatments before you might need to try a combination of them before you find that winning combination, but do stick with it. If you want any help or advice relating to BPD do drop me an email via the contact us page and one of our writers will answer it ASAP.
