For many people considering ketamine therapy, the most important evidence is not a clinical study or a statistic; it’s hearing from someone who has been where you are.
At Keta Medical Center, we believe patient voices carry a kind of truth that no medical brochure can replicate. We’ve gathered this collection of testimonials from across our patient community: people living with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions, sharing, in their own words, what seeking treatment at our clinic has meant for them.
What follows isn’t a list of reviews. It’s a glimpse into the lives of people who arrived at our doors after exhausting other options, and what changed when they decided to try ketamine therapy.
When nothing else had worked
Research suggests that roughly one-third of people with major depressive disorder do not find adequate relief from standard antidepressants: a group for whom ketamine’s distinct neurobiological pathway may offer a meaningful alternative. For the patients below, ketamine therapy offered something they hadn’t found elsewhere.
“I had tried everything — therapy, medication, hospitalization. Nothing worked. I felt hopeless. But then I found Keta Medical. After just a few treatments, I started to feel like myself again.”
— Sarah S.
“After 58 years of struggling with depression, I finally found relief and hope. The ketamine therapy is given in such a gentle manner that, within a couple of weeks, you feel like you have a brand new start to your life. I highly recommend, as the medical staff is so professional, and it has been one amazing experience.”
— Mark H.
“I have dealt with depression for years and have worked with multiple therapists and psychiatrists, trying numerous medications, but the problem persists. I am still in the induction phase, but the experience has been remarkable and unlike anything I have experienced before. The staff members are exceptional, and I am a physician myself, so I had high expectations. I urge you to seriously consider treatment at Keta Medical because there is a way forward here.”
— James E.
“I pretty much was raised thinking that everything that was wrong with me was my fault. If I just tried harder, I would get better. The idea that there might be something physically off — it never came up. It was always my guilt, my problem. I think ketamine has really freed me from that.
My mind is always running, and it’s running really hard. I’ve got a lot of worries, and they creep up, and they stay. Ketamine has helped alleviate that and helped me limit the negative self-talk — tell it to go take a hike, which I wasn’t really able to do before.
On my third session, I was walking along the street, and I was whistling. I wasn’t going anywhere particularly marvelous. I was noticing the trees. And I thought: oh, holy crap. I think I’m happy. I didn’t have to feel bad about it. I didn’t have to have a purpose for it. I was just happy. And I don’t think I’ve felt that since I was a little kid.”
— Richard S.
“Literally without any doubt. The clinic saved my life. This is real.”
— Raymond M.
“They saved my life. Wonderful facility. Beautiful souls.”
— Seth M.
Real changes patients notice
Beyond the initial sense of relief, patients often describe concrete, day-to-day shifts in how they feel and function. Ketamine is thought to work in part by acting on NMDA receptors in the brain, promoting neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to form new connections. Research indicates this mechanism may help explain improvements in energy, cognition, and emotional regulation that some patients report, often beginning within hours or days of treatment.
“The ketamine treatments have definitely helped me more than anything else has in the past. Hands down, this has been the most effective way to address my depression and anxiety — getting to the root causes and understanding how to overcome it. I have noticed so much improvement, and it’s sustainable. I know that all my insight and progress will help me for the rest of my life — not just this moment in time.”
— A.G.
“My depression had started to impact my quality of life, and ketamine is helping me with energy levels; lethargy has diminished, and I am able to think more clearly. Less brain fog. Anyone severely depressed might want to consider ketamine treatments.”
— Irene S.
“I’m not worrying as much. My anxiety has lessened.”
— Mark D.
“As someone who went in for severe anxiety, I found myself much more mellow and able to use rational thought in daily situations more often. I look forward to more sessions and how my anxiety will continue to improve.”
— Zoe S.
Reconnecting with life and self
For some patients, the most meaningful change isn’t symptom relief: it’s a restored sense of self. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), in particular, may support lasting shifts in how people relate to difficult emotions and past experiences.
“I have a condition called myalgic encephalomyelitis. When I tell you I had seen hundreds of doctors and specialists, that’s not an exaggeration. None of them had ever mentioned ketamine as an option. When you’ve gone for years without real hope, putting hope on the horizon is — I can’t even explain how important that is.
The first couple of sessions, my head was full of negative thoughts. Loud. And then at the third session, it was like a little tiny blip, just for a couple of seconds, and then it was gone. Those thoughts that used to plague me every day, all day, are just gone. That has been such a relief.
The absence of negativity: that is by far the biggest difference in your daily experience, not having that hanging over your head all day. It’s not some artificial sense of positivity, like rainbows and smurfs. It’s just the relief of not having to fend off those negative thoughts.
I have things on my calendar now. Music lessons. Things to look forward to. I would never have done that before. You’ve already tried everything else. Believe that you’re investing in yourself and make that investment, because it’s worth it. You’re worth it.”
— Andrew E.
“I am finally healing after many years of a deep, dark depression.”
— Lynn D.
“I have major depression and it’s hard to treat. I felt haunted all the time, and I couldn’t work myself up to get out of the slumps. I’ve been on medication since my 40s — I’m now 71, and my mood would stay pretty negative. The self-talk was always very negative: you’re doing it wrong, why are you bothering?
After one of my sessions, I actually thought: I can make it better. That would never have occurred to me, ever. Nor would I have said it out loud. And then I just felt like I could, and it was okay.
One of my early sessions, my intention going in was: what about love? I saw my grandmother, and how she loved me when I was a baby, without judgment, without criticism. She just loved me. It was such a wonderful thing to remember and feel. I try to keep it in mind, because that’s what I felt I didn’t have, and I did.
I recommend it to all the people that I know who have mood problems. I just think it can help you in ways you don’t even think about. I never thought I’d come out of here saying, “I can make it better.” This is a place where you can actually say, “I’m really nervous about this.” You tell them that and they’re interested in your misgivings as well as your expectations.”
— Ellen W.
What it’s actually like to walk through our doors
One of the most common questions we hear from people considering ketamine therapy is a simple one: what will it actually be like? Every session at Keta Medical Center is physician-supervised, private, and designed with patient comfort in mind, across our locations in New York and New Jersey. Here is how our patients describe the experience.
“I am so grateful that I found Keta Medical Center — a high-quality Spravato provider with individualized rooms, comfortable reclining chairs, super-soft blankets, surround sound headphones, Spravato playlists, emergency room doctors, nurses, helpful front desk staff, convenient locations, and more. I am finally healing after many years of a deep, dark depression.”
— Lynn D.
“The staff makes you feel comfortable as soon as you enter. The nurses are kind, the doctors are compassionate, and the scheduling services are easy. They worked with my insurance and easily secured my medication and plotted out a timeline, while also connecting me with a therapist to help integrate all of the things I experience during my session. Additionally, the location is clean, quiet, and spa-like. They offer snacks, drinks, and provide an iPad, noise-canceling headphones, an eye mask, and a blanket for you. I am seriously changing my life thanks to this treatment.”
— Stephen C.
“Everything at Keta Medical Center has exceeded my expectations. They are extremely organized, professional and supportive. It feels like a concierge mental health service.”
— Charlotte B.
“The atmosphere is very relaxing, making it easier for you to relax, along with the other amenities they provide to you. I also love that they have convenient hours — it makes it easier to make the sessions if you have to work.”
— Jelissa R.
“My experience with Keta Medical was outstanding from start to finish. Scheduling was seamless, the space is beautiful and calming, and everything is incredibly well organized. The rooms are immaculate and thoughtfully designed, creating a very comfortable environment. What truly stands out is the staff — professional, warm, and genuinely attentive. They make you feel cared for every step of the way.”
— L.S.
“Both doctors are compassionate, caring, and knowledgeable. I feel completely safe and taken care of while I am there.”
— Dawn S.
“Keta Medical Center’s atmosphere is extremely soothing, the entire staff is really nice and warm and welcoming — and all of that makes a big difference. I really look forward to the sessions every time I go.”
— Floiris S.
What providers and families observe
The effects of ketamine therapy are not always visible only to the person receiving treatment. Families notice when a loved one re-engages with daily life. Therapists notice when a patient who was previously unreachable begins to open up. Referring clinicians notice when someone who had plateaued in their care starts making meaningful progress. At Keta Medical Center, we work in close coordination with patients’ existing mental health providers, sharing updates, discussing progress, and ensuring that ketamine therapy is integrated thoughtfully into each patient’s broader care plan.
“Since starting ketamine, my client, who was previously very withdrawn and depressed, has been more able to share his feelings, self-reflect, engage with the world, and, most importantly, he feels so much better. He is currently in the early stages of ketamine treatment, and I am looking forward with optimism to continuing this journey with him.”
— Sam F., LCSW
“I urge you to consider ketamine therapy and do it with a team that puts compassion and safety first. As a patient and an anesthesiologist, I am happy to be an advocate for Keta Medical.”
— Jim Ellwood, MD
Taking the next step
Every patient who shared their story above arrived at Keta Medical Center from a different place: a different diagnosis, a different history, a different set of things they had already tried. What these testimonials and patient stories share is a willingness to try something new when other options had run out, and the experience of feeling genuinely supported along the way.
If you’re reading this and recognizing something of your own experience in these words, we’d encourage you to take that seriously. Reaching out does not commit you to anything; it simply opens a conversation. Our team includes emergency medicine physicians, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners and therapists who are experienced in ketamine therapy and committed to making sure every patient is appropriately assessed, fully informed and carefully supported throughout their treatment.
We offer both IV ketamine infusion therapy and Spravato® (esketamine nasal spray) with flexible evening and weekend hours across our locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Rochelle, Oradell and Westfield. We also work with most major insurance plans for Spravato® treatment. If you’d like to explore whether ketamine therapy might be right for you, we’re here to help you find out.
