Ketamine therapy comes with a lot of moving parts: which treatment fits which condition, what a session actually feels like, what it costs, and what’s regulated versus what’s off-label. Below are direct answers, organized by topic, so you can find what you need without reading the whole page.
This page is general information, not personalized medical advice. Your candidacy, dosing, and treatment plan are determined by a licensed provider during your consultation, not by anything written here.
Brain Spa is a Beverly Hills-based clinic offering ketamine-based treatments for depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, chronic pain, and eating disorders, alongside IV therapy and vitamin B12 shots. Sessions are conducted one-on-one, in a private setting, with a licensed provider present throughout.
That depends on your diagnosis, treatment history, and personal preference around modality (talk therapy versus hypnotherapy versus a self-administered nasal spray). Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Treatment | Best Fit If You… |
|---|---|
| Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy | Want active talk-therapy processing during your session |
| Ketamine-Assisted Hypnotherapy | Are drawn to hypnotic suggestion work on subconscious patterns |
| Spravato (esketamine) | Want an FDA-approved option with a defined insurance pathway |
| Post-Operative Pain Management with Ketamine | Are recovering from surgery and want to reduce opioid use |
| IV Therapy / Vitamin B12 Shots | Want supportive nutrient therapy alongside your mental health treatment |
Your consultation is where this gets narrowed down based on your specific history, not guesswork.
No. You can request a consultation directly. A licensed provider will review your history and determine which treatment, if any, fits your situation.
433 N Camden Dr, Suite 610
Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
Open Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Call (310) 628-4619 or email Info@brainspa.org.
The process for Ketamine Assisted Hypnotherapy and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy typically involves an initial consultation to determine if the treatment is appropriate for the individual, followed by a series of treatment sessions that may last several hours. IV Therapy typically involves a consultation to determine what substances will be administered, followed by the actual administration of the IV infusion. The specifics of the process will depend on the individual treatment and the provider administering it.
KAH combines a low dose of ketamine with hypnotherapy, a technique that uses guided relaxation and focused attention to work with the subconscious mind. Ketamine’s dissociative state appears to increase suggestibility, the quality hypnotherapy depends on to work.
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, and chronic pain, similar to KAP, but through a hypnotic-suggestion approach rather than talk-therapy processing.
KAP uses active talk therapy during the session. KAH uses guided hypnotic suggestion instead, aimed more directly at subconscious patterns like anxiety loops or trauma responses. A 2025 peer-reviewed paper examined this specific pairing for depression, noting research on the combination is still early.
Spravato is the brand name for esketamine, an FDA-approved nasal spray. Unlike the ketamine used in KAP and KAH, which is prescribed off-label for psychiatric care, Spravato went through the full FDA approval process specifically for treatment-resistant depression and for depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions.
Esketamine is one specific molecular component of ketamine (its S-enantiomer), formulated and approved as its own distinct medication. It’s related to ketamine but administered, dosed, and regulated differently.
You self-administer the nasal spray, but only in a certified clinical setting under direct staff supervision. You are then required to stay for a minimum two-hour observation period. This is not optional; it’s part of the FDA-mandated safety program (SPRAVATO REMS) tied to this specific medication.
Yes. Spravato carries an FDA boxed warning, its strongest label warning, covering sedation, dissociation, respiratory depression risk, and abuse potential, since it’s a Schedule III controlled substance. It also carries the standard antidepressant-class warning about increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients, which is why close monitoring matters throughout treatment. Full label information is available through Spravato’s official site.
If you or someone you know is currently having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) right away. This page is general information and isn’t a substitute for immediate care.
Post-Operative Pain Management with Ketamine uses low, monitored doses of ketamine to reduce or eliminate the need for opioid pain medication after surgery.
Ketamine works through a different receptor system than opioids (NMDA receptors versus opioid receptors), so it doesn’t carry the same dependence risk, and it can interrupt pain-signal amplification (central sensitization) early in recovery, before it takes hold. Clinical consensus guidelines from ASRA, AAPM, and ASA specifically recommend subanesthetic IV ketamine for surgeries expected to cause severe post-operative pain.
No. It’s coordinated with your existing surgical and anesthesia team, not used instead of it.
Yes. Spravato carries an FDA boxed warning, its strongest label warning, covering sedation, dissociation, respiratory depression risk, and abuse potential, since it’s a Schedule III controlled substance. It also carries the standard antidepressant-class warning about increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients, which is why close monitoring matters throughout treatment. Full label information is available through Spravato’s official site.
If you or someone you know is currently having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) right away. This page is general information and isn’t a substitute for immediate care.
IV Therapy delivers fluids, vitamins, and other substances directly into the bloodstream. In a mental health context, it’s used to support overall wellness alongside your primary treatment, not as a stand-alone psychiatric therapy.
Vitamin B12 Shots are offered as a supportive add-on for energy and general wellness during recovery. They are not a psychiatric treatment on their own and aren’t marketed here as a weight-management or metabolic intervention.
Standard antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs) target serotonin and norepinephrine and typically take four to six weeks to show an effect. Ketamine and esketamine work through a different system: glutamate, the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter.
Research also points to ketamine temporarily quieting the default mode network, the brain circuit tied to rumination and negative self-referential thought loops common in depression and anxiety. NIMH-funded research continues to study these rapid-acting effects.
Related but distinct. For pain, NMDA receptor blockade interrupts pain-signal transmission and amplification (central sensitization) at the spinal cord and brain level. For mood, the synaptogenesis and default-mode-network effects described above are believed to be more central.
This is general background on how these treatments are believed to work, not a guarantee of outcome for any individual patient.
Standard antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs) target serotonin and norepinephrine and typically take four to six weeks to show an effect. Ketamine and esketamine work through a different system: glutamate, the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter.
Research also points to ketamine temporarily quieting the default mode network, the brain circuit tied to rumination and negative self-referential thought loops common in depression and anxiety. NIMH-funded research continues to study these rapid-acting effects.
Related but distinct. For pain, NMDA receptor blockade interrupts pain-signal transmission and amplification (central sensitization) at the spinal cord and brain level. For mood, the synaptogenesis and default-mode-network effects described above are believed to be more central.
This is general background on how these treatments are believed to work, not a guarantee of outcome for any individual patient.
Clinically, it generally means someone has completed at least two adequate trials of different antidepressant medications, at an appropriate dose, for a full 6 to 8 weeks each, without sufficient improvement. It’s a specific clinical threshold, not just “I’ve tried one medication and didn’t like it.”
None of this is a self-diagnosis tool. Final candidacy is always determined by a licensed provider during intake.
While specifics vary by treatment, most sessions follow a similar shape:
Sessions for KAP and KAH typically run 60 to 90 minutes. Spravato requires a minimum two-hour post-dose observation period specifically.
There’s no universal number. Most mental health protocols (KAP, KAH) run an initial series of multiple sessions over several weeks, followed by a maintenance schedule based on response. Spravato typically starts with more frequent dosing that tapers as your provider assesses improvement, used on an ongoing basis alongside an oral antidepressant rather than a short fixed series.
Many patients report some improvement in mood, sleep, or pain within hours to a few sessions, well before standard oral antidepressants would typically show an effect. Deeper, more durable change tends to build across a full series rather than any single session.
This varies significantly by person. Some patients sustain benefits for weeks to months after an initial series; others require periodic booster sessions or ongoing maintenance dosing. Individual results vary, and no specific outcome is guaranteed
A licensed member of our clinical team evaluates your candidacy before treatment begins and oversees your care throughout. You are never left alone during a session.
Most resolve within a few hours: dissociation (the intended effect), nausea, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and occasional grogginess or mild confusion that typically clears by the next day. Spravato carries additional FDA-labeled risks, including a boxed warning for sedation, dissociation, and respiratory depression, which is why its observation period is mandatory rather than optional.
Our references page lists the research behind our treatment protocols.
It depends on the treatment. Ketamine used off-label for KAP, KAH, or post-operative pain management is typically billed as out-of-network, since the FDA hasn’t approved ketamine itself for psychiatric use. Spravato, by contrast, is FDA-approved and more commonly covered by standard medical or pharmacy insurance benefits.
Ask about an itemized superbill at your consultation. Many patients submit these to their insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Contact your insurance provider directly to ask what they cover for outpatient psychiatric and infusion-related services before committing financially.
Costs vary based on treatment type, session length, and how many sessions your provider recommends. Ask for exact pricing during your consultation rather than relying on general estimates.
Brain Spa’s ketamine-based treatments are used for:
If you’re not sure which condition category fits your situation, that’s exactly what a consultation is for.
Ketamine, when used for depression, anxiety, PTSD, or pain management outside of an FDA-approved product like Spravato, is prescribed off-label. This is a legal, common, and well-established medical practice, but it’s worth understanding the distinction: Spravato went through FDA clinical trials specifically for its approved indications, while off-label ketamine treatment relies on a physician’s clinical judgment and the broader research base described throughout this page. Both ketamine and esketamine are Schedule III controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act, administered here only under licensed medical supervision.
Individual results vary. Nothing on this page guarantees a specific outcome for any individual patient, and this content does not replace a real medical evaluation.
Still have a question? Request a consultation. (310) 628-1062
