Why Choose Us for
Ketamine Treatment?
At our clinic, every patient receives a personalized ketamine treatment experience in a private, thoughtfully designed setting created for comfort, calm, and discretion.
Your safety is our highest priority. Each ketamine session is conducted and closely monitored by Dr. Papp during a dedicated two-hour appointment, ensuring focused medical oversight, continuous monitoring, and attentive, individualized care in a confidential environment.
If you’re wondering whether ketamine treatment is right for you, we’re happy to talk.
How our Ketamine Care is Different
Our ketamine services are integrated into comprehensive adult mental health care. Patients receive a full diagnostic evaluation with Dr. Papp, along with personalized treatment planning and ongoing care that extends beyond a single intervention. We integrate psychotherapy with ketamine treatment when appropriate.
We also provide ketamine treatment for individuals who prefer not to pursue traditional psychiatric medications or who are referred specifically for ketamine services by other providers. Regardless of referral source or treatment preferences, a full psychiatric assessment is always completed to ensure safety, diagnostic clarity, and appropriate treatment planning.
Ketamine is one tool among many—carefully considered, thoughtfully delivered, and supported within a broader treatment framework designed to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms.
The Ketamine Treatment Process
Before beginning ketamine treatment, you will complete a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation with Dr. Papp, followed by a single preparatory psychological visit with Dr. Myers. These steps ensure diagnostic clarity, clinical appropriateness, and a safe, well-informed treatment process.
Each ketamine session is scheduled for approximately two hours; you are the only patient scheduled during that time. Visits begin with a review of your response to prior treatments, clinical monitoring setup, and preparation of the treatment environment. The medication effects typically last 40–70 minutes, followed by a structured discussion to integrate the experience and plan next steps.
During treatment, Dr. Papp continuously monitors your vital signs. You are also observed via secure video monitoring to ensure ongoing safety throughout the session.
VitalStream monitoring system
Why Add Psychotherapy?
Integrating psychotherapy with ketamine treatment can deepen and extend its benefits. Ketamine promotes neuroplasticity and increases connectivity across key brain networks, creating a window where new insights and shifts in perspective may be more accessible. At Point Loma Clinic, we use Ketamine Coordinated Therapy to align psychotherapy with these neurobiological effects.
When appropriate, therapy sessions are scheduled 1–2 days after ketamine administration, during this period of heightened neural flexibility. Patients often find they are more open, reflective, and able to work through entrenched patterns. Psychotherapy during this phase helps consolidate gains and translate neurobiological change into lasting progress.
Therapeutic support can also be incorporated during the ketamine session itself for those who prefer.
Ketamine treatment room in Del Mar
What Type of Ketamine We Use (and Why)
Ketamine can be given by injection or via oral or intranasal routes. Injection provides the most reliable absorption. While all injectable methods—intramuscular, intravenous, or subcutaneous—are similarly effective, they differ in how quickly they take effect and how strong the peak response is.
At Point Loma Clinic, we use intramuscular ketamine exclusively for its reliability, simplicity, and strong safety profile. Dr. Papp is highly experienced in administering and monitoring each session.
We do not prescribe oral ketamine for home use due to safety concerns. Intranasal ketamine works differently than injectable forms; more information is available on the Spravato website.
Ketamine hydrochloride
Ketamine is a Unique Form of Treatment
Ketamine treatment stands out due to its rapid onset of action, unlike traditional antidepressants that may take weeks or months to show effects. Within hours to days, patients often notice a significant improvement, a unique feature among antidepressants. Additionally, ketamine is administered intermittently, sparing patients from daily medication concerns and potential side effects associated with daily use.
Ketamine bypasses the slow molecular machinery that is utilized by conventional antidepressants. It facilitates nerve regeneration in the hippocampus and dampens activities of brain structures that mediate depression (such as the habenula and “default mode network”)
Originally used as an anesthetic in the 1970s, ketamine's efficacy in depression treatment was recognized in studies from the early 2000s. Since then, its use has expanded exponentially, proving effective in treating various psychiatric conditions, including severe depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, premenstrual mood symptoms, and certain
Learn More About Ketamine
Oxford Ketamine Conference
Watch a short video about ketamine by Dr. Papp
Tracking the Effect of Repeated Use of Ketamine for Depression in a Private Practice Setting, by Drs. Papp and Myers-Turnbull, Ketamine and Related Compounds for Psychiatric Disorders Conference, Oxford England, 2024
Watch a lecture on ketamine by Dr. Papp and Dr. Myers
Ketamine in the Treatment of Mental Health Conditions: A Primer, Drs. Papp and Myers, Alliant University Speaker Series, 2025