Relief from depression is within reach
When the storm doesn't pass
For millions of people, depression isn't a bad week or a difficult season. It is a persistent and insidious condition that gets in the way of relationships, work, hobbies, and even your sense of self. If you have been living with depression that hasn't responded to treatment, you already know that conventional medicine has limits.
You have probably already tried the usual prescriptions. Waited weeks and felt nothing, or even felt worse. Tried another one. Sat in the offices and answered the same questions. You're not alone; treatment-resistant depression affects an estimated 30% of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder. That is tens of millions of people who have done everything they were asked to do and are still suffering. The failure is not theirs, it's a limitation of the available tools. Ketamine therapy presents a new opportunity for relief from depression.
A new path towards relief
Most antidepressants work by targeting serotonin, the system that has dominated psychiatric pharmacology for decades. For patients who haven't responded to medications that target serotonin, this matters: ketamine works on an entirely different system. It is an NMDA receptor antagonist that modulates glutamate, the brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter, through a mechanism that conventional antidepressants don't touch.
The result is a pharmacological effect that is both distinct and, for many patients, faster and more substantial than anything they have experienced with conventional treatment. Ketamine also promotes neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to form new neural connections) creating a window of increased psychological flexibility during which deeply entrenched depressive patterns can be interrupted. This is why the therapeutic context surrounding ketamine administration matters: the window it opens is most powerful when there is skilled support to help you use it.
70%
of treatment-resistant patients show meaningful response to ketamine therapy
24 hours
typical onset of antidepressant effect following ketamine therapy, vs. 4-6 weeks for SSRIs
2000
the year NIMH researchers first demonstrated ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects
More than the medicine
Ketamine's pharmacological effects on depression are real and well-documented. But at Transcend Medicine, we believe the medicine is the beginning of the work, not the entirety of it. Our model integrates ketamine with a full therapeutic arc: preparation sessions to build rapport and set intention, a licensed therapist present throughout the ketamine experience, and dedicated integration sessions to help translate insight into lasting change.
The research on set and setting is clear. The psychological and physical context in which treatment occurs meaningfully shapes outcomes. We are building our space, our team, and our protocols around that understanding. The room you sit in, the therapist beside you, and the work you do afterward are all part of the treatment.
If you have been living with depression that hasn't yielded to treatment, we want to hear from you.
DISCLAIMER: Statistics cited reflect ranges reported across peer-reviewed clinical literature and may vary based on patient population and study design. Individual results vary. Ketamine is administered off-label for psychiatric indications at Transcend Medicine. All treatment is preceded by a thorough medical evaluation by a licensed provider. This page does not constitute medical advice.