Ascend Health Center Ketamine Assisted Therapy

Ascend Health Center: Providing Ketamine Assisted Therapy

If you’re looking for ketamine-assisted therapy in Akron Ohio look no further than Ascend Health Center. This center in Akron, Ohio offers various approaches to healing such as integrative psychiatry, ketamine-infusion therapy, Spravato (esketamine nasal spray), and TMS. Ascend Health Center is dedicated to shifting the focus of mental healthcare in the United States from medication-dependent care to a holistic integrated approach, addressing the whole person. Frshminds had a chance to chat with Nick Angelis, CRNA, and CEO of Ascend Health Center, about their work using ketamine-assisted therapy to treat various mental and physical ailments. 

What got Ascend interested in administering ketamine to your patients?

Ascend Health Center Ketamine Assisted Therapy
Nick Angelis, CRNA and CEO of Ascend Health Center

I had a background in holistic health along with anesthesia, and using medications that will work with the body in a more organic way seemed compelling. Ketamine requires a distinct individualized approach, which matches well with our practice philosophy here.

In your opinion, what makes ketamine such an effective modality for the treatment of various mental and physical ailments?

Because it works on multiple receptors to create psychological and physical effects, we also use it to find clues and deal directly with the root cause of illness. Patients have tried the same drug classes over and over again, so drugs like ketamine that treat pain and depression differently are a fresh start and a way to enhance both natural and pharmacological solutions.

How do you see therapies involving altered states of consciousness evolving in the future?

AI is already useful to target therapy since depression surveys have their limitations. Using music, supplements, and medications, we can already change how the infusion experience feels according to shifting treatment goals. In the future, we’ll be able to more precisely use different methods to deal with specific diagnoses, although root cause analysis is still important. For example, ketamine for fibromyalgia, but MDMA for PTSD.

What’s the one piece of advice you would offer to patients considering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to help them manage their mental health?

Like nutrition and exercise, much of this work is up to you. Let it snowball, give you hope, and get involved as much as you can in your own wellness.

What challenges do you see for further integration of psychedelic or ketamine-based therapies into more mainstream health care?

Ascend Health Center Team
Ascend Health Center Team

They are expensive. Spravato has helped bridge that gap, as has messaging reflecting how much materialism is simply an attempt to buy temporary happiness, so it makes sense to instead invest in these therapies. There is still a stigma associated with the experience itself, but education about how effects last much longer than these substances are in the bloodstream is changing that. The realization that today’s modern pharmaceuticals are shifting the way our bodies work more than last generation’s illegal drugs is also helpful–more of the same just kicks the can down the road as patients trade symptoms but can’t solve underlying issues.
You can learn more about Ascend Health Center and their practice on their website, and if you are looking for other ketamine clinics, you can find them on Frshminds.

Have a look at Frshminds’ Guide to Ketamine Clinics to uncover some more valuable insights into ketamine mental wellness. The overview features well-reputed ketamine clinics in the USA and a treasure trove of articles covering a broad spectrum of topics related to ketamine treatment.

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About the Author

Passionate about studying the psychedelic/mystical experience from a neuropsychological lens, Emily is a member of MAPS Canada Research Committee and graduated with an Honours BSc in Cognitive Neuropsychology from York University.  She currently leads a team of RAS with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating microdosing psilocybin for persistent depressive disorder.

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