Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by a repetitive cycle of obsessions and compulsions that interfere with daily life. It involves intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) that compel individuals to perform specific behaviors or mental acts (compulsions). This cycle creates significant emotional distress and psychological discomfort.
OCD affects around 1.2% of adults in the United States each year, often showing first signs in adolescence or young adulthood. The intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors can be so overwhelming that they disrupt social interactions, work, and everyday routines.
Treatment for OCD can be challenging. The fear of change and letting go of compulsive behaviors can be difficult, as they are often used as a source of safety or coping, even though they are distressing.
Effective care requires specialized approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP), often combined with medication, and advanced treatments like Ketamine Therapy.
Obsessions in OCD are intrusive, distressing thoughts, images, or impulses that repeatedly enter the mind against a person’s will. These often create overwhelming anxiety or fear. Common obsessions include worries about contamination, fears of unintentionally harming oneself or others, or an intense need for symmetry or order.
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental rituals performed to reduce the distress caused by obsessions or to prevent a feared event. These actions are often rigid and excessive, such as repeated hand washing until the skin becomes raw, checking locks multiple times to ensure safety, counting rituals, or arranging objects in a precise order.
Ketamine has emerged as a potential option that modulates brain circuits associated with obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. It aims to decrease symptom severity and support engagement in behavioral therapies.
Ketamine-assisted healing represents a new frontier in addressing chronic mental health disorders by encouraging neuroplasticity and emotional release. Administered in controlled therapeutic sessions, ketamine offers rapid relief from symptoms where traditional treatments may have fallen short.
Ketamine therapy targets the neural pathways involved in obsessive thought patterns by rapidly altering brain chemistry, particularly through its action on the NMDA receptor system.
This helps reduce the intensity and frequency of obsessive thoughts, providing patients with mental space and clarity. By decreasing hyperactive brain circuits tied to rumination, ketamine enables individuals to challenge their obsessions in conventional OCD therapies such as CBT or Exposure Response Prevention (ERP).
Ketamine’s effect on neural plasticity helps patients break free from these habitual, compulsive responses.
Ketamine therapy facilitates new patterns of thinking and increases emotional flexibility, making it easier for patients to resist compulsive urges and build healthier coping strategies. When combined with skilled therapeutic guidance, ketamine sessions can help disrupt the cycle of compulsion, enabling longer-lasting symptom relief and improved functioning.
We accept most major insurance providers. Contact our treatment coordination team today to verify your benefits or discuss flexible payment options.
We accept most major insurance plans, and many cover ketamine therapy, particularly for treatment-resistant depression. Our cash pay price with no insurance starts at $300 per appointment. Financing with Care Credit is available.
Common side effects include mild dissociation, dizziness, nausea, increased blood pressure, and perceptual changes during the treatment session. These effects are generally short-lived and closely monitored by medical staff to ensure safety and comfort, and cease shortly following the appointment.
Ketamine blocks NMDA receptors, boosting glutamate activity to disrupt rigid neural pathways linked to OCD, which can lessen the intensity of intrusive thoughts. Studies show symptom relief, measured by reductions on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, often begins within 1-2 hours and lasts up to a week.
Ketamine remains off-label for OCD, primarily approved as an anesthetic, with esketamine (a nasal form) for depression, but not yet OCD. Clinical trials continue to build evidence for broader use.
Ketamine is not recommended for individuals with a history of psychosis, uncontrolled hypertension, certain cardiac conditions, or active substance abuse without prior stabilization. A thorough medical and psychiatric evaluation is necessary to determine safety.
Yes, ketamine is legally administered in medical settings across Utah, primarily as an FDA-approved treatment for depression and related conditions. Clinics adhere to strict regulations to ensure safe, controlled, and supervised use.
Discover the healing power of ketamine therapy in the serene Wasatch Mountains, an ideal setting to process emotional blocks and overcome a long battle with OCD in a peaceful, restorative environment.
Google Reviews
Jacob Fulton
What a great experience. Our household has been super sick and most of us haven’t been able to keep fluids down. This is exactly what we needed to get strength and energy back. Annie was so good at the poke that we barely felt it.
KariLyn Cox
What a great experience. Our household has been super sick and most of us haven’t been able to keep fluids down. This is exactly what we needed to get strength and energy back. Annie was so good at the poke that we barely felt it.
Justin Seegmiller
Saw Dr Johnson and she was very kind and the clinic was very helpful. She asked questions and listened to my issues. So far I would recommend this clinic. Harper C is fairly new. Hope people hea4 more about this place.
Marc Pinnegar
Jean Ann is great to work with. She has helped me tremendously with my gi and low T issues. I recommend her to everyone I know.
B Huntsman
Harper Clinic is incredible! The staff is absolutely beautiful, classy, and so personable—they make you feel right at home. The injection process was quick and easy, and I immediately felt healthier and more energized afterward. This clinic is a gem, and I can’t recommend it enough! Thank you, Harper Clinic, for keeping me feeling my best!
Olivia Hymas
Emily is my girlllll. They all slay so hard, and my mom and I both noticed a difference in my OCD. They also remap you if you don’t notice a difference after a few weeks, which is super nice.
Shalyn Bills
Love this place! The staff is incredible definitely give it a try. 10/10 recommend
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