Page 100 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021- Online Magazine
P. 100
SENIOR RESOURCES
INTRODUCING
AN INNOVATIVE NEW TREATMENT
For Mental Health
by Ben McCauley
am the director of DENOVO Mental health and
Therapy, a ketamine clinic that its relationship with
I combines medical and mental the society continues
health therapy. You may or may not to be stigmatized.
have heard of ketamine (more on When I tell people
that below). At DENOVO Therapy, what I do, I often
all of our medical professionals hear jokes like, “Well
and therapists/counselors are fully I’m glad I don’t need
licensed and gifted practitioners. that! I’ll tell ‘so and
There is a beautiful synergy to so’ because they are
working at the juncture of these REAL messed up!”
two professions. By combining This doesn’t tend
the two, we are able to enhance to exist with other
both experiences of medicine and medical conditions.
psychotherapy. This opens up For example, we can
different options for care and gives see when you break
us a new tool for mental health. We a bone because of
believe that makes us unique because an X-ray. Yet, when
our innovation is in the combination someone is suffering
of ketamine and talk therapy. We from depression,
provide talk therapy, low dose they often feel Currently, we have the ability to see
intravenous ketamine, and ketamine the need to hide it or downplay it. into the brain and tell differences
assisted psychotherapy for a variety Additionally, they shame themselves between a depressed brain and a
of mental health conditions such as or are shamed by their community. non-depressed brain (Abdallah et
depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, Often people do not seek care until al., 2016). Soon, advances in this
and even suicidality (Domany & their suffering has worsened. technology will reduce stigma with
McCullumsmith, 2021). depression and anxiety to be like
the societal response to an X-ray
of a bone fracture. It is true that
there are many gifted medical and
therapy practitioners providing care
and counseling for patients that
get better. That is a beautiful thing.
Simultaneously though, large parts
of the population are not responding
to counseling and prescription
treatments. For those who receive
psychotherapy, 20% quit prematurely
100 Lubbock Senior Link
