Acquire the tools to support lifelong mental wellness from our Ketamine Clinic in San Diego.
Why Choose a Ketamine Therapy in Southern California?
People who have searched for a treatment for depression to no avail may have discovered that, to their dismay, all of the traditional treatments, like antidepressants, have failed to alleviate their symptoms.
This puts their mental health diagnosis into the realm of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Even if you have been using antidepressants for some time to minimal effect, you may have struggled with the side effects, which can hinder your healing journey.
If this sounds familiar, our team can help. At Daydream MD in San Diego, CA, we offer ketamine infusions, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and ketamine nasal spray to help treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, like PTSD and suicidal ideation.
Our treatment plans using the ketamine treatment have been found by our patients to reduce the symptoms of TRD quickly, usually in less than 90 minutes, and the ketamine infusion therapy has fewer side effects than standard antidepressant medications.
Our team at our Ketamine clinic in San Diego is trained in helping people with TRD, and we have expertise when it comes to using this therapy for depression, offering it to many patients who have not responded to traditional treatments.
The Benefits of Using a Ketamine Therapy Clinic?
To understand why traditional treatments for depression may not work, a minor exploration of brain chemistry is needed.
Many of the antidepressants prescribed by doctors are the first line of defense against depression, and, as their name suggests, they impact neurochemical serotonin. However, one of the key issues with trying to boost serotonin in the brain is that there are often side effects. These can range from sexual dysfunction to nausea to migraines to insomnia, meaning that treatment for depression can often be as bad as the ailment itself.
Our clinic offers an alternative approach. We use a ketamine-assisted treatment process for mental health, with an emphasis on ketamine therapy for depression that is treatment resistant to serotonin-focused antidepressants. Much like serotonin (a brain chemical that has been linked to mood), low levels of the neurochemical that ketamine works on, glutamate, have been found in treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
We are one of the few ketamine clinics in San Diego that offer both infusion and assisted therapy to overcome treatment-resistant depression. Our clinic is overseen by staff who have the medical knowledge needed to administer ketamine in a safe way, ensuring that you get the results you want.
The Ketamine Treatment Process
Unlike other ketamine clinics in San Diego, we offer intensive talk therapy with our patients. The sessions are complemented by mindful music and intensive movements, all with the aim of building better insight and awareness.
When we use ketamine for depression, we have found that the ego states that have been protecting our patients become more relaxed, allowing us to help you become unstuck. Indeed, where traditional therapy may take months and antidepressants weeks, we can help you in this area in a single session.
Our sessions start with setting the intention of the session and some grounding. We aim to do this in the days leading up to the appointments to help you get psychologically ready. These preparation sessions last 2 to 3 hours, and you'll be offered ketamine orally, as a shot in the arm, or intravenously.
This therapy lasts multiple sessions, which is known as an induction series. The aim here is to help our team assess how many sessions are needed, how often they are needed, and what dose of ketamine is needed to provide maximal benefit.
We take an interventional approach to treatment, with the aim of achieving long-lasting results and remission of depression in 4 to 12 weeks. In our experience, we have found that repeated sessions contribute to better long-term outcomes and have a better impact on neuroplasticity, helping you to become unstuck mentally.
Ketamine Therapy Aftercare Programs
When you have completed your initial treatment process with our team at Daydream MD, you are more than welcome to return to undertake additional sessions. We also advise many of our patients who have done treatment at our ketamine clinic to come back to engage in retreats. These can help to extend your mental growth and will often help to prolong the effects of the ketamine treatment.
Our team offers full-day and half-day retreats for those who just want a refresher course to help keep themselves in a positive mindset. If you need more extensive periods to get yourself realigned, we can also offer you multiple-day retreats. Call our friendly and compassionate team for any aftercare advice that you may need. We are always available to you for ongoing consultations to help you navigate your mental health journey.
Meet our Compassionate Team
Meet our experienced team of specialists who will help you on your journey.
Dr. Arsalan Azam
Dr. Arsalan Azam is the founder of Daydream MD – his work as a relief physician for hospitals that were experiencing staff shortages in the emergency departments inspired the creation of this clinic. During his time, he oversaw many psychiatric emergencies and helped him devise the affordable and effective treatment that our clinic now offers. He began his medical training as a Deans Scholar at Case Western Medical School and completed his clinical rotations at the Cleveland Clinic.
Lisa McJunkin, LMFT, CHTP
Lisa McJunkin received her MA in Psychology with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University and has been practicing as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California since 2011. Her years of practice have seen her help adults, veterans, first responders, healthcare professionals, parents, and people who experience chronic pain.
She provides individual and couples therapy, psychedelic integrative therapy, healing touch therapy, self-healing classes, and trauma recovery consultations.
Sam Schulze RN, BSN
Sam Schulze, our director of psychedelic nursing at Daydream MD, has training and experience in critical care and emergency nursing. He received his Bachelor's degree in nursing from Michigan State University in 2014 and has since worked in numerous hospitals across the US. After meeting Dr. Azam in winter 2022, he found a passion for integrated mental health care and psychedelic-based medicine, and began working at Daydream MD.
Our Ketamine Treatment Clinic
We understand that when you undertake ketamine treatment, you will want to be somewhere that is calm, cozy, and clean.
Our clinic is located at Crown Point, 3455 Ingraham St, San Diego, CA 92109, and will offer you an experience that you have never had before. We pride ourselves on offering a compassionate and friendly setting, meaning that you will always be welcome at Daydream MD.
To access us, you can get the number 9 bus to Pacific Beach. The nearest stop to our clinic is Ingraham St & La Mancha Dr. The last bus to leave this street is at 9.45 pm. There is also a cable car that can drop you off at Crown Point Shores. After this, the walk is about 30 minutes.
Book a Consultation
If you have had enough of suffering from the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression or anxiety, then call our team at Daydream MD today. We can be contacted via our website, on the 'Contact' or 'Book a session' tabs, as well as via telephone at (619) 937-2055. So, begin your healing process with our team today.
Ketamine Research
Interested in learning more about ketamine therapy? Click to read sourced third party ketamine research, and below a couple of our favorite sourced for your ease of finding:
