Isha Health

Isha Health is a ketamine-assisted therapy practice founded by Dr Mai Shimada, a double board-certified physician with an MD and MBA and a background in research at Harvard. She works alongside Dr Akua Brown, a board-certified physician whose expertise is in trauma-informed and integrative mental health care, together with an interdisciplinary team of therapists trained in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Care is delivered by secure telemedicine to people in several US states.

How it works

Care runs in five stages: a collaborative intake covering medical and psychological assessment, consent and goal-setting; preparation sessions covering somatic and mindfulness skills, values clarification and safety planning; medicine sessions using low-dose sublingual ketamine lozenges at home; integration drawing on psychodynamic, CBT and mindfulness-based approaches; and follow-up that tracks PHQ-9 and GAD-7 alongside a daily mood score. Medicine visits last two hours, and preparation and integration sessions fifty minutes.

Who it is for

The practice works with people experiencing depression, including treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and anxiety, and says it has extensive experience with LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, immigrant and neurodiverse clients. Sessions are available in English, Japanese and Spanish.