Ketamine: More Than Its History Suggests

Lumin Health offers safe, FDA-approved ketamine & Spravato therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Covered by insurance, with their newest clinic now open Woburn.

Dr. Ben Yudkoff from Lumin Health

Oct 4, 2025 — 3 min read

Photo courtesy Lumin Health

Ketamine, a medication with a long history — it’s been around since the early 70’s — can be used for more than you may think. Once known primarily as an anesthetic in both human & veterinary contexts — and sometimes used outside of medicine — it has found a new and carefully studied role in mental health care. Today, ketamine therapy and its FDA-approved formulation, esketamine (Spravato), are offering relief to people who have tried so many other treatments for depression and still feel stuck.

When Depression Doesn’t Budge

For many, the standard treatments for depression — antidepressant medications, therapy, lifestyle changes, and interventions like TMS — don’t bring sufficient relief. This is what clinicians call treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and it can leave patients feeling like they’ve exhausted all options. The cost is measured not only in symptoms, but in hope.

Ketamine offers a different pathway. Unlike traditional antidepressants which work on brain chemicals collectively called “monoamines” (e.g. serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) and can take weeks-to-months to show effect, ketamine — at least in part — works rapidly through the brain’s glutamate system. By doing so, it may open a “neuroplasticity window” — a period where the brain is more able to form new and healthier patterns of thought.

What Makes Ketamine Therapy Safe Now?

Understandably, many people wonder how a medication intended for anesthesia, that found use as a party drug, can be safe in the context of treating mental health conditions? The answer lies in setting, dose, and oversight. At Lumin Health, ketamine therapy is administered in sub-anesthetic doses, in structured sessions, and always under the supervision of psychiatrists. Patients are screened carefully, monitored throughout treatment, and supported as they process the experience.

Spravato, in particular, is FDA-approved and delivered only in certified clinics, with patients observed for two hours after dosing. This ensures the treatment is not only effective but conducted with the highest safety standards.

Covered by Insurance, Accessible to Many

Another breakthrough is accessibility. Spravato is covered by most major insurance plans — including Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Tufts, Medicare, and others — making it one of the few advanced psychiatric treatments available with insurance support. For patients who have already invested years in therapies that haven’t worked, this coverage matters.

Introducing Lumin Health

Open now in Woburn, with additional clinics in Newton and Cambridge — 5.0 stars on Google with 70+ reviews across both locations! — Lumin Health is bringing this evidence-based care closer to home. Every treatment plan is designed around patient choice, medical safety, and ongoing support. All of Lumin Health’s sites are staffed with mental health-trained professionals – psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners and physician assistants, social workers, mental health counselors, and trained Spravato technicians who understand mental health and can collaborate with an external person’s mental health team to make sure care is provided in a structured and integrated way.

If this sounds like something you’d like to learn more about — maybe you’ve been suffering from depression or know a loved one who has been — we would be grateful for the chance to explore if this is right for you & yours. Simply reach out to us below to get a free, confidential consultation, including a complimentary insurance check.