Rewiring Connection: How Ketamine Assisted Therapy Reopens the Brain for Relational Healing

A new perspective on why group therapy can be transformative.

Each spring, nature cues us to begin again. Flowers bloom from frozen soil, birdsong replaces the hush of winter, and we, too, feel the pull to emerge. To stretch. To start over. While this cycle of renewal feels poetic, it’s also deeply biological. Our bodies and brains crave change. They’re built for it. And now, science is showing us that certain types of healing—especially healing in connection—might be more possible than we thought.

One of the most exciting discoveries in neuroscience in recent years comes from Dr. Gül Dölen, a researcher at Johns Hopkins, who studies how psychedelics affect the brain’s ability to learn and connect. Her team found that ketamine—yes, the very same medication we use in our clinic—can reopen what’s known as a critical period in the brain.

What is a critical period?

A critical period is a window of time early in life when our brains are especially plastic and open to learning. Think of how easily children learn new languages or how quickly they form bonds with caregivers. During these times, the brain is more malleable—like wet clay—able to shape and reshape itself based on experience. As we grow older, those windows start to close. Learning slows. Habits harden. Emotional wounds become more difficult to mend.

But what if there were a way to gently pry open that window again?

Ketamine Assisted Therapy and the "Open State"

Dr. Dölen’s research used animal models to study how different psychedelics affect these critical periods. She and her team found that ketamine, when administered appropriately, reopens the critical period for social reward learning—our brain’s ability to find connection with others pleasurable and meaningful.

This state doesn’t last forever—ketamine’s open period is around 48 hours, compared to longer windows for other psychedelics like psilocybin or MDMA. But the beauty of ketamine is its accessibility and safety in a clinical setting. It offers a short-term but powerful opportunity for healing, especially when used with therapeutic support.

What does that mean in real life? It means ketamine doesn’t just offer a temporary escape from depression or anxiety. It may actually help the brain become more receptive to new relational patterns, to connection, to hope. But this only happens if we use that window well.

Why group therapy, and why now?

We live in a time of deep disconnection. The pandemic fragmented our communities, and many of us are still trying to piece together a sense of belonging. Many of us are feeling the pressure to “hold it all together” while feeling isolated and overwhelmed is all too real.

That’s why this research is more than just interesting—it’s practical. It’s actionable. It gives us a roadmap for creating meaningful, connected healing experiences.

When individuals come together in a carefully held space, with support, structure, and the right therapeutic tools, something incredible happens. Barriers drop. Nervous systems co-regulate. And we begin to remember what it feels like to be safe in the presence of others.

At Koru Wellness, we’ve built our Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Group's around these very principles. It’s not about having a “psychedelic experience” for the sake of it. It’s about using the open state that ketamine provides as a catalyst—to explore new narratives, to integrate old wounds, and to feel witnessed in a way that individual therapy can’t always offer.

We believe healing happens in community. The science backs that up.

And if your brain has been feeling stuck in old patterns, disconnected from others, or numb to the joy of being alive—this may be a moment to say yes to something different. Not because you need to be “fixed,” but because you deserve to feel connected. Supported. Alive.

Let this be your season to bloom, too.

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Curious if this group might be a fit for you? Reach out or learn more at koruwell.com.