Known For: Dr. Lori Calabrese is a board-certified psychiatrist in South Windsor with over 20 years of experience, trained at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with residency at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a published researcher whose retrospective study of 231 patients represents one of the largest single-site published datasets on IV ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and suicidality. Her practice combines interventional psychiatry with metabolic psychiatry, offering a uniquely science-driven approach to ketamine treatment in Connecticut.
IV ketamine with psychiatric oversight – Contact for therapy integration
Clinical Lead
Dr. Lori Calabrese, MD – Johns Hopkins/Harvard trained, Published Researcher
HealingMaps Take: Dr. Lori Calabrese brings arguably the strongest research credentials of any ketamine provider in Connecticut. Her published study of 231 patients using titrated IV ketamine is one of the largest single-site datasets in the field, and her Johns Hopkins/Harvard training is world-class. The practice reports relief in up to 80% of patients with severe depression and anxiety. Reviews are mostly positive, with patients crediting her with life-changing results, though some have noted concerns about follow-up communication and payment policies. For patients who prioritize research-backed protocols and top-tier medical credentials, Dr. Calabrese’s practice is one of the most credentialed options in the state.
Patient Review
“Dr. Calabrese and her staff saved my life. The ketamine treatment program was thorough and professionally managed, and I finally found relief after years of unsuccessful treatments.” — Patient Review
Dr. Lori Calabrese offers innovative psychiatric treatment solutions for those who suffer from various mental health disorders. She has over 20 years of experience. The esteemed psychiatrist was the first in Connecticut to grow her practice with the goal to make ketamine infusions and esketamine therapy accessible to patients in the area of South Windsor, Connecticut.
Her clinical work on the effects of IV ketamine therapy in patients with suicidality was published in the International Journal of Psychology. Currently, Dr. Lori Calabrese is conducting trials to determine the efficacy of ketamine infusions in those that suffer from anorexia. She also treats depression, social anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.
What types of ketamine services does Dr. Lori Calabrese offer?
IV ketamine infusion therapy
Esketamine Nasal Spray
What conditions does Dr. Lori Calabrese treat?
Severe or Chronic Depression
Suicidal Thoughts
Bipolar Disorder — in particular, the nagging, difficult-to-treat depressive episodes often seen in Bipolar II Disorder
You do not need to be referred by a psychiatrist. You or your family may call, as well as your PCP, APRN, psychiatrist, or therapist, to refer you.
However, Dr. Lori Calabrese will still coordinate your treatment with your healthcare team—your current psychiatrist, therapist, and PCP, and any other specialists you choose. The IV ketamine infusions are an adjunct to your current treatment.
The practice is on a fee-for-service basis and requires payment in full at the time of your visit by check, cash, or credit/debit card. Staff will provide a receipt which you may submit to insurance, as some services may be fully or partly covered by your health insurance or employee benefit plan or may be fully or partly covered once you have met your deductible.
The clinic itself does not bill insurance companies and it does not accept insurance payments. For telepsychiatry appointments (appointments by phone or video), the clinic requires a credit card which it will keep securely on file.
What to Expect at Dr. Lori Calabrese
Pre-Appointment
Once you schedule an appointment, you’ll provide Dr. Lori Calabrese’s office with information about your symptoms, previous treatment, medical problems, and family psychiatric history.
If you are a new patient coming in for IV ketamine consultation and infusions, you’ll also complete and send in the Ketamine New Patient History form. If you are seeing a PCP or psychiatrist, APRN, and/or a therapist, ask them to fill in, sign and send in the brief referral form.
You’ll participate in an extensive interview and Dr. Lori Calabrese will determine the best plan of action to move forward. This plan may include comprehensive genetic testing in the office that day to determine if you would be a rapid responder to ketamine, and a number of other indications of response to psychiatric medications. The office may order lab work, tox screens, and neuroimaging, and make recommendations for lifestyle changes, and/or medication, TMS, or IV ketamine therapy.
If you are a new patient coming in specifically for ketamine consultation and treatment, and it is an appropriate treatment for you, you will be able have your first IV infusion immediately after your consultation.
The Dr. Lori CalabreseProcess
*You cannot eat for 4 hours before your appointment, but you may drink freely up until your appointment. *Dr. Lori Calabrese’s office requires that you have someone drive you home after your treatment.
Ketamine is administered over a period of about 40 minutes. The dose is determined by your weight. The amount of ketamine administered is not enough to cause a loss of consciousness, so you’ll remain awake but feel very, very relaxed.
Patients generally leave the office within 15-20 minutes following their infusion.
Post-Appointment
Following the initial series of infusions, some patients will work with Dr. Lori Calabrese’s office to begin a maintenance program, returning for single infusions intermittently. The interval between maintenance infusions varies from patient to patient.
The Healing Maps Editorial Team has decades of experience across all facets of the psychedelic industry. From assessing studies and clinic research, to working with clinician's and clinics, we help provide data-backed information to psychedelic-curious individuals across the globe.
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