Mindbloom Review

Traditional mental health therapy isn't for everyone. A lot of people find it isn't effective for their needs, so they seek out alternative modalities that can address their concerns from a new angle. For some, ketamine therapy is the fresh approach they've long been seeking.

Ketamine therapy makes use of an anesthetic with mind-altering qualities that can make the brain more susceptible to molecular and structural changes. Its therapeutic potential has been known within the medical establishment since the 1960s, and in recent years it has grown in popularity as a treatment for psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).1 Interest in the drug's utility for mental health is such that it has expanded into the telemedical space, with clinician-supported companies offering prescribed treatment via remote technology.

Mindbloom is the largest player in said space and, thus, one of the most recognized names among the ketamine-curious. In our review, we closely examine how Mindbloom operates, how it (and ketamine, generally) can treat mental health, and where the company stands in the telemedical ketamine landscape.

Mindbloom leverages the expertise of its psychiatric clinicians to promote safe and effective ketamine dosage. Treatment includes useful tools for further promoting safety, processing experiences, and optimizing impacts throughout treatment. Though the company's multiple refund opportunities somewhat offset the price of treatment, there's no overlooking that Mindbloom is significantly more expensive than its leading competitors — and there are no guarantees that the treatment and service quality will meet clients' expectations.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

For our Mindbloom review, we analyzed the landscape to discover how the leading platforms operate, how Mindbloom compares to its competitors, and what pitfalls are commonly found in the ketamine telemedicine space. This review also examines the theoretical efficacy and safety of ketamine therapy broadly. We closely studied dozens of scientific papers on ketamine's effects on the brain, its utility for treating psychiatric disorders, and its potential risks to particular populations, as well as descriptions of experiences put forth by Mindbloom's past and present clients.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this guide was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy and will continue to be monitored for updates by our editorial team.

Telemedical ketamine patients commonly center on four specific criteria when choosing a provider:

• Cost: how much you pay relative not only to the competition but also to what you get for your money
• Communication and support: how diligently the provider's administrative and clinical staff keep in touch with you throughout treatment and how attentive they are to your needs
• Safety: the care the staff takes to ensure your protection against adverse effects
• Availability: the number of states a provider serves

Normally, effectiveness would be one of our evaluative criteria, but since all ketamine telemedicine platforms provide the same product (subanesthetic ketamine), effectiveness isn't so much about the product itself but rather how a platform delivers the service around the product. In other words, how actively, openly, and accessibly it administers therapy.

Here’s how Mindbloom fared in each category.

Cost

At $1,176 for first-time clients, Mindbloom is the second-most expensive online ketamine provider we found in our research. The only one that's more expensive is a service called Nue Life, which we've excluded from our recommendations for that very reason.

If we focus exclusively on the providers mentioned in this review, we see that Mindbloom costs at least $78 more than the next-highest-cost alternative, Innerwell. However, with Innerwell, you get more ketamine doses for the cost, and the math comes to almost $60 less per dose.

Our other alternative picks, Better U and Joyous, are much more affordable than either of the above. With Better U, you're looking at $500-$792 for a full program ($99-$125 per dose), and Joyous comes in at just $129 per month with no ongoing commitment.

In Mindbloom's defense, you do get more service in return for your high pay-in — for example, keener attention to dialing in your dosage and access to a community of other ketamine patients to help you process your experiences.

Communication and support

For some people, Mindbloom’s guides and clinicians are available and attentive. For others, they're not so much. It's a bit of a dice roll.

Then, why a 7.4 rating? A few reasons.

First, you have some control over your dice here. Your treatment begins with you choosing your guide, the person largely responsible for overseeing your safety and helping you process your ketamine experiences. If you take the time to assess your options closely, you stand a better chance of choosing a guide who aligns with and exhibits a connection to your treatment goals. Also, you can always change your guide if they don't work out for you. In this respect, it’s similar to many online therapy platforms.

Second, regular communication is baked into Mindbloom's treatment process. Even if you end up with a seemingly uninterested guide, you can still count on them and the clinical staff to check in before and after sessions.

And third, it probably isn't fair to fault one company for issues that pervade healthcare on an institutional level. Mindbloom isn't the only outlet whose staff might be uncommunicative or inattentive; it's a problem that affects other online ketamine platforms, traditional psychotherapy channels, and medical establishments in general. Sometimes, the luck of the draw brings you under the care of someone you don't jibe with. To Mindbloom's credit, its process gives you multiple opportunities to convey concerns, correct your treatment course, and request changes to your care team.

Safety

Mindbloom does several things right for user safety.

• Orientation: One of your guide's first tasks is to make sure you understand how sessions should work (e.g., the importance of a comfortable setting and having a trusted companion nearby).
• Vital checks: Considering the cardiovascular risk that ketamine may pose, we like that Mindbloom provides patients with blood pressure monitors and regularly records their vital measurements.
• Regular check-ins: Before sessions, you interface with your guide to double-check that you're set up in a comfortable place with your trusted companion. After sessions, a clinician may check in with you to see how you’re reacting to your dose.
• Dose titration: Mindbloom devotes at least the first two sessions to dialing in your ketamine dose. The care taken here ensures that your medicine is potent enough to impart a therapeutic effect but low enough not to pose a health risk.

We do think Mindbloom could do more to ensure patient safety, mostly in terms of staff oversight. For example, in at least one user account, a guide checked only once, ever, to make sure the patient had their trusted companion nearby. With ketamine's ability to induce hallucinations, confusion, and movement deficits, we'd prefer that safety protocol verifications be more rigidly enforced.

Still, Mindbloom does a very good job within its landscape. Among the top competitors, only Better U has safety protocols that are equal to Mindbloom's.

Availability

Available in 35 states, Mindbloom is the largest provider of telemedical ketamine therapy. As such, it's capable of delivering treatment to more people than its competitors currently can.

Better U comes the closest to matching Mindbloom's availability, but even it serves just 29 states — six fewer than Mindbloom. Joyous is the third-place finisher here at 27 states. Innerwell comes in last at 20 states.

The availability is even narrower among the competitors we wouldn't recommend. For example, the aforementioned Nue Life has a service territory of 15 states, and Wondermed is accessible in only 12.

Odds are that if you want online ketamine therapy, Mindbloom is the provider that can give it to you.

Refer to the table below for a quick reference on how Mindbloom compares to its leading competitors in terms of cost, availability, and support. The prices are rounded to the nearest dollar, and when a platform offers multiple pricing tiers, the “total price” we list is for the lowest-cost treatment option for new clients.

Founded in 2018, Mindbloom is a telemedicine platform that specializes in at-home ketamine therapy for mental health. Eligible clients enroll for a set number of sessions (doses) and receive ketamine troches (lozenges) through the mail. The experiences are partly self-guided and partly supported by Mindbloom support staff and clinicians. Every client follows a narrow treatment pathway via the mobile app based on their treatment goals and intentions. (More details on this can be found later on in the “How does Mindbloom work?” section.)

Mindbloom is currently available in 35 states:

Mindbloom company reputation

Mindbloom’s BBB profile (unaccredited) currently bears a B+ bureau rating and a 3.15-star (out of 5) customer rating based on 52 reviews. Both ratings are pretty solid. The bureau rating is based on 49 complaints issued against Mindbloom in the last three years. Most of the complaints relate to unwarranted billing, even when refunds were due, though some customers have also complained of non-receipt of treatment products and the unavailability or attitudes of their guides/clinicians. The customer reviews are generally along the same lines but with more complaints about the company’s staff.

On Mindbloom’s Trustpilot profile (verified), you’ll see the company has a 4.3-star rating (“Excellent” by Trustpilot’s standards), and the customer reviews largely tell a different tale than what you find on BBB. As of this writing, 78% of the posts are either 4-star or 5-star reviews extolling Mindbloom’s treatment and processes. However, among the 1-, 2-, and 3-star reviews, there are several comments about poor service from clinicians, guides, and other staff.

Ketamine therapy is a mental health treatment for psychiatric disorders. It's technically an "off-label" use for ketamine — that is, the drug isn't approved for mental health therapy but is used for it nonetheless.2 Physician-prescribed off-label use for prescriptions is both legal and common.3 For example, while Ozempic is formally a treatment for diabetes, doctors often prescribe it for weight loss as well.4

Ketamine is what's known as a dissociative anesthetic, which causes the user to feel detached from their body and environment.5 At this time, it's approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) mainly as an anesthetic for humans and animals (an exception being Spravato, an esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression),6 37 but clinicians often prescribe it, alongside talk therapy, to treat a variety of mental and neuropsychiatric health conditions, including:7

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• PTSD
• Alcohol use disorder and addiction
• Lyme disease

Being off-label, ketamine therapy involves administering the drug at subanesthetic doses — doses low enough to impart psychiatric benefit without the dissociative effects. Often, the administration is an "infusion," a term that refers to an intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injection. Ketamine can also be delivered through the skin, via nasal spray, or by oral or sublingual dissolution. (Mindbloom and its top competitors use dissolvable tablets or lozenges.)

To understand how ketamine can treat psychiatric disorders, consider the following:

• Ketamine enhances the brain's plasticity, or its ability to adapt and change in response to conditions (e.g., experiential, pathological, or environmental stimuli) on a structural and functional level.8
• With a psychiatric disorder like depression or PTSD, the brain appears to have fewer synapses (connections between neurons) and a corresponding diminishment in synaptic-function-related genes.9

So, when a person with a psychiatric disorder receives ketamine, the drug promotes a neural state that allows the brain to make structural changes against the synaptic scarcity. The brain becomes malleable enough to regrow synapses and facilitate proper communication between the brain cells. Such changes may take place within 24 hours of ketamine administration.10

Because ketamine enhances the neuroplastic state, some researchers have determined that it could also have therapeutic potential for substance use disorders.11 For example, in a 2019 trial involving 55 cocaine-dependent individuals, subjects who received intravenous ketamine were 53% less likely than the control group to relapse and demonstrated 58.1% lower craving scores throughout the trial.12

Ketamine, as a medicine, poses some health risks. It's a Schedule III drug, after all. So, even though it has a lower potential for dependence and misuse than, say, opioids, it does have some misuse potential.29 30 Also, because it's a sedative, it isn't safe for people with cardiovascular health conditions such as high blood pressure, low blood pressure, or coronary artery disease.31

Moreover, ketamine induces certain effects that can put the user in an unsafe state, including but not limited to:32

• Temporary attention/learning/memory deficit
• Temporary movement deficit
• Hallucinations or a dreamlike state
• Confusion
• Muscle stiffening/numbness
• Nausea
• Unconsciousness

In some cases, ketamine can also slow the user's breathing to the extent that it leads to death.32

That being said, ketamine's effects are dose-dependent, and ketamine therapy, done appropriately, is careful to control doses to a subanesthetic level.33 In addition, Mindbloom and similar platforms involve meticulous screening and some degree of expert and peer monitoring — mechanisms in place to prevent or actively address adverse events, thus helping to ensure the user's safety.

Indeed, according to a large, open-label effectiveness trial published in 2022, the screening and monitoring protocols practiced by telemedical ketamine providers have helped maintain "low levels of adverse events," leading the researchers to deem at-home ketamine therapy to be a safe treatment modality.34

Broadly speaking, Mindbloom works in fundamentally the same way as other ketamine telemedicine platforms. After a Mindbloom clinician assesses a client’s eligibility, the client receives their medicine and gets monitoring support.

More specifically, though, you can expect your experience to go as follows.

Step 1: Informal assessment

You begin by taking an online assessment that determines your basic eligibility for treatment. We're talking about a questionnaire that covers:

• Personal information: identifying gender, age, and state of residence
• Reasons for seeking treatment: anxiety, depression, both, or something else
• Exclusion criteria: e.g., are you at least 18, non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding, non-schizophrenic?
• Personal parameters (Likert scales): satisfaction in your relationships, healthy routines, bad habits, life's purpose/direction
• Current mental health challenges: e.g., self-worth, feeling "stuck," coping with the loss of a loved one
• How you heard about Mindbloom: e.g., social media, referred by a friend, referred by a doctor

The assessment takes maybe five minutes to complete. Based on your answers, Mindbloom recommends you one of its programs (more on those later) before asking for your name, phone number, and email address.

Then you're taken to a purchasing screen. If you want a clinician consult to verify your eligibility for Mindbloom, you’ll owe $99 at this point.

Step 2: Comprehensive intake and initial scheduling

After payment comes a comprehensive, nine-part intake form that further narrows down your eligibility. It should take about 10 minutes to complete. We cover the process more thoroughly in the section titled “Mindbloom’s intake process.”

With the intake completed, you schedule your initial clinician consult. The scheduling screen has you select a clinician and your preferred date/time.

Step 3: Initial clinician consult

During the consult, you meet with a psychiatric professional via video chat so they can screen your medical history and assess your mental health symptoms. They're who determines your eligibility for treatment.

If you aren't eligible, Mindbloom fully refunds you your $99. But if you are eligible, you can elect to purchase the treatment, which includes six ketamine sessions, two further clinician consults, three guide sessions, and unlimited messaging with your guide. Your initial $99 payment goes toward the total cost.

Step 4: Receiving your materials

The “Bloombox” you receive is a rather handsome case that contains everything you need to move forward with your treatment. It comes with a welcome guide that covers expectations and advice, the journal in which you'll record your treatment notes, a blood pressure monitor, an eye mask, and a covered compartment.

Your first dose of ketamine arrives separately. It comes in the form of troches, or waxy sublingual lozenges. You're to keep it stored in the covered compartment.

Step 5: Choosing your guide

Your Mindbloom guide is the person who orients you to your treatment and supports your integration. Think of integration as the act of processing your ketamine experience — making sense of it and its insights, and determining how to act on them. If each ketamine experience is a journey, then the guide's job is to get you to land from it safely and optimally.

You choose your guide through the connected Mindbloom app. There, you can assess the roster of guides based on criteria like background, gender, experience, and areas of expertise. You'll meet with your guide through video chat a few times throughout your treatment.

Step 6: Contact and pre-session

After you've chosen your guide, they should text-message you a couple of times before conducting the pre-session. The preliminary contact and pre-session are both just to prepare you for your first and subsequent ketamine experiences, and your guide will walk you through some of the requirements (e.g., that you have your Bloombox at hand and a trusted companion nearby during your sessions). You can then schedule your first session through the app.

Step 7: First session

When the time arrives to have your first session, your guide will contact you through video chat to make sure you're all set up, your Bloombox is ready, and your trusted companion is present. Then you'll use the blood pressure monitor to record your vitals, and your guide will clarify your intention (area of focus) for the session. This first stage takes about 30 minutes.

Then you take the troche, letting it dissolve under your tongue for seven minutes. After seven minutes is up, you spit out the troche, put on your eye mask, and experience the treatment. Your trusted companion should stand by to offer assistance. The experience stage typically lasts an hour.

The final two stages are about 30 minutes each. First is journaling, when you jot down any insights or themes you encountered during your experience. Second is a follow-up call with your guide, when they check in on you, discuss your experience, and re-record your vitals. It's normal to feel lightheaded, dizzy, or nauseated at this point.

Step 8: Clinician follow-up

Sometime after your first session — usually a matter of days — your clinician will reach out through video chat to discuss your experience and make a professional assessment. It's at this time they determine whether you need a lower or higher dose.

Step 9: Choosing a program

A Mindbloom program is a treatment pathway. For example, if you want to focus on PTSD treatment, you'd select the relevant program through the app. Should you want to switch pathways later in your treatment, you can do so through the app as well.

Each program has associated session audio files (including music) and other features. You should have the program and chosen audio file ready to go in your app before each session. There are currently 12 programs to choose from (we explain what they are in the section titled "Mindbloom programs").

Step 10: Session two and follow-ups

You should have received your new dose by the time of your second session, scheduled through the app. It follows the same sequence as the first except without the pre-session with your guide. Again, you should have your trusted companion present. Afterward, again, you have an integration follow-up with your guide and another follow-up with a clinician. Once more, the clinician determines whether they need to adjust your dose.

Step 11: Remaining sessions

Sessions 3-5 follow the same general structure as the first and second, though without the clinician follow-ups. Your guide is available to answer your questions, dispense advice, or just speak with you to help you integrate.

After your last session, you have a final follow-up with your clinician, with whom you'll discuss your progress and potential next steps. There's also one more check-in with your guide.

As you go through your sessions, Mindbloom recommends taking at least a week between each one to reflect and integrate on your own, using the journal and app as needed. You can also schedule integration coaching appointments and participate in online integration circles with other Mindbloom clients (sort of like informal group therapy with other ketamine patients).

Then, once your treatment is complete, you have a couple of options before you:

• Continue treatment: If you feel that you can make further progress, you can return as a client for six or 18 additional sessions.
• End treatment: If you're satisfied with your progress or feel that no further progress can be made, you can terminate your Mindbloom treatment.

Mindbloom’s nine-part intake form covers a lot of ground, which we break down in the following subsections:

Section 1: General information

Besides identifying information like your address, birth date, height, and weight, the first section requires you to provide an emergency contact and answer basic health questions. (Among other details, these questions ask you if you’ve ever experienced elevated intracranial pressure, severe breathing problems, or manic depression symptoms.)

Section 2: Psychiatric history

In this section, Mindbloom asks whether you’ve ever been diagnosed with a mental illness, received mental health services, or received treatment for substance abuse, among other questions along those lines. Here are some examples:

• “Have you ever been admitted to a hospital for psychiatric treatment?”
• “Please list any medications (psychiatric or medical) you are currently taking in the table below.”
• “Please list any psychiatric medications you have taken in the past, and indicate if any were especially helpful or caused problems.”

Section 3: Current living information

Here, you disclose who you currently live with and characterize their relationship to you. You must also verify that you understand you’ll need a trusted companion to be physically present with you during your ketamine sessions.

Section 4: Family medical history

This section centers specifically on a family history of psychiatric illness. If you answer “no,” it will be a very brief section indeed. But if you answer “yes,” the form will ask a series of follow-ups to specify the nature of the psychiatric history and fine details about it.

Section 5: Alcohol assessment

The questions in this section are to determine how frequently you drink alcohol, particularly whether you do so to excess. Besides “how often do you drink alcohol,” you might see questions like:

• “How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?”
• “How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?”
• “How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?”

Section 6: Drug use assessment

Same deal as with the alcohol assessment, except it pertains to drugs you use outside of a prescription setting — for example:

• “Have you had ‘blackouts’ or ‘flashbacks’ as a result of drug use?”
• “Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?”
• “Does your spouse (or parents) ever complain about your involvement with drugs?”

Section 7: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors

The seventh section is a key part of determining your eligibility for Mindbloom treatment. You might see questions such as:

• “Have you wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?”
• “Have you actually had any thoughts of killing yourself?”
• “Have you ever done anything, started to do anything, or prepared to do anything to end your life?”

Section 8: Mental health and perception

The purpose here is to determine whether you exhibit signs of schizophrenia. It includes the following questions:

• “In the past 12 months, have you felt that your thoughts were being directly interfered with or controlled by another person?”
• “In the past 12 months, have you had a feeling that people were too interested in you?”
• “Do you have any special powers that most people lack?”

Section 9: Other

The final part of intake is just a wrap-up. At one point, you verify your identity by providing the details of your driver’s license, state ID card, or passport. Then you click boxes and sign agreements to confirm your understanding of the Mindbloom treatment process.

Some of the agreements require drag-and-draw signatures, while others need only typed signatures.

Mindbloom continually develops guided ketamine therapy programs, each pertaining to a specific area of mental health and following a specific theme. As of November 2024, it offers 12 such programs. Though many of them are self-explanatory, let's examine what each one covers.

Mindbloom is for people living in eligible states who've been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or a similar psychiatric disorder. The platform may also help those who are:

• Struggling with self-worth
• Coping with the loss of a loved one
• Having trouble finding joy in life
• Feeling "stuck" or directionless

Keep in mind that Mindbloom's intake process involves a $99 consultation with a clinician to validate your eligibility. If the clinician determines that you meet Mindbloom's criteria for treatment, you have the option to move forward with treatment. If you don't meet the criteria, you'll be refunded.

Who may want to look elsewhere?

On the other side of the coin, ketamine therapy platforms like Mindbloom may not be appropriate for people who:

In addition to the above, although some researchers have found ketamine can alleviate suicidal symptoms, at least in the short term, Mindbloom states that "active suicidal ideation or previous attempts" is an exclusion criterion for treatment.24 25

Also, according to Yale Medicine, ketamine therapy is best suited for those who've already tried and experienced no symptom relief from standard treatments such as antidepressants.26 Therefore, if you haven’t tried conventional approaches to mental health treatment, you may want to start there instead.

The effectiveness of a ketamine telemedicine platform hinges on its ability to provide robust communication and clinician support. With Mindbloom, the user experiences we've studied indicate the company can be hit-or-miss in these regards, though not any more so than its competitors.

Scouring the broad online landscape, we've identified a balance of credible accounts describing two very different flavors of experiences:

• Breakthroughs in processing personal traumas with the help of a Mindbloom guide
• More superficial experiences in the hands of guides who seemed less interested in deeper analysis or follow-ups

Even Mindbloom's Trustpilot page includes reviews that reflect this dichotomy: some users expressing satisfaction with their guide's communication and the company's scheduling flexibility, and others lamenting poor communication from their guide and a lack of scheduling options that meet their needs. You'll find reviews in the same vein on Better U's Trustpilot page, as well as Joyous'. All three platforms have similar star ratings, too.

So, what can we take away from the apparent inconsistencies between the good reviews and the bad ones? Perhaps that online ketamine therapy is susceptible to the same problems that have plagued traditional therapy channels: a lack of attentiveness, poor communication, and scheduling difficulties.27 28

Often, then, whether a client has a positive or negative experience with Mindbloom depends on three factors:

• Mindful selection: carefully considering your guide options and selecting one based on criteria that matter to you
• The luck of the draw: just being lucky enough to have chosen a guide that meets your expectations
• Proactive problem-solving: dropping your guide if they don't meet your standards and mindfully selecting a replacement who might better suit you

Ultimately, your degree of satisfaction with any medical service may be incongruous with someone else's. It depends on the variables in place for you. Fortunately, you do have some control over certain variables.

For first-time clients, a complete, six-session Mindbloom program costs $1,176, though not all at once. It begins with a $99 clinician consult. The clinician decides whether you're:

• Ineligible for treatment: Mindbloom refunds your $99.
• Eligible for treatment: Mindbloom keeps the $99, and you decide whether to move forward with treatment.

If you move forward with treatment, you'll owe the remaining sum in three monthly installments of $359 each. Each session corresponds with one dose of ketamine, so it's $196 per dose.

For returning clients, Mindbloom offers discounted rates on two program options. The following table lays it out:

At first glance, the price totals appear roughly comparable to competitors', but closer examination reveals that Mindbloom is considerably more expensive than other leaders in the ketamine telemedicine space.

We turn to competitor Innerwell to illustrate. With Innerwell, your principal options are:

• The Foundation Program: eight ketamine experiences — $998 if paid in full, up front ($124.75 per dose), or $1,098 if paid in three monthly installments of $366 each ($137.25 per dose)
• The Extended Program: 24 ketamine experiences — $2,000 if paid in full, up front ($83.33 per dose), or $2,100 if paid in four monthly installments of $525 each ($87.50 per dose)

Let's do some math. If we converted Innerwell's Foundation price structure to parallel Mindbloom's six-session option, Innerwell would cost either $748.50 or $823.50, depending on your payment option. So, in most cases, Innerwell is the more cost-effective platform; the only exception is for returning Mindbloom clients versus Innerwell clients on an installment plan.

Competitors Joyous and Better U are also more sensible from a financial standpoint — Joyous because it has you pay on a no-commitment basis, and Better U because it's one of the least expensive leading alternative on the market. Learn more about their respective pricing structures, as well as Innerwell's, in a later section, "Alternatives to Mindbloom."

Is Mindbloom covered by insurance?

Mindbloom doesn't accept insurance at this time. At best, some of its services may be eligible for an insurance reimbursement or payment through an HSA/FSA — it depends on your specific coverage — and Mindbloom can provide you with an itemized receipt after your first virtual visit to submit to your health insurance provider.

Competitors Joyous and Better U have similar policies regarding insurance.

Innerwell is the only competing brand that does accept insurance, at least for clients in California, New York, Washington, Colorado, and Texas.

Mindbloom's refund policy is complex, but only because it covers the many variables that may apply to its clients. Basically, the amount you get back depends not only on your eligibility but also on what type of client you are and how many sessions you've got ahead of you.

Let's break it down.

New clients

As soon as you pay the first $99 fee for the initial clinician consult, you're considered a new client. As a new client, you qualify for a full refund if:

• You cancel your initial clinician consult at least 24 hours ahead of time
• The clinician decides you aren't eligible for Mindbloom treatment

If you are eligible for treatment or you cancel your initial consult within 24 hours, your $99 fee is locked in. However, you can get back the remaining $1,077 if you cancel your treatment before your Bloombox and first dose of ketamine ship out.

Once the first dose and Bloombox ship out, you're locked in at $588. Thereafter, you're eligible to be refunded the remaining $588 if you cancel your treatment before your second dose ships out.

Once your second dose ships out, your refund eligibility ends.

Returning clients — six sessions

Returning clients go through a fresh round of "initial" consultation. So, for a full refund, the same stipulations apply as for new clients. Either you cancel at least 24 hours ahead of time, or the clinician determines you aren't eligible for further treatment.

If you don't cancel ahead of 24 hours, you're locked in for $150. You're also locked in at $150 if you are eligible for treatment but cancel it before your ketamine ships out. In either case, you're eligible to be refunded the remaining $618.

Once your ketamine ships out, though, you're locked in for the full $768 charge.

Returning clients — 18 sessions

Everything in the six-session policy applies to the 18-session one, and you’re locked in for $150 once your first dose ships out. However, because 18-session clients get three shipments of ketamine in total, additional stipulations apply.

If you cancel your treatment between shipments of your first and second doses, you're locked in for $594 and are eligible to be refunded the remaining $1,188.

If you cancel between shipments two and three, you're locked in for $1,188 and are eligible to be refunded the remaining $594.

Once your third shipment is on the way, your refund eligibility ends.

Mindbloom's leading competitors are Innerwell, Better U, and Joyous. All three approach treatment in pretty much the same way as Mindbloom. For the most part, the differences relate to cost and only minor touches; only Joyous has a significantly different approach to treatment itself. We discuss the differences, big and small, in the following sections.

Innerwell

Innerwell offers a bit more flexibility and direct clinical support than Mindbloom, and it's less expensive.

Once you pass the initial assessment and screening, you can choose between two treatment programs (note that your integration takes place not with a guide but with a clinician):

In both cases, users get unlimited access to the Innerwall Portal, the hub through which they manage the specifics of their treatment and use helpful features — messaging, appointments, dosing reminders, group integration, and more.

If you're so inclined, you can add free mental health services to your ketamine treatment, like psychiatry and EMDR, a psychotherapy treatment for processing and alleviating traumatic memories. There's also a more comprehensive add-on that costs $525 and includes multiple sessions with an expert in psychotherapy.

Innerwell has the most limited availability among Mindbloom's leading competitors. In 2024, the service is accessible in only 20 states:

It does, however, accept insurance for clients living in the following states:

• California: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Magellan Health, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Cigna, Evernorth Behavioral Health, Sharp Health Plan, Carelon Behavioral Health
• New York: Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Cigna, Evernorth Behavioral Health
• Washington: UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Cigna, Evernorth Behavioral Health
• Colorado: Aetna
• Texas: UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Cigna, Evernorth Behavioral Health

Better U

Like Innerwell, Better U offers two treatment options off the bat. Also like Innerwell, you can pay up front or in installments.

Similar to Mindbloom, Better U's treatment programs include a box of goodies. Here, it's called a Brain Box. It includes many of the same things you get in the Bloombox but also some extras:

• Blood pressure cuff
• Meditation mask
• Journal
• Gratitude cards
• Heart diffraction glasses (they make light sources look heart-shaped)

We imagine the last two items are to promote positivity during your treatment, though their utility toward that end may be dubious.

As for availability, Better U is accessible in 29 states (just six fewer than Mindbloom).

Joyous

Joyous is unique among Mindbloom's alternatives in two important ways:

In terms of how the treatment system operates, Joyous is roughly similar to Mindbloom. You have an initial consultation to determine your eligibility, you receive your medicine, and you communicate with your care team throughout treatment.

But there are some important differences in how your treatment goes with Joyous:

• Communication: Text messaging is Joyous' primary mode of contact. Rather than a guide, you have a "navigator" who sends you dosing reminders and check-in forms.
• Peer support: Joyous lacks the online group integration offered by Mindbloom and Innerwell.

Joyous, then, is more self-directed than Mindbloom and other alternatives. If you’d prefer expert care and community-based integration in your ketamine therapy, then Joyous probably isn't a good option for you.

Also, Joyous has relatively limited availability compared to some competitors. Currently, it's available in only 27 states, as opposed to Better U's 29 and Mindbloom's 35: