Ketamine assisted Psychotherapy
What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, or KAP, combines the healing properties of ketamine with those of mental health therapy. Like most psychedelics, ketamine opens the heart and mind, fostering an environment conducive to inward peace, calmness, love, and self-acceptance. This opening, combined with mental health therapy (such as EMDR or IFS), facilitates navigation, access, and healing of areas within yourself that might be difficult or time-consuming to reach through mental health therapy alone.
What does ketamine do
Ketamine plays an important role in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy by inducing a state of heightened neuroplasticity, where the brain becomes more malleable and receptive to change. This enhanced state of plasticity allows for the rewiring of neural pathways that can be rigid in patients suffering from conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. By temporarily softening these often inflexible mental patterns, ketamine provides a unique opportunity for patients to surmount psychological blocks that may have seemed insurmountable, particularly when combined with mental health therapy. The result is not just temporary relief, but can be a profound, lasting transformation that can improve one’s quality of life and overall mental health. Through its ability to open the mind, ketamine fosters a therapeutic environment where deep-seated traumas can be addressed and healed, facilitating a journey of recovery that can be both profound and enduring.
How do we administer ketamine
We collaborate with Journey Clinical, a medical provider specifically designed to facilitate access to ketamine for therapeutic purposes. For a fee of $335, you will meet with a medical prescriber to ensure you are medically cleared for ketamine use, and you will receive two oral doses via mail from a compounding pharmacy. The entire process takes about two weeks. Once you receive your ketamine, simply bring your dose to your session and follow the prescriber’s instructions.
what do ketamine sessions look like
Preparation
Ketamine sessions actually begin well before you take your first dose of ketamine. You will start with a minimum of two preparation sessions so we can understand your hopes, consider your intentions, discuss the process from start to finish, and build skills to help you connect with your upcoming ketamine experience. The number of preparation sessions your therapist may recommend varies for each person based on your personal situation, experience with psychedelics, previous therapy experience, and your comfort level.
Dosing
Once you feel ready for your dosing sessions, you will schedule a three-hour session with your therapist to begin your journey. Your therapist will be by your side to guide you through your dosing journey from start to finish. We will not leave your side and are here to facilitate a calm, peaceful, and enlightening experience so you can get the most out of your session while feeling safe, emotionally supported, and fully cared for.
Integration
Integration is the process of making sense of your journey and utilizing the 1-3 week period of “open heart, open mind, and neuroplasticity” immediately following your ketamine journey. This phase is crucial not only for incorporating insights gained during the dosing session but also for accessing parts of yourself that have become softer and more accessible due to the effects of ketamine. The number of integration sessions can vary according to your needs but typically includes at least two or three sessions. Some individuals use this time to focus on a specific event or aspect of themselves, while others may become longer-term clients, alternating between dosing sessions and several weeks of therapy. Some even opt for a single dose and spend many sessions diving deeper into new areas of self-discovery.
Will i be alone during my dosing session
Absolutely, positively, not. You will be accompanied by the same licensed, ketamine trained therapist that you initially began your journey with through the entire process. From start to finish.
What does a typical process look like (TLDR)
- Contact us and let us know you want to explore how ketamine assisted psychotherapy can improve your mental health.
- Come in (virtually or in-person) for an initial visit and explore what your intentions, hopes, and concerns are with ketamine.
- Contact Journey Clinical and complete a medical consult. You will be mailed oral ketamine.
- Continue meeting with your therapists for a minimum of two preparation sessions.
- Dosing session(s) (can be virtual in certain circumstances).
- Integration session(s).
