Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Sometimes talk is not enough.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is a service offered to those who qualify that can help you get unstuck in ways that other treatment may not.
It has been shown to help loosen rigid patterns of thoughts and behaviors in and out of relationships, treat treatment resistant depression, and help people access parts of themselves otherwise locked away.
About Ketamine
Ketamine is a compound that was synthesized in 1962 and is classified as a dissociative anaesthetic. It is an FDA approved medication and has been used widely as a painkiller and sedative in a wide ranging population.
More recently, ketamine has been used in the mental health space to treat severe depression and other mental health concerns. While not classified as a psychedelic, ketamine can induce non-ordinary states of consciousness and a psychedelic experience when used at a sub-anasthetic dose.
How Does Ketamine Work?
Ketamine works through several avenues in the brain, not all of which may be fully understood at this time (I certainly don’t understand it all…!)
What we do know is that ketamine increases the amount of the neurotransmitter glutamate available in the brain at the time of use.
Like many psychedelics, ketamine also quiets the “default mode network” of the brain, which is associated with the familiar autobiographical thoughts we may have about ourselves, others, our situations and the future. When the default mode network gets quiet, people experience a break from their regular selves, their habitual modes of thinking, and an opportunity opens up to experience one’s self and the world in a new way that was previously unavailable. In this way, ketamine is known to help people get unstuck, outside of themselves in a way.
Additionally, for a few days following the experience with ketamine, it is said that brains have increased neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to form new synaptic connections), so it’s a perfect time to set up new ways of being, thinking, processing and breaking old habits.
Anecdotally, ketamine has been known to give people a new experience of themselves, often with increased love, compassion and grace. This, perhaps, has been what many have considered to be the most powerful aspect about this compound.
What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?
How Does Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Work?
Prior to anyone receiving a prescription for ketamine, they will need to see a medical provider (I have referrals) for a medical evaluation to ensure the safety of the medicine. While ketamine is considered a safe medication, there are some contraindications and a medical evaluation and prescription is necessary.
KAP typically works in 3 phases, each uniquely important an integral to the process:
1. Preparation (no medicine)
2. Dosing (medicine taken)
3. Integration (no medicine)
Preparation
In this phase of work together, we are setting the stage for the work with the ketamine. I will learn about your experiences (if any) with non-ordinary states of consciousness. We will talk about what to expect from the medicine session, if anything, as there are no guarantees that it will have transformative effects. And we will talk about your intentions and what you’d ideally like from this experience. This phase of our work together will likely take a few meetings, and if we are meeting for the first time, perhaps a few more, so I get to know you a bit beforehand as well as I would with any client.
Dosing
I ask you to block out 3 hours for the dosing session. This is when you come into my office and take the medicine itself. You will need a ride to and from the session as you will still be under the medicine’s influence when you leave and unable to drive (even if you feel up to driving, you are not ok to drive).
There are several ways in which ketamine is typically administered: intravenously, intramuscularly, intranasally, or sublingually. My clients are prescribed sublingual lozenges (also called “troches”) that are taken orally.
People’s experiences with ketamine can look vastly different. The experience may be a very inward focused one for 45-90 minutes, with silence, you experiencing the medicine on your own, with some debriefing afterwards; or, you may feel very open and want to talk during your experience. We will see!
Integration
Another extremely important part of this work, integration is when we do just that: integrate your experience from the ketamine with your life. This is when we take advantage of that increased neuroplasticity to foster lasting change that you desire.
My Journey to Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
I have been fascinated by psychedelics and the promise they offer mental health treatment, so in 2024 I completed a year-long training in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy through the Integrative Psychiatric Institute (IPI). I hadn’t heard too much about ketamine and honestly wasn’t that interested in this particular substance until participating in a retreat through IPI with the medicine myself.
Little did I know how blown away by Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy I’d be.
I continue to participate in supervision and training in this area, having participated in continuing education through PESI, Skylight Psychedelics, Ketamine Kollaborations, and more. Now offer this work to current clients of mine as well as those who work with other therapists as an adjunct to their therapeutic work.
How Much Does It Cost?
KAP is an undertaking. It can be life changing. It might not be, too. It’s a process that requires a bit of time as it’s not a panacea or a one time cure, yet at the same time it can speed up or intensify the therapeutic experience.
I have designed an introduction package which includes 2 dosing sessions (the first of which is to “meet the medicine”). This is for anyone new to the work or me, and minimically requires:
Phase one:
3 sessions for intake and preparation
“Meet the medicine” session (2-3 hours)
1 integration session
Phase two:
Full dosing session (2.5-3 hours)
Integration (3 hours)
This package is $2600 with $1400 paid upfront for phase one and if all goes well with the meeting of the medicine, the payment of $1200 will required to move onto phase two with the full dosing session.
If you are presently in therapy with a non-psychedelic provider, I will gladly collaborate with your therapist.
Please note, this fee does not include the cost of a medication evaluation or the ketamine itself (approximately $300 in total).
For ongoing work, the fee for a preparation session, 3 hour medicine session and 3 integration sessions is $1400.
I’m happy to speak more about this if you have questions as it can be confusing.
Resources On Ketamine
All Things Ketamine – The Most Comprehensive Podcast Ever with Dr. John Krystal (Episode #625 of the Tim Ferriss Show) (you can also listen wherever you listen to your podcasts)
Toward specific ways to combine ketamine and psychotherapy in treating depression