Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy- What is it?

Committed to ensuring patients receiving these emerging therapies are informed and receiving

them when appropriate &

in a safe & supportive way

Psychedelic Assisted Therapies & Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (NOSC)

Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy, including Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), utilizes preparation sessions prior to medicine sessions, followed by integration sessions. All sessions are combined with various methods of guidance from practices such as meditation; relaxation and yogic breathing exercises; visualization with archetypal imagery; intention setting; talk and somatic therapies; mindfulness; and music, all in service to promoting access to each person’s inner healer to allow healing and wholeness to emerge.

For more information on Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (NOSC), please use the following links: What are they? Why Access them? You can also find information on achieving NOSC through holotropic breathwork here.

NOSC & Psychedelics, combined with psychotherapy, have the potential to offer a deep dive into transformational healing and allows for greater access to our core wounds, inviting the inner healing intelligence to be experienced through the integration of body, mind, and spirit.

I deeply believe that psychedelics are not the only way to do this, We possess an inner Healing Intelligence that is capable of healing. Recent findings have suggested that Hope is a powerful healing tool and in a placebo trial the benefits were as great in the placebo group. Does Ketamine work like Hope, or is Hope the key? The research is ongoing.

I encourage taking the opportunity to experiment with NOSC through Music only: A safe and supported way of experiencing NOSC through the use of music and integration techniques for those concerned about or naive to the use of psychedelics. Therapy and or Preparation sessions can be a great environment for this exploration.

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”

― Rumi

**Kindly take note that KAP is a future treatment under consideration by this provider for established patients and participants of the Healing the Healers Journey program.**

  • What is Ketamine? Ketamine is a molecule that has been used as a dissociative anesthetic since the 1960s. It has been studied and promoted by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and has an extensive safety record. Recent research points to its efficacy as a fast-acting anti-depressant when there is suicidal ideation present. Depending on factors such as medication dosage and route of administration, as well as intention and preparation, and differences in personal experience with psychoactive medications and substances, a ketamine session may vary in intensity from a mild shift of awareness, a profound internal journey to an uncomfortable experience. We will be discussing this in detail if you are considering this treatment.
  • Why Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)? Some clients have not found relief with conventional psychoactive medications applied with regular psychotherapy, both of which, when used together, can bring about great benefits for most persons. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is an innovative approach that uses the medicine Ketamine in combination with various psychotherapeutic methods including guidance, talk therapy, somatic therapy, and mindfulness to catalyze healing. KAP facilitates this process with the potential of accelerating one’s access to insights, augmenting the psychotherapeutic process. Ketamine, through transient changes in neural connections, can help dissolve conscious and unconscious defenses allowing for greater insight and change, shift dysfunctional and addictive patterns, and support spiritual growth over the course of treatment. One of the questions we will explore will be around your therapeutic processing thus far and themes that have been addressed
  • What conditions may benefit from KAP? There has been research to support Ketamine use as a possible treatment for depression, anxiety, substance dependencies, PTSD, and other conditions not well managed by typical medication and psychotherapy. While it is being widely used for these conditions, it is still considered “off-label,” meaning that the FDA has not explicitly approved it for all these uses. However, some initial research supports its effectiveness and safety when used in appropriate dosage and in a supportive, safe setting. It needs to be noted here that there is little research that includes the benefits of the intensive therapy that accompanies KAP, alone, without the medicine, see this article from Psychedelic Medicine October 2023: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/psymed.2023.0007
  • *Please note Esketamine (Spravato) is only currently FDA-approved for Treatment-Resistant Depression & Major Depressive Disorder with suicidality.
  • Click here for information related to the KAP Process & how paid for

“The only way to ease our fear and be truly happy is to acknowledge our fear and look deeply at its source.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Please use the link below to inquire about these therapies