Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy or KAP combines low-dose ketamine treatment with psychotherapy. Ketamine a dissociative anesthetic, has been proven to help in a wide range of psychological conditions including treatment resistant depression, PTSD, and addiction. The medicine affects the default mode network in the brain-the part of the brain responsible for rigidity of thinking, as seen in multiple mental health conditions. Even at low doses, ketamine opens up a window of neuroplasticity in the brain, which, when paired with psychotherapy, can transform thinking patterns in clients who may have been stuck for years. Some clients describe it as years of therapy in only a few sessions. KAP provides an alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals which have to be taken daily, for multiple years, or even a lifetime, helping clients get to the root of the issues, rather than just applying a band-aid as in other medications. KAP is also safe, effective, and still indicated even if a client is on another treatment for depression. Clients report a rapid decrease in their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, even after only a few sessions.

The ketamine is prescribed by physicians in my partnership with Journey Clinical, the leading psychedelic-assisted therapy platform in the country. Clients are monitored medically by a doctor while undergoing treatment, while the treatments themselves take place in the therapy office. Journey Clinical is a collaborative care model that connects medical providers with licensed therapists so clients can receive the highest quality of mental healthcare available. 

Ketamine assisted psychotherapy can be used in tandem with EMDR and/or IFS, allowing clients to have a deeper understanding of themselves, as well as move through traumatic material in a way that is evidence-based and non-pathologizing.