Ketamine-Assisted PsychotherapY
I offer a therapeutic model called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) for adults in partnership with Journey Clinical in Los Angeles.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is a mental health treatment method that involves using ketamine’s mildly euphoric effects and pain-relieving properties to help individuals work through various mental and emotional challenges, with the goal of integrating a healthier perspective of the self and others.
KEY POINTS
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) utilizes ketamine to help patients struggling to find relief from mental health symptoms.
Research has explored the potential of psychedelics in psychotherapy for several decades.
Ketamine's dissociative and pain-managing processes help individuals safely explore painful emotions and memories.
The first reports of using ketamine in psychiatric treatment came in 1973.
Since then, research and personal anecdotes have painted a successful picture of ketamine in treating anything from depression to addiction to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Depending on dose, Ketamine provides a time-out from ordinary, usual mind, relief from negativity, and an openness to the expansiveness of mind with access to self in the larger sense. These effects enhance a patient’s ability to engage in meaningful psychotherapy during and after administration. Ketamine is potent for respice, analysis, and meditative presence, and potent for recovery from depression and the lingering effects of trauma.” Dore, et. al., 2019.
In 2019, ketamine became the first psychedelic drug to be approved by the FDA for use in treatment-resistant depression.
Today, KAP is most often used in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and PTSD but has made appearances working with issues like substance use disorders and anxiety disorders, among others.
How iT works
The process begins with our initial assessment process, this is similar to a general evaluation process and can take a couple sessions. You would then see an in-house psychiatrist from Journey Clinical for a 1 hour medical evaluation, to ensure your overall physical and mental health safety,and that you meet the criteria requirements for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Once the psychiatrist has cleared you for treatment, you would be prescribed 4-6 doses of Ketamine which can be picked up from a local pharmacy.
OUR WORK:
I provide 4-6 dosing sessions, where the medicine is self-administered through lozange form, taking place in the office setting. Each dosing session can last between 2-3 hours. Here, we will have specifically tailored the environment (i.e., music, eye mask if wanted, aromas, and comfort objects like pillows and blankets), in order to faciliate the most ideal setting for your journey. We will collaboratively discuss this prior to the dosing session, as well as ensure safety protocols. As the facilitator, I may provide soothing if needed, such as guided relaxation or breathing techniques, and assist in aiding you throughout the journey. If consent is provided, I may provide safe touch to ensure you are feeling safe and grounded.
Following each dosing session, we will be meeting for integration sessions. In psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, integration refers to the process which occurs after a psychedelic experience. Psychedelic integration centers around reflecting on and developing the meaning of one’s psychedelic experience in such a way that its benefits or insights can be maintained and woven into everyday life in the long term.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy provides these trance-like states that ketamine can produce, which relax the walls that come up when trying to address painful emotions. These walls are often clinically referred to as protective or defense mechanisms that have been engrained for sometimes decades, and have become innate to some individuals. With these walls down, patients can access deeper states of consciousness and self reflectivity in a controlled environment without fighting against the mind’s natural defenses.
After the experience, the patient and provider sit together and discuss what came up. The integration work that follows the medicine sessions, is just as imperative. Patients can continue to work through their challenges in the weeks following, ketamine included or not. This ultimately allows for an integrated and healthier self.