What is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a legal modality that pairs ketamine treatment with dedicated psychotherapy sessions for more deeper therapy, more frequent breakthroughs and better clinical outcomes. KAP is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to psychotherapy to help eligible patients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms. I take on the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team supports you on all medical aspects. This includes determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine and monitoring outcomes.
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.
Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.
How does ketamine feel?
The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.
How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?
Initial Consult: Set up a free consultation with me (psychotherapist trained in KAP) to see if we’re a good fit for each other.
Medical Intake: I’ll refer you to a psychiatrist who specializes in prescribing ketamine for mental health concerns, and they will help you get a prescription.
Preparation: We’ll set up an intention setting session, where we’ll go into more depth as to what you might experience during your ketamine journey, as well as what your goals are in working with ketamine.
Dosing: We will meet remotely for a 2-3 hour session where you will self administer the medication and I will be with you throughout to guide and support you.
Integration: After that session, we will do integration work and follow up sessions where we will really work to bridge the gap between your ketamine journey experience and your everyday lived experience so you can take advantage of the neuroplastic window created by ketamine.
Continued Care: We can engage in more dosing and integration sessions depending and your needs / the treatment plan established by myself + your psychiatrist.