Ketamine-Assisted Therapy

Enhance traditional talk therapy with ketamine in a safe and supportive setting

Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) is a unique therapeutic method. This is the therapy my clients are usually most curious and apprehensive about. This page should help demystify this powerful and transformative treatment.

Effectiveness of Ketamine

KAT is shown to be effective at offering relief for a variety of mental health conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress, chronic pain, addiction, and some forms of anxiety. KAT involves the use of ketamine combined with psychotherapy and other integrative forms of treatment. When used as a therapy supplement, the curative effects of ketamine can be amplified and prolonged.

Book an introductory call to explore whether ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is right for you.

How Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Can Help

Is KAT right for you? Contact me to discuss KAT as a therapeutic option if you are looking for results such as:

A beneficial “time out” from ordinary mind and reality (also gives a break from habitual patterns of thinking and perceptions)
Profound and positive perspective shifts regarding the self, relationships, and your place in the larger world
Discovery of more positive outlooks on life situations and relationships that were previously challenging
A reduction in negative or obsessive thoughts and negative self-talk
Enhanced self-esteem and self-compassion
An improvement in creative problem-solving abilities
Renewed or increased motivation for lifestyle or behavior changes
A potential for greater spiritual curiosity

Ketamine is used off-label for a variety of mental health disorders including depression, chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addiction. If you are experiencing any of these medical and psychiatric conditions, they will need to be treated before you can safely work with ketamine: hallucinations, untreated mania, cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, increased intracranial pressure, cystitis, or evidence of liver disease. If you are interested in KAT, you should only work with an experienced psychologist who can help determine if ketamine can be an effective supplement to therapy.

Ketamine Integration is focused on incorporating the insights you’ve achieved during your Ketamine infusions into everyday life to experience both cognitive and behavioral changes. Integration may take the form of individual therapy, group therapy, or both. A Ketamine Integration Support Group can assist individuals receiving Ketamine treatment who need additional therapeutic support. Some people find that it takes focused attention on the powerful Ketamine experience to achieve lasting change. A group like this is focused on helping members optimize the benefits of ketamine treatment through supportive behavioral and cognitive change.

I believe that each of us has the answers we are seeking in our lives. We all have access to an inner intelligence that wants to move toward discovery and healing. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can be a powerful tool for accessing the answers, awareness, and insights that already exist within each of us. I integrate ketamine treatments with psychotherapy and find it to be a most effective treatment. The ketamine allows the client and I to dive deeper and to progress in ways talk therapy on its own simply cannot. Each type of treatment on its own can have a positive impact. But the integration of these two can create lasting, life-changing results.

We will start with a written intake in which you describe your symptoms and determine whether ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) might benefit you. If so, you will meet with me for a few preparatory sessions before meeting with a prescribing physician for an initial consultation and psychiatric assessment. If you qualify, you will continue to work with me to prepare for your KAT session. There will be a minimum of three preparatory sessions before your first KAT session. In some cases, more than three sessions may be essential to your treatment.

I work in partnership with physicians, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses who provide medical monitoring and supervision. I regularly consult with clients’ primary medical and mental health care providers (If applicable), and when appropriate, I provide referrals for other treatment options.

The ketamine session itself typically lasts 2-3 hours. I will be with you throughout the ketamine session. While there are many possible routes of administration, I primarily work with sublingual lozenges. The effects appear after about 15- 20 minutes, peak for about 40 minutes, and dissipate over 1-2 hours. Positive impacts on mood have been shown to last over the following days and sometimes weeks.

After your first KAT session, you will have at least two integration sessions in which I will help you integrate your experience during the ketamine session, discuss how you responded to the medicine, and determine an individualized course of treatment moving forward. I recommend a commitment to at least three ketamine sessions, as this medicine tends to have a cumulative effect and is most beneficial after multiple treatments.