Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Safety first: Using ketamine in psychotherapy is legal, safe and effective. However, ketamine must only be used as prescribed. When used improperly (i.e., taken alone, outside the context of therapy, combined with other substances, etc.), then risks to safety can occur. Furthermore, not everyone is a match for this medicine - there are medical and psychiatric contraindications which must be respected.
Ketamine (like other psychedelic-style medicines) can be understood as a psychotherapy catalyst. When used correctly, it promotes processes of psychological, emotional, and spiritual healing. I offer two styles of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP): psychedelic (high-dose) and psycholytic (medium-dose). I offer both styles of KAP for individual clients as well as couples.
Basic info about ketamine can be found on Wikipedia or elsewhere on the internet. I have partnered with a local psychiatric prescriber (who accepts all insurance types) to make available ketamine lozenges for sublingual use. These get shipped to the client’s home from a pharmacy. Because ketamine is a generic medication, the lozenges themselves are cheap. The initial medical evaluation with the prescriber has its own fee - this depends on your insurance.
At high doses, ketamine has psychedelic properties - you take a “trip.” At a middle or mezzo dose, ketamine precipitates a psycholytic experience. In other words: you’re still present, there is no psychedelic trip or journey; the medicine merely invites a slowing-down of the system and a relaxation of psychological protectedness. This can facilitate the emergence of information that's held deeper down.
The first KAP session is usually referred to as “meet the medicine” - us learning together in real time about how ketamine affects your system. Prior to using ketamine in therapy, we will spend several sessions preparing. After the medicine session, the next session is devoted to “integrating” the information that was revealed during the medicine session.
It’s important to understand that ketamine is not a panacea - just a tool. But, for individuals as well as couples, it can help to create options if stuckness is present. It is an evidence-based practice in the treatment of major depression and has applications for other mental health conditions including anxiety and PTSD.
I charge $200 per hour for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. (The price is higher because the liability insurance is more expensive.) Sessions typically last 2.5-3 hours for high-dose, and 90 minutes for mezzo dose.