Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) 101

I offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical. 

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (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. Here’s a link to more information about KAP to see if it may be a good fit for you. https://journey.click/education

Who can benefit from KAP?

Need Relief

ready to break through overwhelming emotions and unregulated nervous system

Feel Stuck

hitting a wall in progress or current therapy

Tried Other Modalities

still struggling after trying other treatments and medication

Motivated to Change

willing to engage and go deeper to achieve lasting change

Seeking Healing

desire to achieve personal transformation

Have a Supportive Environment

not in an active crisis, able to make sound decisions to aid in the healing process

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.

Helpful Resources:

  1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS

  2. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy - research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018

  3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter

  4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop

  5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical - Psychology Talk Podcast