Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Research is indicating that Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is a beneficial approach to treating eating disorders, depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, end-of-life care, and existential distress (i.e., the human condition).
Calling us back to the plants that healed our ancestors.
When you invite in a tool like Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy there is an opportunity to have a purposeful interruption in old patterns and beliefs in a way that profoundly supports more wholeness. Integration is wholeness and my role as a therapist is to help my clients deeply integrate the discoveries they've made in their journey—rather than simply experiencing "a good trip"– I work to incorporate meaningful change in their lives.
– Psychedelics for Eating Disorders –
NOVEL TREATMENT FOR EATING DISORDERS
"If you look at eating disorders, they're pretty underfunded and there are no FDA approved medicine treatment options for anorexia, for example."
"Ketamine and other psychedelic medicines are therapy aids, therapy boosters, accelerators, or catalysts to the therapeutic process."
– Psychedelics for Anxiety and Depression –
BREAKTHROUGHS FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
“Research suggests around 50% of people undergoing treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are “treatment-resistant.” That means they don’t experience any improvement after a course of anti-anxiety medication.”*
An increasing number of experts believe ketamine might be an effective alternative for treating anxiety that doesn’t respond to other approaches. Ketamine is like shaking up a snow globe and unsticking all of the stuck patterns. As any skier knows, creating new tracks in fresh powder is the best – the same can be said for making new mental pathways with the aid of Ketamine.
– Psychedelics for the Human Condition –
EXPLORING THE HUMAN CONDITION
Being human is hard sometimes. Especially in this day and age. Sometimes we need a little help breaking through and finding something that feels meaningful beyond the mundaneness of daily existence. As one client explains their experience, “Ketamine does facilitate a connection to something and gives me feelings so beyond my own mind and body that it’s both soothing and fascinating”.
I offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical. Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy 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. Below is more information about KAP to help you navigate if it may be a good fit for you.
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.
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.
Families
It’s tough watching your loved one struggle and, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to have them come home when everyone feels like they’re walking on eggshells. Let us support your loved one through the challenges of recovery so you can maintain your relationship.
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Professionals
You do amazing work - you really do! And, yet, you can only be there for your client a few hours a week at the most. What about the other 166 hours a week that they need support? Let us help YOU help THEM! We collaborate with OP teams to maintain your working relationship while supporting your client in their recovery struggles.
