Ketamine Therapy
What Is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy?
Ketamine is a safe, legal medicine used in mental health counseling. As a quick-working antidepressant and mood-enhancing drug, ketamine is helpful for administering therapeutic breakthroughs, especially among those experiencing treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD.
My role as a therapist is to help you feel safe and supported in your ketamine experience, working to integrate the thoughts, emotions, and insights you develop on the journey.
Ketamine Accesses Emotional Insights That Traditional Therapy Often Can’t
First used as a surgical anesthetic in the mid-twentieth century, ketamine has long been on the World Health Organization (WHO)’s list of essential medicines—especially because it is so safe to administer. As scientists began studying the effects of lower doses of ketamine in the 90s, they noticed a reduction in symptoms of common mental health challenges related to trauma, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders.
My clients benefit from ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) because they are struggling with mental health issues, attachment injuries, and addictive behaviors. Other counseling approaches have helped them understand their issues on an intellectual level, but the feeling, creative part of their brains and bodies continue to hold onto uncomfortable, distressing memories. Their emotional response and habits have been so entrenched that they need more than just thinking their way out of their symptoms.
Ketamine is a holistic treatment, addressing symptoms from a mind, body, and spirit perspective. Insights that may take months to achieve through traditional therapy or medications are often more immediately accessible when the transpersonal experience of ketamine is incorporated into the healing process.
The Ketamine Treatment Process
Therapy sessions are used to prepare intentions, mindset, and logistics before offering guidance for the ketamine journey itself. From there, we can schedule ongoing therapy sessions to integrate your experience as we construct meaning from your journey.
No matter your goals, I’m here to assist you every step of the way in ketamine therapy.
What To Expect
Ketamine deepens the therapeutic experience in two ways:
Helping uncover material that is difficult to access.
2. Immediately targeting brain chemistry to lift mood and create mental flexibility.
Once we’ve decided that ketamine would be a safe, effective treatment for your symptoms—ruling out any contraindications—I will refer you to Journey Clinical to be assessed for dosage. (*Note that at least two therapy sessions will be required before referral to Journey Clinical, which handles all medical aspects: determining eligibility, developing custom treatment plans, prescribing the ketamine, and monitoring outcomes.)
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is provided under certain safety parameters via a secure Zoom link, allowing you to feel comfortable in your own space and alleviating the need to travel after. As such, the actual ketamine journey itself will require the presence of a trusted chaperone.
My History As A KAP Therapist
I first discovered KAP when I was searching for a powerful tool to help my clients resolve mental health struggles and come to terms with the past. As a clinician who operates from the intersection of neurobiology and spirituality, I was curious about how euphoric, psychedelic effects could help my clients access their higher selves.
When Journey Clinical started making KAP more accessible for clients and therapists, I welcomed the opportunity to step out of the traditional medical model and have access to a holistic medical team with whom to collaborate. Ketamine therapy dovetails so beautifully with my theoretical approach and the creative, holistic modalities I was already using. And I can attest to the effects of ketamine myself as a therapist committed to the time-honored tradition in sacred medicine of learning through experience.
Now that I partner with Journey Clinical, I receive ongoing training, supervision, and consultation, remaining up to date with research and best practices pertaining to KAP. I also operate with Journey’s Collaborative Care Model, individualizing the ketamine treatment experience to the needs of each client.
I’ve Witnessed, Firsthand, The Life-Changing Effects Of Ketamine
The greatest gift that KAP can offer you is the understanding that you are not your symptoms. Feelings of hopelessness, shame, and self-loathing are not fixed points of your personality; rather, they stem from a defense you learned early in life to protect yourself emotionally and physically.
Using a combination of mindfulness, creative outlets, and trauma-informed methods in addition to KAP, I can help you process pain and loss. The skills you gain through treatment will be useful for every aspect of the ketamine journey, but especially as we integrate your experience into the broader understanding of your life.
How Can I Help You?
Through ketamine therapy, you can gain control over the present moment—and uncover the power to facilitate lasting change in your life. For more information about how my approach to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can help you, contact me.
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