Ketamine-Assisted Therapy
What is ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?
Psychedelic therapy is a technique that involves the use of psychedelic substances to aid the therapeutic process. Hallucinogenic substances have been used in holistic medicine and for spiritual practices by various cultures for thousands of years. As of now, Ketamine is the only FDA-approved drug used in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Currently, psilocybin and MDMA are in clinical trials and are awaiting FDA approval.
How ketamine works
Ketamine works via the glutamate pathway. Glutamate is one of the most prominent neurotransmitters in the brain and regulates large regions of the nervous system. Glutamate also strengthens and promotes synaptic connections and plays a role in how people learn and respond to and remember experiences. This explains why ketamine is more effective than other antidepressants because it helps the brain to regrow the synapses, the connections between nerve cells. Scientists continue to explore the power of ketamine and neuroscience. Listen to Dr. Huberman’s podcast or Tim Ferris’ podcast about ketamine to gain a deeper understanding of how it works.
Ketamine-assisted therapy protocol
My treatment plan consists of meeting you for a prep session to discuss if KAP is the right intervention for you at this time, as well as a mandatory medical screening with a prescribing physician or psychiatric nurse practitioner. The treatment plan is individualized for each client. The medicine can be administered sublingually (as a lozenge) or through IM (intramuscular injection). If you decide to do IM it must be administered in a medical doctor’s office and will be more costly than sublingual. We can discuss the cost and your goals during the consultation call. We may explore the possibility of integrating IFS and EMDR with ketamine. You can read more about IFS and EMDR here.
Each ketamine session is followed by an integration therapy session within 24-48 hours of the treatment. Integration is essential to ensuring the best possible outcome of the ketamine sessions. Follow-up maintenance sessions will be determined upon completion of the initial ketamine session. If you are working with your therapist I encourage you to integrate your experience with your therapist. I require a release form to collaborate with your therapist to share my notes from our session.
Five required steps of ketamine-assisted therapy
- Initial consultation call
- Medical management session with a doctor or psychiatric nurse practitioner
- Ketamine prep session – includes psychoeducation, intention setting, and building rapport with me
- 3-hour ketamine session
- 1-hour integration session with me or your therapist
Download my Ketamine Therapy Guide to learn more about ketamine and what to expect from your sessions. You can also listen to this podcast featuring Dr. Vita Gaid who explains the process of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. I have personally done a KAP session with Dr. Gaid and recommend anyone interested in KAP to listen to it.
Ketamine can be a cost-prohibitive therapeutic protocol. As a bi-racial practitioner, I understand the importance of accessibility for everyone. I have limited space and flexibility for low-cost ketamine sessions. Please contact me for more information to find out how we might be able to work together.
I work with the following prescribing practitioner – Samantha Lau, PMHNP-BC at ElevateHerHealth.
Next steps
Call (310) 626-4789 to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation to learn more about ketamine-assisted therapy. I require all clients interested in ketamine therapy to be screened by a medical professional to ensure safety with this modality.