Accepting new clients for in-person and virtual sessions across Washington and Idaho!
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
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. Your therapist works with you on the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team supports you on the medical aspects. This includes determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine, and monitoring outcomes.
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 hours after your treatment and last up to two weeks. Scientifically, it works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as 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 show to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.
In short, ketamine may open up new ways of coping, open up new experiences and thought patterns, heal depression and anxiety, assist with PTSD, and create new ways of thinking and seeing the world. It can also create feelings of inner peace and comfort. Some report an increase in spiritually connectiveness.
What will I feel and experience?
Many describe ketamine as a dissassociative dream-like state. Everyone’s experience is different depending on their treatment goals, current and past experiences, and the intention that they set for their ketamine journey. You will be under the influence of ketamine for approximately 30-60 minutes and your therapist will remain in the room with you the entire time. After dosing, your therapist will be with you and process with you if you wish. They will remain with you until you are ready to go.
How many Ketamine sessions do I need?
Each client is unique, and you are the one who will ultimately decide the number of ketamine sessions. Generally, clients start with two sessions and schedule additional sessions based on their individual needs and progress.
How do the Ketamine Sessions work?
First, you will meet with your therapist for an initial intake session. There will be additional sessions with your therapist to build rapport and trust with your therapist. This is an important part of successful ketamine treatment. Once your therapist and you feel that it is appropriate, a referral is made to Journey Clinical to meet with their prescriber. The prescriber will meet with you and determine if you qualify for ketamine treatment. If so, the ketamine is shipped to your home.
Your therapist and you will work to create an intention for your ketamine journey. After this, the dosing session is scheduled. The dosing session is a 3-hour session. This can be done in-person, and can be over telehealth for established clients who have experienced at least 2 KAP sessions. For in-person KAP sessions, you will need a driver to take you home and a chaperone at your home if doing it over telehealth. After your dosing session, you will have a follow-up appointment scheduled within a few days to do an “integration” session, which involves making meaning of what happened in your dosing journey and it involves creating new pathways toward thinking.
Where can I find more information?
Please get in touch with me for a no-charge 15-minute consultation.
Journey Clinical (the platform I partner with for KAP) has additional education resources and articles and offers free education calls with their Patient Success team.
