Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a groundbreaking treatment leveraging the unique effects of Ketamine in conjunction with evidence-backed psychotherapy techniques
The KAP Process
01.
Have an initial consultation with the psychotherapist who will be guiding your ketamine assisted therapy sessions, then meet with them for 4-6 sessions prior to beginning KAP. Together, discuss your therapeutic goals and determine if you feel comfortable working with this therapist to optimize the benefits of the ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
02.
Consult with a licensed medical provider who is authorized to prescribe ketamine for psychotherapy to undergo an evaluation determining your eligibility and suitability for ketamine assisted therapy. If deemed appropriate, they will provide the necessary prescription for ketamine.
03.
In preparation for your ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session, reflect on your therapeutic goals and get settled into the space in a way that feels relaxing to you. During the session, the ketamine will induce an altered state of consciousness, which you can deepen by using headphones and an eye mask to focus inwardly and enhance your subjective experience in a safe, comfortable setting.
04.
After the ketamine experience, your therapist will guide you through making sense of any insights, perspectives, or breakthroughs that emerged. Together you'll work to incorporate these realizations into positive, lasting transformations aligning with your therapeutic goals.
05.
Follow-up ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions, along with continued psychotherapy, can help maintain the benefits over time and support your ongoing therapeutic growth.
What is KAP?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that can induce mind-altering effects at sub-anesthetic doses. In ketamine assisted psychotherapy, ketamine is self-administered in a controlled setting to facilitate psychotherapy for conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The mind-altering effects allow clients to experience an altered state of consciousness that can lead to new perspectives on trauma, relationships, and the self. Ketamine can temporarily disrupt dysfunctional patterns of thinking and rewires neural pathways, enabling new insights and emotional breakthroughs. Findings suggest that psychotherapy provided before, during, and after ketamine treatments can enhance and prolong the benefits.
Example KAP Session Timeline
This timeline is intended to serve as an outline to show what a "typical" KAP session looks like at Pragmatics, it is not intended to suggest or recommend treatment. Additionally, each KAP practitioner is unique, and others may conduct their KAP sessions differently.
Preparation
Briefly describe your degree and any other highlights about your studies you want to share. Be sure to include relevant skills you gained, accomplishments you achieved or milestones you reached during your education.
10:00am - 10:15am
Session Begins
Get cozy in the office, use the restroom, share intentions for your journey
10:15am - 10:30am
Self-Administration
Music begins. Clients self-administer the ketamine lozenge per their prescriber's instruction. This typically looks like "swishing" the lozenge for 12-20 minutes. Your therapist will give you verbal cues for timing and to continue swishing.
10:30am-12:00pm
Journey
The phrase "trust, let go, be open" is frequently used in psychedelic therapy. Trust the medicine, trust the process, trust yourself. Let go of your to-do list and let go of any expectations about what this experience should or shouldn't look like. Let go of trying to figure it out right now and be open to what shows up for you, even if it's uncomfortable. Your journey may contain elements of your intention, or maybe not at all! You may have a mystical experience, you may not. Whatever happens here is okay, you're safe and there's always an end to the experience. Be here now, and we'll figure out the rest later.
12:00pm - 12:30pm
Process and Closing
Clients are encouraged to take their time sitting up, we're not in any rush here. You are welcome to share your experience or not; some may want to journal, draw, or reflect. Some may want to share every detail. There is no right thing to do here. Your therapist will assist you in ending the session when you feel ready, providing guidance to help process and integrate the experience. The goal is for you to feel centered, stable, and able to transition safely out of the ketamine space. Further processing and integration will continue during therapy sessions to help translate your insights into positive change.
Aftercare
Take care of yourself. Drink some water, get something to eat. This is probably a good time to engage in self-care activities; take a bath, go out in nature, engage in conversation with a loved one. Rest!
What is Ketamine?
Originally approved as an anesthetic medication by the FDA in 1970, ketamine has dissociative, psychedelic properties and is now being utilized as an off-label therapy for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. Ketamine is showing remarkable promise and rapid results as a breakthrough treatment option when administered in sub-anesthetic doses alongside psychotherapy, with multiple studies demonstrating its effectiveness for depression and indicating exciting avenues for further research.
Does insurance cover KAP?
While the assessment, and talk therapy sessions are usually covered by insurances, the actual ketamine session is not currently covered by insurance plans.
How many sessions are needed?
Most protocols involve 6-8 sessions spaced out over several weeks, along with integrating psychotherapy between sessions. Positive effects may be noticeable after the first session. Additional booster sessions may be recommended to sustain benefits.
What does it feel like?
Ketamine can induce sensations of floating or detaching from your body, altered perception of time and space, vivid imagery, and new thoughts and perspectives. Effects vary by person, dose, and environment. You may experience psychological struggle or discomfort before arriving at transformational insights.