What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an innovative hybrid mental health treatment that combines medical and psychological interventions. KAP integrates the unique healing properties of Ketamine with psychotherapy in a safe, controlled, and supportive setting.

Ketamine is a well-researched, widely used, and trusted medicine.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) has shown great promise in treating psychological conditions where other interventions have fallen short. Ketamine is best used when taken in the context of a safe, supportive, and healing therapeutic relationship. We work in collaboration with medical providers and other treatment team members to optimize your individualized treatment plan.

Ketamine Facts

• Ketamine was approved by the FDA in 1970 as an anesthetic and analgesic, and since then has been widely used for adult and pediatric treatment in emergency rooms, combat zones, and trauma medicine.

• Since 1985, Ketamine has been listed on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.

• In many controlled research studies, Ketamine has shown rapid reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Ketamine is increasingly recognized as powerfully beneficial for conditions that include depression, anxiety, suicidality, OCD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use.

• Ketamine interacts with parts of the brain associated with negative feelings and mental preoccupations. Because of the ways it impacts neural connectivity, it helps the brain to function in new, more optimal ways in response to stress.

• Ketamine is compatible with most other psychiatric medicines and can be a powerful adjunctive support to traditional medical and psychological interventions.

Treatment Process

Our treatment process includes thoughtful collaboration between trained therapists and medical providers. All of our therapists have received extensive training in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). The treatment process is a collaboration between you, your medical provider, and your therapist, who together determine if this treatment is right for you. After making the determination that KAP is the direction to take, you will work closely with your therapist to create an individualized treatment plan that will span over several weeks.

Personalized Individual Intake Assessment

Following approval from a psychiatric and medical evaluation, an individual assessment will take place over 1 - 2 sessions that are 50 - 90 minutes in length. The assessment period helps your therapist to understand your mental health history and needs in depth. It’s also a great time for you to ask questions and to gain clarity around whether KAP or a different therapeutic method is the best fit for you. Careful assessment is important in order to individually tailor the treatment to meet your unique needs and circumstances.

Preparation Sessions

During these sessions, you will meet with your therapist to prepare for the medicine sessions, create goals, and learn/practice any skills that will support the healing process. Skills may include training in mindfulness, self-compassion, somatic awareness, grounding exercises, etc. The number of preparation sessions depends on your individual needs and will be collaboratively decided between you, your therapist, and your medical provider. Your therapist will assist you with determining the number of preparation sessions that are right for you.

KAP medicine Sessions

Medicine sessions are typically 3 hours in length and consist of both therapy and medicine administration. These sessions are closely overseen, guided, and supported by your therapist. On the day of the session, you will meet with your therapist to clarify your intentions and prepare to take the medicine. Once the medicine is administered, you will have the option to listen to a carefully curated music playlist and use an eye mask. These elements help to support and enhance the experience of the medicine. Your therapist may guide a meditation and/or breathing exercise to support openness and grounding and to ease any tension or worry during the transitional time. Once you take the medicine, much of the session will be focused on inward experience. Your therapist will check-in with you and take notes during the session, and you may also ask questions as they arise. When the medicine subsides you will have more time to connect with your therapist who will review aftercare recommendations, help you understand your experience, and support you with bringing the benefits into your daily life. Each individual medicine session is followed by an integration session that takes place within 48 hours. Phone support is also available between sessions.

Integration

It’s helpful to think of the Ketamine itself as a support to the overall healing process. Ongoing integrations sessions are a critical component of the therapy. These sessions are an opportunity to reflect and make meaning of what came up during the medicine sessions. They are also a time when your therapist will assist you with reinforcing skills that can aid in maintaining insights and changes that you are hoping to achieve. These sessions are supportive in helping you optimally translate the benefits of the medicine sessions into daily life. The majority of the benefit from KAP comes from ongoing integration practices. All of our therapists have extensive training in Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy. The use of these methods in an ongoing manner can support lasting transformation and personal growth.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Integration Group

4-Week Online Group

This is a 4-week online support group for anyone who has had a KAP experience in the past 6 months. It is ideal for people who may be having challenges to sustain and integrate their KAP experience into daily life or do not have support from their immediate circle of friends and family, and are looking for a safe space to reflect and make meaning from their medicine sessions.

What to Expect

• Weekly live 75-minute virtual meetings.

• Engagement with mindfulness-based practices that support integration and are designed to reduce stress and promote ease, gratitude, and resilience.

• Support with identifying barriers towards integration and intention setting for accountability.

• Support with making sense of your KAP experiences and maintaining insights and changes that you want to integrate into your life.

• Connection and community with others on a similar path towards healing and wholeness.

WHEN
Contact us for upcoming dates!

WHERE
Join virtually from anywhere in California

COST
$90 per session + $100 registration screening

FACILITATOR
Susan Ono, Psy.D

*Sliding scale available based on need. Discounts offered for mindfulSF alumni & BIPOC-identified people. Inquire with us about options!

What are the side effects of Ketamine?

Side effects can include nausea, drowsiness, and increased blood pressure. These are all things that will be discussed and reviewed with your medical provider to make sure Ketamine is right for you.

Is KAP covered by insurance?

Some insurance companies will reimburse for treatment as they would for individual therapy sessions. Reimbursement depends on your individual plan. We are an out-of-network provider and can provide Superbills for the sessions when requested. More information about Superbills can be found here.

How does Ketamine work?

Ketamine functions to support the rewiring of brain connections that can assist with relating in new ways to past and present experiences, difficulties, and various areas of “stuckness”. Ketamine has been shown to play a role in decreasing blood flow and overall activity from a part of the brain known as the Default Mode Network. This network is largely responsible for regular consciousness, and when it is less active, can result in the experience of interconnectivity, presence, timelessness, and connection.

What about other psychedelics?

Currently Ketamine is the only FDA approved legal psychedelic in the state of California, and it is the only medicine we work with directly. The FDA has provided ‘break through status’ for MDMA and Psilocybin assisted therapy, which means that these medicines have demonstrated superior results when compared to current treatments for a variety of psychological issues. Once this designation is given, these medicines are able to more rapidly move through the approval process. They will only be available to use in medical and psychological settings once this process is complete. Although we do not work with these medicines directly, we do offer psychedelic integration therapy. This type of therapy can help you make sense of prior psychedelic experiences and can support gaining access to the ongoing benefits of expanded states of consciousness. We also provide integration support to people who may be struggling with adverse experiences with psychedelics.