Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Jeff* escaped from his anxiety and depression.
Therapy and anti-depressants gave Jeff some relief from his depression and anxiety, but not enough. He had a chronic sense of lack in his life. No matter what positive things happened, he always focused on what he didn’t have. Those repetitive thoughts had formed pathways in his brain that were nearly impossible to change.
During a ketamine session, Jeff told me that he felt happy for the first time in his life. After six sessions, Jeff said he had a brand-new perspective, allowing him to look out his office window and see the beautiful view, which had always been there, but he’d never noticed it.
Jeff started to notice many small, positive things that had escaped his attention previously, like how comfortable his bed was and how much he loved the smell of coffee. As he noticed these small positive things, his mood improved. He became friendlier and connected with others in new ways.
Jeff’s life started to fill with positive people and experiences. For the first time since he was a teenager, he gradually tapered off his anti-depressants with the guidance of his doctor.
Ketamine provides a neurological makeover.
Here’s a comment from a client about a ketamine session – “I just felt this overwhelming sense of peace, like I didn’t have to worry about the things that normally cause me to worry. I just knew that everything was going to be okay.”
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic and is known as the club drug “Special K.” It is FDA-approved as an anesthetic; it’s also used “off-label” for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and other mental health conditions and has proven to be remarkably effective.
When someone experiences long periods of depression, their brain structure experiences atrophy and fewer connections between neurons. Ketamine helps trigger the release of a neurotransmitter (glutamate) into the brain synapses, effectively acting as a fertilizer for the brain and repairing the damage caused by depression, chronic stress, or trauma.
Ketamine also increases neuroplasticity, making your brain more flexible, allowing you to change long-held beliefs and see things from a new perspective. This increased brain flexibility also makes the days after a ketamine treatment ideal for starting new habits like exercising more frequently or reaching out to loved ones you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
We design our approach to suit your needs.
After getting to know each other and thoroughly screening your needs, we will design your ketamine experience. I’ll tell you exactly what to expect, answer all your questions, and address any concerns.
I will connect you with a medical professional to ensure that Ketamine is medically appropriate for you. Ketamine experiences average between 45-75 minutes. I’ll be with you throughout the session and support you in processing any emotional material that comes up during the session.
I will also help you set an intention for your experience, asking questions like, “What specifically would you like to get from your treatment? What do you hope will be different after your ketamine experience?” I suggest you go into the ketamine session with an intention, loosely held, meaning that once the medicine takes effect, you let go of your intention entirely and go along with wherever the experience takes you.
Each ketamine experience is different.
Some people don’t remember the experience, some see beautiful images, and others experience the feeling of traveling through space and time. It’s also possible to have mystical experiences like talking to deceased loved ones, angels, or aliens, having an out-of-body experience, or feeling a connection to the divine.
Sometimes, a ketamine experience can be very difficult or scary. Whatever comes up, it’s best to try not to fight or question it but to go along for the ride and trust that your intuition knows what it needs to move you toward healing. You’ll have my support from beginning to end.
Integration is an essential piece of ketamine treatment.
It’s ideal to have an integration session within 24-48 hours after the Ketamine.
People often have deep insights and realizations during a Ketamine session, but without integration support, these breakthroughs often become forgotten as we return to everyday life.
Integration support helps you turn these insights into lasting changes in your mindset, habits, and life by reinforcing them and allowing you to build on them by creating new routines and thought patterns.
*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.