Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAP)

At ELTC, we offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (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. Integration trained clinicians at ELTC take on the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while our Nurse Practitioner supports you on all medical aspects. This includes determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine and monitoring outcomes. Below is more information about KAP to help you navigate if it may be a good fit for you.

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 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by 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 shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.

Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges.

How Does Ketamine Feel?

The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.

How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?

Initial consultation with Medical team

You schedule an initial evaluation with our Nurse Practitioner. She will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP. If it is determined that you are eligible for KAP, a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan will be created for you. A preseritption will be mailed directly to you. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges in advance of our KAP sessions.

Preparation sessions:

Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions. Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to align on the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions together.

KAP Dosing Session:

A typical ketamine dosing session lasts between 1-2 hours and can take place remotely via telehealth. During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge.

Integration Sessions:

After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for multiple integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.

Follow-up consultations with medical team:

You will schedule regular follow ups to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan.

How Do I Sign Up?

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me on KAP, please e-mail me at scheduling@embodiedlifetherapycenter.com to discuss eligibility and next steps.

Helpful Resources:

1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS

2. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy - research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018

3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter

4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop

5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical - Psychology Talk Podcast