What is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and How Does it Work?
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a powerful combination of medicine and psychology that can enhance and deepen the healing process. It utilizes ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, to create a therapeutic dissociation which allows you to temporarily reduce distressing thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations so that you can make changes in your life that would otherwise not be possible.
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Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a powerful combination of medicine and psychology that can enhance and deepen the healing process. It utilizes ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, to create a therapeutic dissociation which allows you to temporarily reduce distressing thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations so that you can make changes in your life that would otherwise not be possible.
Ketamine has the ability to create a “window of opportunity” for healing, by temporarily reducing negative feelings such as depression, trauma, anxiety, and pain. This temporary reduction of negative feelings allows you to focus on the present moment, and to make positive changes in your life.
Research has shown that working with a trained therapist during the KAP process can help to fully optimize the brain’s plasticity, which is enhanced by psychotherapeutic support. Plasticity refers to changes in the brain that make it easier for you to sustain healthier self-care habits during and after your treatment.
Deeper states of consciousness are desirable because they allow for an expanded perspective and a new way of viewing old problems. Through the application of our unique and comprehensive protocols, your therapist will help you to maximize these neuroplastic effects, and to fully expand your perspective.
The “temporary interruption” in habitual ways of thinking can produce significant shifts in overall well-being, at least temporarily. Working with a trusted therapist can lead to a new capacity for handling life’s challenges. Sometimes, there is an increased ability to surrender to events we cannot change, leading to a more peaceful acceptance that was not possible before. Sometimes, there is increased motivation to engage in better self-care habits, like exercising and eating better. Other times, traumatic memories simply don’t have the same emotional impact as they did before.
KAP is best done in a safe, predictable, and therapeutically supported environment, with trained and skilled clinicians whose sole objective is to assist you with your ketamine journey. Trust, safety and compassion are the pillars of our approach, and we strive to provide a space where you feel comfortable to explore and heal.
What Can I Expect During the Journey?
Once we have completed the necessary preparatory work for your ketamine dose session, you are ready for your therapeutic journey!
We will stay with you for your entire journey, both for your own safety and to provide assistance if needed.
If you opt for in-person treatment, you will be dosed in a very meticulously designed environment, where the small details of your journey have been planned for to maximize the therapeutic effects.
If you are online, we will work with you to create your environment so it is safe and conducive to healing.
Effects are felt within a few minutes and last for about 45-50 minutes, depending on how your body metabolizes the drug. While under the influence of ketamine, people report experiencing a state of relaxation and heightened conscious awareness, not possible without decades of meditation practice.
You will be given the opportunity to experience both guided sessions and self-directed sessions. In a guided session, your therapist will take you into a pre-identified specific memory. In a self-directed journey, you let the medicine take you into yourself. You have options. We invite you to make the session yours by letting us know your preferences.