What is Ketamine Assisted Therapy?
I’m really excited to be offering Ketamine Assisted Therapy in my practice starting in January 2024! Psychedelic assisted therapy is such a promising frontier for mental health treatment. In this blog, I’m breaking down the basic info you need to know about Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAP).
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) 101
I offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to IFS therapy to help clients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms. I take on the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team 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.
I decided to partner with Journey Clinical for a few reasons. I love their mission - which is to make ketamine assisted therapy and other psychedelic therapy treatment (in the future, fingers crossed) more accessible. When I was pursuing my own ketamine assisted therapy, I was so turned off by the ketamine clinic model. I wanted to work with my own psychotherapist. I wanted ketamine to be integrated into my already existing therapy treatment. I didn’t want to sit in a clinic all day with people I didn’t know. Also ketamine clinics are so expensive. With Journey Clinical, I am able to offer KAP in the context of my existing private practice. While it’s still an investment, it’s significantly less expensive than a ketamine clinic. I love that clients have the option of integrating ketamine at any time into their IFS work.
What is Ketamine?
Here’s a little bit of technical info for those of you with sciency parts.
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 hours 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. In my work we only use the sublingual lozenge form. That means you dissolve the ketamine in your mouth and spit it out. No needles, thank you very much!
How Does Ketamine Feel?
The effects of ketamine, which most clients 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 with eyeshades 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, clients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear.
How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?
1. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical
You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.
If Journey Clinical’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop a personalized ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you.
Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.
2. 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
3. KAP Dosing Session:
A typical ketamine dosing session lasts 3 hours and takes place remotely via telehealth.
During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge in your home. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed.
4. 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.
5. Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical:
After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.
How much does Ketamine-Assisted Therapy cost?
Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
My typical hourly rate is $200/hr. Preparation sessions are 1 hour, dosing sessions are three hours. I do offer sliding scale for KAP. Please reach out to me if cost is a barrier to you pursuing KAP.
Journey Clinical Medical Costs
Your initial appointment with Journey is $250. The cost of the ketamine itself is $85 which is enough for 2 doses. You are also required to have a follow up appointment with them, which is $150. They can provide additional ketamine for dosing sessions as needed.
How can I sign up?
If youu would like to explore the possibility of working with me on KAP, please e-mail me at lauren@laurendonelsontherapy.com or click here to schedule a consultation to discuss eligibility and next steps.
What is Journey Clinical?
Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while I take on the therapy. Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.