Ketamine Assisted-PsychoTherapy

What is Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAP)?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used for surgery and first regulated by the FDA in 1970. In recent years, ketamine has also gained traction for its positive effects on mental health, particularly for treatment-resistant conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). At low doses, ketamine can help to “rewire” neural pathways in the brain linked to anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Ketamine can give you a little more space between you and your symptoms + negative messages + logical brain that may be preventing you from going into those deeper places that you know you need to explore in therapy but can be hard for you to access.

Maybe you feel…

… stuck.

… like traditional talk therapy or other specialized therapies haven’t been successful.

… overwhelmed with your symptoms.

… tired of battling your same patterns over and over again.

… ready to explore deeper meaning, consciousness, and purpose in your life.

Ketamine’s dissociative state allows you to step back and view your problems from a new angle, making it easier to work through your overwhelming symptoms and hard to access emotions.

Ketamine Assisted-Psychotherapy (KAP) is the combined use of ketamine + psychotherapy. Using Ketamine in conjunction with psychotherapy can help you more quickly and easily lift the fog of those thought patterns keeping you trapped in shame, sadness, anxiety, and overwhelm. Most people describe their experience on ketamine as peaceful, introspective, or dreamlike. At Big Mood Therapy, we believe that the real magic of deep personal change happens through the integration of psychotherapy and the medicine.

The potential rapid relief of ketamine, combined with the introspective power of integration therapy, allows you to address emotional pain and trauma more effectively, resulting in breakthroughs that go beyond surface-level symptom management.

Big Mood Therapy KAP TReatment Process

At this time, Big Mood Therapy does not provide stand alone Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. If you are interested in KAP at Big Mood Therapy, you must become an established patient (at least 4 sessions) and agree to meet for individual psychotherapy in addition to KAP.

At Big Mood we strongly believe that integration + your paralleled individual psychotherapy fosters more long-lasting effects of KAP.

1

Initial Intake Period

Attend your virtual initial intake sessions (at least 4) to establish individual therapy at Big Mood Therapy and see if KAP might be a good fit for your treatment.

Investment

Individual Psychotherapy Sessions (45 min):

$275

 

2

Medical Assessment

Attend a medical assessment and screening with a prescribing psychiatrist. The psychiatrist will prescribe you ketamine lozenges for your KAP sessions based on their evaluation and assessment of your treatment needs.

Investment

Initial Medical Assessment + Medicine for 2 KAP sessions

$350

3

VIRTUAL KAP Sessions

Attend your preparation session + 2.5-hour KAP session with your KAP therapist.

3-6 KAP sessions recommended at an every other week frequency.

Investment

Preparation Sessions:

$275

KAP Sessions (150 min):

$825

4

Integration Sessions

Attend your integration session 1-2 days after your your KAP session to tap into your brains increased neuroplasticity, allowing you to more easily go into deeper emotions and therapy content.

Investment

Integration sessions (45 min, within 2 days of each KAP session):

$275

Are you a good fit for KAP?

During your initial intake period + medical assessment you’ll be screened for the following to assess the risks and benefits to beginning your KAP treatment. If KAP is contraindicated for your treatment, you’ll be given alternative treatment recommendations to help you meet your therapy goals.

KAP might not be a good fit treatment if you have a history of the following medical or psychiatric conditions:

Certain Medical Conditions

Individuals with uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, or a history of stroke should avoid ketamine, as it can increase heart rate and blood pressure. Those with liver disease or untreated thyroid conditions may also not be suitable.

You’ll discuss your medical history with the prescribing psychiatrist and they will help you determine, based on your health history, if KAP is a good fit for your treatment.

Active Substance Use

Individuals with active substance use disorders, particularly to drugs like ketamine or other dissociatives, may not be ideal candidates for KAP.

It’s important to discuss your relationship with substances in your initial intake and medical evaluation so that your treatment can be closely monitored.

Psychiatric Conditions

People with a history of psychosis, schizophrenia, or other dissociative disorders may find that ketamine exacerbates symptoms like hallucinations or delusions. KAP may not be suitable for individuals experiencing mania, or bipolar disorder.

If you are in severe psychiatric crisis, such as active suicidal ideation without a support system, you may not be suitable for KAP, and may be referred to a more intensive level of therapeutic care.

NOt a quick fix

At Big Mood Therapy, we believe that ketamine is not a quick fix or short cut to healing. Actually, quite the opposite. KAP is a profound agent of change used to help you be able to feel your feelings, lower your defenses, and do some deep inner work.

Ketamine as a stand alone medical treatment (without integration psychotherapy) may only scratch the surface of basic symptom relief. However, in conjunction with psychotherapy, Ketamine can be a powerful tool to propel you into new realms of understanding yourself and the world around you.

Just like with any therapeutic treatment, there is no guarantee that KAP will be your end-all-be-all cure. And in fact, it’s important to note that KAP may bring up further big questions, unhealed parts, and might invoke some distressing symptoms. Simply put, just like with all therapy, you may feel worse before you feel better - which is the result of actually feeling your feelings and doing the integration work of moving through them (processing), instead of stuffing or ignoring.

KAP is for people who are ready to go deeper in their therapy work.

KAP isn’t a magical fix, but it can help you access the stuff that you’ve been stuffing deep down or help you in your quest of deeper self-understanding and actualization.

Ready to get started on one of the most important journeys of your life?

If you wanna go far,

Then you gotta go far.

Noah Kahan

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