INDIVIDUAL Virtual Ketamine Assisted THERAPY

What is Ketamine Therapy?/What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy?

I offer a type of therapy known as ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), commonly referred to as ketamine therapy, which incorporates Ketamine into therapy sessions. Ketamine is an FDA approved drug, however, when it is used to treat mental health disorders, Ketamine is considered an off-label drug which means it is being used for treatment of mental health disorders that it is not currently FDA approved to treat. Ketamine is believed to encourage a series of biochemical, anatomical, and functional shifts in the brain. Ketamine's therapeutic effect may help the brain become more adaptable and open to shifting former thought patterns and increases receptivity to change.

We meet from the comfort of your home using video-based telehealth. I will remain onscreen as you take the Ketamine and during the therapy session to support you and explore anything in your journey.

Planning for sessions considers your needs and desires for your healing work, how intense your symptoms feel, how long symptom relief lasts between journeys, and the integration of insights and change from content explored in previous sessions. We discuss how many KAP sessions you would like to complete as we explore collaborative planning. While a minimum of 3-6 sessions are encouraged before making a decision about the efficacy of Ketamine for you, it is always an option to pause or stop working with Ketamine. Know that your decision will be respected. Throughout our work together, I’ll share my knowledge, training, and experience gained from working with Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Our discussions will inform thoughtful collaboration with your prescribing physician who will complete a detailed assessment with you to develop a treatment plan based on your needs including physiological and psychological safety.

“Something important remained from my ketamine experience: For the first time I realized how powerfully depression is ingrained within my brain. I physically felt it — the black dog — acting inside my old neural wirings.
It was something concrete, physical, like ruts where traumas line up to bring me bad thoughts. That’s why it’s so easy to stay there, trapped by pain, and why it takes so much effort to escape. I understood that chronic depression might not respond to language and thoughts, that only a rewiring of the brain’s neural pathways might dislodge it.”

— Vanessa Barbara, New York Times

WHAT IS KETAMINE?

Ketamine was initially created as an anesthetic in the 1960s. It is now used to support mental health because it can balance specific neurotransmitters, generate stronger neural connections, and change how the brain regulates mood. Researchers believe Ketamine works on the neurotransmitter glutamate rather than serotonin, in contrast to many commonly prescribed antidepressants. Furthermore, Ketamine encourages synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex, which increases the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), supporting Ketamine's antidepressant properties.

Many people are curious about the healing path of working with plant medicines, so I commonly receive questions about Ketamine's origins. Ketamine is found in nature and is produced by the Nematophagous Fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia (Read More Here). The small amount of Ketamine produced is not enough to manufacture into medicine, so it is lab created.

Those I work with have spoken about being able to access sources of wisdom and knowledge that felt previously inaccessible. My clients often describe their experiences with this medicine as feeling "gentle, safe, and softening" while also finding therapy with Ketamine to be a rich and potent process.

However, there is no guaranteed response to Ketamine and some may find they have mundane, challenging, or even disturbing experiences. Ideally, the support and care you are offered during these experiences will help support your ability to engage with difficult experiences in a way that helps them become valuable or understandable.

HOW LONG DOES KETAMINE LAST?

Ketamine Assisted Therapy with me involves self-administration of pre-prescribed Ketamine in the form of a quickly dissolving sublingual tablet is a component of ketamine-assisted therapy. After being dissolved beneath the tongue, you "swish" the tablet around your mouth for fifteen minutes. Orally administered Ketamine has a rapid onset (15–15 minutes), a 45–minute peak, and a gradual return to ordinary consciousness. Our three-hour sessions start with a check-in and discussion of your goals for the meeting, after which you self-administer the Ketamine as prescribed by your doctor, and we discuss what arises during your treatment. Some people speak more or less than others, but you are welcome to engage in verbal exploration whenever you feel compelled.

You will also need an onsite support person available throughout the session (but not in the room with you). Afterward, you may want to re-ground with your supportive person in your environment. Please visit here for more information about the role of your supportive loved one.

After the session, you will be encouraged to explore metaphors, feelings, sensations, ideas, and symbols that arose during or after the session. I'll also encourage you to engage with what emerged during the experience during your day-to-day life.

IS KETAMINE LEGAL?

Yes, Ketamine is a controlled substance and when it is prescribed by a doctor, it is a legal off-label treatment for Depression, Anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Many other psychedelics are becoming decriminalized, however, work with Ketamine is already legal when used as prescribed.

I frequently refer my clients to a medical practitioner for evaluation and prescription; however, some already work with a physician trained in prescribing Ketamine. Your conversation with the medical doctor will help inform the decision about your initial Ketamine dosage for KAP. Depending on the Medical doctor’s assessment and based on your specific needs and risk factors, your prescribing doctor may recommend that your initial dose(s) are taken under MD observation to ensure your safety as a suitable dose is determined. Once you become familiar with working with this medicine and its effects on your body and mind, you might explore increasing your dose to encourage a deeper experience or decrease it due to sensitivity or changing needs in the therapeutic process.

My clients are mailed their prescription from a local compounding pharmacy where it is created as sublingual doses to be self-administered.

*Your prescribing MD will speak with you in depth about safe storage of prescribed medication, but please note that Ketamine is a controlled substance so it must be stored with thoughtful consideration. If you are prescribed Ketamine for home use, make sure you have a plan to prevent others from accessing your medication prior to obtaining your prescription from the pharmacy. There are specialized medication safes available for purchase or, in some cases, a robust locking compartment may be used if it can restrict unauthorized access effectively. Be aware that your prescription must remain inaccessible to others to prevent unauthorized access or theft. If you feel unable to safely store your medication, in person treatment may be a helpful alternative to consider instead of at-home KAP work.

WHAT DOES KETAMINE FEEL LIKE?

The generally low dose of Ketamine used in Ketamine Therapy allows you to engage in a light trance-like state. You may feel an enhanced sense of connection to the collective, a softening to receiving the experience, a decrease in mental defenses, a sense of openness, and a lessening of anxiety/increased feelings of well-being. It’s important to remember that there is some variability in how Ketamine feels for different people, so the sensations described may differ from your experience(s).

Lower dose administration generally frequently aids in developing deeper communication. Engaging with a low dose of Ketamine during therapy can inspire time away from your typical patterns of thought, relief from mental “loops,” a decrease in feelings of negativity, encourage meditative states, and facilitate a sense of openness to a more expansive understanding of yourself.

“One person told me that it was the first time in her life that she had experienced the absence of anxiety. Another reported that it was the first time that there was complete comfort in being alone. There can be a sense of losing all connection to one’s body. Many people experience an enormous feeling of love, often encompassing all of humanity and other life forms. Some people talk about losing their ego and sense of self, and only existing as pure energy. For many people there is a healing sense of feeling one with God, the universe, or the family of all living creatures.”

— Phil Wolfson, MV Times

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT KETAMINE AND DISSOCIATION?

I am sometimes asked, “does ketamine therapy get you high?“ Ketamine’s classification as a dissociative drug can feel a bit confusing. While at moderate to high doses, it may cause mental alteration that involves disconnecting from one’s perception of the environment, feelings, thoughts, memories, or sense of identity when used at higher doses. At such amounts, one may have an ‘out-of-body experience.” However, lower doses may involve a sense of calm and relaxation that supports disconnection from day-to-day anxieties without disconnection from the therapy process. The alteration level depends on how the body responds to metabolizing the drug as well as the dosage and route of administration (ie: orally, injected, or through IV). In my practice, we work with low to moderate doses administered sublingually. This route of administration and dosing encourages a slower onset of the medicine's effects and allows continued connection to the present, communication, and exploration but in an expanded mental state.

WHat are the benefits of Combining Therapy and KETAMINE?

Therapy administered before, during, and after ketamine sessions can optimize and sustain the benefits of working with Ketamine.

Ketamine can enhance the brain’s ability to use different pathways (neural networks). These heightened abilities can encourage ease in learning to engage with your emotions as a source of wisdom about your experiences, connect sensations in the body with emotions, or develop a relationship to your emotional experiences that feels supportive and manageable.

Researchers are exploring how increased connectivity in the brain may allow greater access to traumatic memories as it may encourage enhanced flexibility to understand these memories in new ways and with less anxiety than they may usually elicit.

The combination of Ketamine Treatment and Therapy can feel supportive as symptoms of depression or anxiety are often rapidly reduced, allowing therapy to happen with a focus on the heart of the matter rather than on working to eliminate symptoms. Experiencing relief while simultaneously engaging in therapy can allow more spaciousness for developing insights and plans that encourage more rapid change, a heightened ability to be in the process, and a greater capacity to learn, grow, and change.

Since recovery with Ketamine Assisted Therapy is often incremental, you might experience a period of disorientation known as the "therapeutic bends." Challenges in recognizing, adjusting to, and integrating gradual changes characterize this period. You may notice over-reliance on old coping mechanisms and wonder how to create new ways of being. Depression, anxiety, and trauma can take up a lot of space in our lives and leave us with little room to explore other parts of how we identify, so you could feel uncertain about how to honor a newfound sense of increased wellness.

Integration is also a vital part of working with Ketamine. We can increase the impact of Ketamine Therapy sessions with integration therapy, leading to ongoing improvements and building on previous sessions’ work. Ketamine integration is the part of the process during which we explore what arose during the journey and use it to guide our course of therapy. So many ideas and metaphors arise and offer rich insights after a journey. While the experience of journeying with this medicine can provide antidepressant benefits, there is much more to gain from this work.

Let Therapy Support you

“It was as if I was living in a dark house and suddenly the lights came on...Suddenly everything seemed illuminated.”

— Raquel Bennett, Knowable Magazine

Is ketamine therapy covered by insurance?

Medical insurance for Ketamine Therapy: Before beginning therapy, I recommend checking with your insurance provider to see if they subsidize or cover Ketamine Therapy. Some insurance companies cover up to 50-100% of the cost of your mental health treatment via reimbursement.

I am an out-of-network provider, so you pay me directly for services. After your session, I can send you a superbill, an itemized invoice of services rendered that includes all of the information needed by your insurance company. You will submit the superbill to your insurance provider for reimbursement per the terms of your policy.

You can find out more about out-of-network mental health coverage by contacting your insurance provider and asking if they offer “out-of-network” benefits for mental health coverage. You can also look online for an “explanation of benefits” specific to your plan via your insurance provider’s website.

Many of my clients with out-of-network benefits have requested a superbill to submit to their insurance companies and some have received reimbursement. They may also cover preparation or integration sessions, even if they do not cover Ketamine Therapy Sessions, so it’s worth asking your insurance provider about coverage.

Is it there Potential FOr Ketamine abuse or Physical Dependence?

As a therapist, I am not a prescriber nor am I trained in pharmacology, so this information is provided for harm reduction purposes. Your prescribing doctor or pharmacy can provide well-informed sources of information on this topic.

This information is from an Informed Consent document written by a medical doctor: Ketamine is classified as a Hallucinogen and categorized as an Arylcyclohexylamine. It is a schedule III controlled substance. There is potential abuse with Hallucinogens, but physical dependence involves tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, which researchers have not identified in Ketamine users. However, those who use Ketamine regularly have reported “cravings,” and the positive impacts on mood, cognition, and perception may inspire a desire for more frequent use.

Please note that your medication is carefully and thoughtfully prescribed. Your Ketamine use in each session is logged and reported to the prescribing doctor.

During your assessment, please inform your medical doctor of any history of addiction and discuss the potential risks and benefits of working with Ketamine. You may also consider exploring a range of treatment options including but not limited to: antidepressants or SSRIS, psychotherapy, Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS.)

who is not a good candidate for ketamine therapy?

Ketamine therapy, while promising for certain conditions, may not be suitable for everyone. Individuals frequently excluded from consideration include those with a history of psychosis, active substance abuse, uncontrolled hypertension, recent heart attack or stroke, specific medical conditions like severe liver or kidney dysfunction, or pregnancy/ breastfeeding, specific medication interactions, allergies, or sensitivity to ketamine, and those with unrealistic expectations or a lack of commitment to the therapy process.

A thorough assessment by a qualified healthcare doctor is imperative to determine the suitability of ketamine therapy based on individual medical history, current health status, and potential risk factors. During your medical evaluation, you will be asked to share a detailed history of any previous or ongoing health issues, mental health diagnoses, use of other substances and a list of your current medications to assess if KAP may be a suitable treatment for you at this time.

Can I continue My Medications?

As Ketamine therapy gains popularity, many people are curious about medication compatibility. The prescribing doctor is a knowledgeable resource to speak with about the safety of your medications in combination with Ketamine. Antidepressants or SSRIs may be safe to combine with Ketamine. However, it is currently believed that some medications, for example benzodiazepines, lamotrigine, and memantine, may affect Ketamine's efficacy. Taking these medications may not mean you cannot explore Ketamine Therapy. Please make sure that you share your full medication and supplement list with your prescribing doctor, who can provide support surrounding adjusting or changing your medications to facilitate a more safe or effective Ketamine therapy process.

HOW WE’LL WORK:

-New clients will begin with a brief conversation and schedule an intake appointment. We’ll talk about your goals for seeking Ketamine Assisted Therapy.

-You will be referred to a medical doctor trained in working with Ketamine for mental health who may prescribe Ketamine after determining that you are a suitable candidate for treatment.

-Prepare for sessions with Ketamine. Explore your plans for treatment, discuss anxieties or concerns. Discuss expectations surrounding treatment and plan frequency of sessions. We’ll talk about your Ketamine Playlist and I will share some of my favorite Ketamine music for journeying.

-Schedule Ketamine Therapy and engage in the treatment. Please note: depending on the Medical doctor’s assessment and based on your specific needs and risk factors, your prescribing doctor may recommend that your initial dose(s) are taken under MD observation to ensure your safety as a suitable dose is determined.

-We’ll meet for integration. We may use journaling, art-making, and somatic explorations to support you in making meaning of your Ketamine Therapy session. Through the use of counseling and art therapy, we will integrate these experiences into meaningful change in your daily life.

Meditate with me to prepare for Ketamine Therapy.

what is psychedelic integration therapy?

You’ve taken psychedelics or experienced a “non-ordinary” state through breathwork, meditation, or artwork and you’re not quite sure how to make meaning of the insights you had. Perhaps you’ve read Michael Pollan’s book or spent some time reading Goop or Reddit and you’re excited about the potential of psychedelic integration. But you’re wondering “what’s next?”

That’s a question we can answer together. Most people need extra support in relating to unfamiliar experiences. Non-ordinary states can be a challenge to understand and you’re not alone in having this challenge! Psychedelic states can be healing but they can also bring up trauma or feel scary or intense. Our work together happens in a safe, non-judgmental space where you can receive the voice of your inner self and intuition, clarify or set intentions, step into deeper self care, and identify changes you’d like to make in your life. Our co-creative work can help you see your next steps as you deepen your understanding of non-ordinary experiences and bringing your insights into the day-to-day.

Please be aware that I work through a harm reduction lens and hold your safety and well-being as my utmost priority. In my role, I do not provide any legal or medical advice but I support you in finding a deeper understanding about your experiences. I do not encourage/suggest/recommend the use (or purchase/sale) of illegal substances. I do recommend you educate yourself via multiple reputable resources about psychedelic use and can point you toward harm reduction resources.

INTEGRATION THERAPY

I PROVIDE INTEGRATION THERAPY TO THOSE WHO:

-You want to prioritize your growth and feel ready to dive deep into your “stuff.” You feel this is part of creating a sense of inner freedom.

-You’re curious about how to set intentions, learn about optimal set and setting, or gain more insights.

-You want support with this work and are ready to be witnessed. You think some healing work needs to happen with a supportive presence holding space for you.

-You see this as a co-creative process, and you’re open to being invited to read, journal, make art, or explore your world outside of the session.

-You want to meet weekly and have enough space in your schedule to prioritize regular sessions.

-You’re in a place where you can create and receive significant shifts in your life.

WE MAY NOT BE THE BEST FIT TO WORK TOGETHER FOR INTEGRATION THERAPY IF:

-You feel unprepared to take steps toward your well-being.

-You want a quick fix and think psychedelics are the only answer. You’re not open to feedback surrounding your healing path.

-You cannot invest time, energy, or resources into your healing.

-Your schedule is hectic or you can’t prioritize yourself, so you frequently cancel or reschedule self-care-related appointments.

Before contacting me, please know that I:

Do not administer/provide/distribute any illegal psychedelic/psychoactive substances to anyone

Do not provide “sitter“ services for those using illegal psychedelic substances

Ask for the your respect surrounding the legal boundaries related to this work