Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
I feel it is important to confess that I, like many of you have a
fear based and unpleasant association with "psychedelics".
The word conjures for me images of hippies from the 60's using drugs recreationally and behaving in questionable ways.
It has been over 60 years since then and today licensed clinicians such as myself and doctors, are now carefully using this legal medicine in measured dosages in a controlled clinical setting to heal the nervous system & decreasing symptoms of depression, substance abuse, and anxiety in groundbreaking ways would often take years -
if not decades of therapy.
I stand by this medicine because I do not believe everyone has the financial privilege, time, or trust to be in therapy for years.
I offer this kind of therapy because I believe in it's powerful
ability to help my clients reduce their suffering
as rapidly as possible.
I hold a certificate in psychedelic research from the california institute of Integral studies & offer the 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 psychotherapy to help eligible patients 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 why it may be a good fit for you.
What is Ketamine?
Image of Nervous System Dendrite Growth after only one seesion with Ketamine Medicine
Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Ketamine has been used globally since 1960 in emergency departments for anesthesia with babies, children, and adults. Ketamine was first added to the world health organization (WHO's) Essential Medicines List in 1985 and has remained on the list ever since due to it's outweighed potential for beneficial use than harm from recreational use.
Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects with very little potential for an adverse reaction when administered by a professional.
although ketamine has been abused recreationally, there is no evidence that ketamine when used as a supervised treatment in psychotherapy is associated with future ketamine abuse, dependence, or the triggering of other drug craving during or after the completion of therapy.
low-dose ketamine has been found to be surprisingly effective in rapidly improving the symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other mental health conditions, as well as chronic pain syndromes.
ketmaine 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 and has been shown to regenerate the dendritic spines in the nervous system in as little as 8-10 sessions.
due to the positive research results and the rapid relief clients report, Ketamine therapy may be a more effective option with less side-effects and faster results for patients who have not responded well to traditional antidepressants.
How Does Ketamine Feel?
" Ketamine targets a different system in the
brain than typical antidepressants and that may be why ketamine works so well, even for patients who have not had success with different standard antidepressants."
- Yale Medicine
Many people report it feels very calming and because of the ways this medicine targets the parts of your brain that experience anxiety, what this facilitates is the ability to hear your wisdom in a way you normally are not able to.
The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes.
These effects facilitate shifts in perception Most people find little need to speak while experiencing the medicine because they are very focused on understanding insights and understandings they noRmally have not had the opportunity to.
You’ll be lying down in my office in a comfortable position during the experience. i am blessed to have a beautiful view of the ocean and this medicine of the ocean is the perfect accompaniment to your session. Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. The first medicine session will always be in person and afterwards, we can consider a remote session from your home if that is desired.
While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear.
the insights gained are what we will target in therapy together and integrate into your goals for shifting patterns or the way you have looked at hardships or how to heal from them.
I once heard someone say the reason why ketamine should be done in therapy is because it can be similar to reading an amazing book. After a little while you forget what you read.
Integrating ketamine with psychotherapy will support you to have follow through on the goals you discussed and as a therapist i will help to make sure you meet those goals and continue processing and integrating those goals into therapy using EMDR, IFS, Brainspotting, or compassionate mindful talk therapy.
Studies have shown that Ketamine can help repair brain function by promoting the regrowth of nerves in the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory and promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize its structure and function in response to experiences and environmental changes. This process is essential for learning, memory, and brain injury or disorder recovery.
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 can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth.
● During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge either in my office or 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.
What is the Cost of Treatment?
kap services
● Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement. I also accept Care Credit.
○ Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
■ My typical hourly rate for a KAP session is $240 per 60 minutes. A three hour session as is recommended will cost $720
○ Journey Clinical Medical Costs
■ First-time patients
● Initial medical consultation with Journey Clinical: $250
● Cost of medication: $85 (enough for 2 sessions)
■ Ongoing treatment
● Follow-up medical consultation with Journey Clinical $150 (at least 1X per quarter)
● Cost of medication: $145 (enough for up to 6 sessions)
○ Insurance, Credit, Superbills, & Scholarships
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I am no longer accepting new clients with insurance unfortunately. Please see my contact page if you would like to be considered when I have an opening for insurance clients again.
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I accept Care Credit, a no-interest credit card as long as you pay the balance within the agreed upon time. www.carecredit.com
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I also accept all credit cards
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I can also provide a super bill for you to be reimbursed by your employer or insurance.
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If you would like to fundraise for your session, you can read more about this option here.
○ Group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
(G-KAP)
■ Group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a beautiful way to experience the benefits of ketamine within a supportive shared experience.
■ if there is a personal or professional group you feel called to experience this with, please reach out to me and i would be honored to help support your vision.
○ Ketamine-Assisted Couple Therapy
■ With the support of this medicine to calm the survival center of their brain, couples are able to shift how they think and feel about their relationship in transformational
ways.
■ Couple who have felt arrested in development or stuck in painful patterns report high levels of satisfaction with
KAP therapy after having tried many different approaches to healing, including traditional therapy.
■ Research shows ketamine helps create healing in relationships by helping to alleviate distress in the relationship that had been impacted by individual mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression.
GROUP work
COUPLES work
How Do I Sign Up?
If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me WITH KAP, please contact me FOR A FREE 15 MINUTE CONSULTATION.
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
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Helpful Resources:
1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS
https://maps.org/news/bulletin/paradigms-of-ketamine-treatment-spring-2019/
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
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556
3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter
https://www.townsendletter.com/article/438-ketamine-for-depression-and-mood-disorders/
4. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical - Psychology Talk Podcast https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy-with-jonathan-sabbagh-of-journey-clinical--49294267
5. Ketamine Database of Research, Books, Events, & Reports https://blossomanalysis.com/