Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

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 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 if it may be a good fit for you.

What is Ketamine?

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 hrs. 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 with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.

How Does Ketamine Feel?

The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes or longer. 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 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, patients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.

Where does the session happen? Your choice! I can have you come to my office space in Rochester, NY we can meet remotely via telehealth, or I can come to your home (within 30 min of Rochester) if home feels safe to you for a small extra cost. Setting is everything. Benefits of coming to my office space is to escape anything that might be disturbing at home to your experience (kids, pets, roommmates, etc). Benefits of me coming to your home would be that I serve as your chaperone and guide and you don’t have to have someone pick you up after your session (you won’t be able to drive for the day post Ketamine).

I offer KAP in individual and group settings. KAP in a group can be a powerful experience being surrounded with others who are having similar experiences. Individual sessions can be more comfortable for someone who would like an experience catered to them individually. Please get in touch to learn more.

Buy The Psychedelic Journal ($5)

I created a Journal that can be used for psychedelic journeys (specifically for Ketamine assisted psychotherapy). It has space to write your vitals pre and post journey, places to jot things down to talk about with your therapist during integration, and free journaling pages. Your KAP therapist could even write their observations while you are journeying as well. It has room for 8 journeys but because you will have the file, you can reprint as many times as you need! Please do not share, this purchase is a copy just for the purchaser.