Ketamine Assisted Therapy Approach

I use Ketamine as a catalyst to provide someone with the ability to heal themselves from chronic stress, complex trauma and depression. My approach is to foster your ability for self-healing and curiosity. I believe much of the healing process draws on your ability to tap into your inner healing self. I create the space and setting necessary to do that.

I then take a healing journey with you to collaborate with your inner healer. I draw on my skills to work closely before, during and after sessions with you. We process material, emotions and feelings that emerge from the ketamine experience.

This is what makes ketamine assisted therapy a true healing experience. I then collaborate closely with your existing therapist who brings another set of skills to the healing experience. The full team approach is what I think works best to support you through the path of healing.

Preparation

Preparation typically consists of 3 sessions. First there is an initial medical and psychological intake appointment.

The next 2 preparations are experiential and lay the groundwork for how to comfortably navigate your first Ketamine experience. I teach you how to be a curious explorer. I create a customized experience which is completely personalized to you. It is safe and one that allows you to feel supported while you explore the depths of your experience.

The goal during preparation is to build a comfort and confidence level going into the Ketamine session which will allow you to extract the healing experience you need.

We build rapport, safety and a playful level of exploration together. It becomes a real team effort.

The Ketamine Experience

The Ketamine experience is all about mindset and setting. Your mindset coming in includes being prepared, relaxed, in good physical condition and being well-rested. I have people focus on preparing with good nutrition, sleep and moderate exercise for the 2 weeks leading up to the session. Mindset also includes confidence in the experience. We create a working relationship where you feel well supported and start to see that this will be a team experience. You won’t feel alone. You will be well supported, comfortable, confident and excited to take the journey. All paramount pieces to the experience.

The setting is a culmination of the customized music that is selected, the space we are in, the dose of the ketamine, myself and therapist in the room and all other factors that make up the experience. This is often referred to as the “container.”

I choose a intramuscular dose of ketamine based on your specific situation and experience. The medicine typically lasts an hour with 30 minutes to fully come out of the medicine.

After you come out you will start the initial integration of the session to extract the full healing experience. Initial integration involves some gentle processing of the experience. This processing can come in the form of talking or simply learning to feel the emotions and sensations that emerge.

This is a critical phase of the experience. Your body and brain in in a state of being able to make new connections and start repair old wounds that are driving the chronic depression, stress and trauma. This is just the beginning. The openness and new ability to experience life continues over the next several weeks.

Integration of the Experience

Integration of the ketamine experience occurs in different phases. Phase 1 is time immediately following your session. I will have your talk about experiences while under the medicine and will use a somatic approach to facilitate a release of stress and trauma that may have come up during the session. You may develop new insights but ketamine is more about the healing experience than any insight taken away

Phase 2 occurs over the next 2-3 weeks. I will send you home with the playlist that was used during your session. I will have you listen to it and let further processing of the experience naturally occur. You will work with myself or your therapist in the subsequent weeks to apply the experience into your day-to-day life.

This can come in many forms. Recommendations will be completely tailor to the deeper work you are trying to do. Some people find create outlets such as art, writing, journaling and expressive arts as a catalyst for change. Other people are trying to hone a new ability to simply learn to feel and experience emotions.

Ketamine Assisted Therapy