Learn About Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is a holistic modality that is associated with frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms, through enhanced neuroplasticity. Ketamine is a short acting psychedelic which blocks NMDA receptors, and stimulates AMPA receptors in the brain, thereby forming new synaptic connection, boosting neural circuits.
The altered state of consciousness induced by ketamine can enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy by allowing client to access and address deep-seated emotional issues. Ketamine promotes neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections.
Unlike its other uses, the doses of ketamine used in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy are much lower and are specifically tailored to elicit therapeutic effects. Ketamine is a short acting psychedelic, and works by modulating the brain's glutamate system, leading to rapid changes in brain connectivity and function that can facilitate emotional and psychological healing.
Journey Clinical
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to psychotherapy to help clients 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 medical aspects.
Journey Clinical is a platform that allows psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively. Journey Clinical’s medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring. Their collaborative care model delivers personalized treatment plans to meet your needs and improve long-term outcomes.
The effects of ketamine, which most clients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. 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.
Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) 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-Assisted Psychotherapy is a cutting-edge approach that combines the transformative potential of ketamine with the supportive framework of psychotherapy. By working with a psychotherapist, clients can unlock new pathways to healing and well-being. Many people experience significant improvement in their symptoms within hours to days of treatment.
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.