Why Ketamine Assisted PSYCHOTherapy?

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Ketamine assisted psychotherapy utilizes FDA approved anesthetic Ketamine in a sub-anesthetic dose to engage an active psychedelic experience.  When combined with pre-session education and preparation and a therapeutically structured integration plan, clients are able to engage and apply the experience brought on by the medication in unique and practical ways.  Some therapies offer sub lingual lozenges to induce the experience, others use IV (Intravenous) or IM (intramuscular) administration for a more precise experience.  I work exclusively with IM/IV administration as it allows each medication session to be completed in less than 2 hours from start to finish.  Target outcomes are unique to the individual and can happen in as few as 3 sessions.  Ketamine therapy should not be considered a long term treatment, but an opportunity to reset our reflexive reactions by engaging new neural pathways.  These pathways require active attention to become as engrained just as the patterns clients seek to change  were privileged, this is where the integration therapy becomes beneficial.  

As with any treatment, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is NOT for everyone.  While the safety profile of the medication in the dosage that engages the psychedelic experience has a stable record of performance, certain indications and conditions remain as contraindications to the use of this therapy.  Current research and active results from ongoing practices are showing success treating depression, Anxiety, and currently finding success for some PTSD and Trauma conditions.  Client safety reigns supreme and is why the in depth intake process is necessary.  In the end the option of the treatment must be determined to benefit the individual and their expectations.  Ketamine assisted therapy is not magic, as with any change, the process requires conscious and active maintenance to be effective.  In my perspective, this medication introduces you to areas of your mind we have yet to evolve to access, what you do with that will be your work.  

Ketamine has been safely used as an anesthetic for over 50 years and is considered an essential medication by the WHO for its reliable and effective properties.  When the dosage is administered in sub anesthetic dosage, the resulting experience is considered "psychedelic" when approached with the understanding of how to engage therapeutic change when experiencing induced non-ordinary states of consciousness.  Psychedelics open the door, the work begins when the experience translates to day to day life.