Discover how KAP combines evidence-based psychotherapy with ketamine medicine to facilitate deep healing and transformation
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is currently the most common 'psychedelic' medicine being used therapeutically because it is the only legal drug available and can be prescribed 'off label' to treat various mental health disorders.
Ketamine has shown efficacy against treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and suicidality linked to enhanced neuroplasticity and reversal of stress-induced neural changes. Ketamine has now been in clinical practice for over 50 years, beginning as an anesthetic on battlefields.
Psychedelics means "psyche" (mind/soul) and "delos" (reveal/manifest) — so using psychedelics in healing means we are attempting to help clients manifest and reveal their minds and souls.
Traditional therapy is designed to support someone struggling with a mental health diagnosis to manage symptoms and improve quality of life through supportive talk therapy, psychoeducation, and skills building (i.e., communication skills, conflict resolution, boundary setting, emotion regulation, negative self-talk, etc.).
Although Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy also seeks to reduce and alleviate symptoms associated with several mental illnesses, it is the process and protocols that make it unique.
The client is instructed to 'go inward' with their experience rather than talking and engaging with the therapist throughout. It is not meant to be a discussion but rather a personal journey inward with the medicine as a catalyst.
Unlike traditional therapy, the therapist is not guiding or leading the experience — the client and the medicine are. The therapist is there to provide safety, take notes, and offer support as needed.
Medical and mental health screening, detailed background, assessments
Includes comprehensive medical screening and mental health evaluation, getting detailed background information, conducting assessments and questionnaires, and providing an overview of KAP treatment goals.
Education, intention setting, and preparation
This is where the therapist educates you about psychedelic healing and ketamine specifically, what to expect throughout the process, and helps you prepare mentally, physically, and emotionally. Topics covered include:
Optional low-dose introduction (if needed)
Some practitioners and clients prefer to do a 'psycholytic dosing' (low dose) session before higher dose sessions for those new to psychedelics or non-ordinary states of consciousness. This allows you to get used to the medicine in a more gradual, gentle way. Some clients even prefer to stay in this low dose range and still find significant benefits.
The ketamine dosing sessions
These sessions can be done at home (via telehealth), in a therapist's office, or at a ketamine clinic. The number of sessions varies based on your needs — anywhere from 1 to 25+ dosing sessions spread out over weeks, months, or even years depending on your goals and what you're working on.
Session Duration
Medicine portion lasts 45 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on dose and administration route. Total appointment time is typically 2.5-3 hours.
Processing and integrating the experience
If you're doing ongoing ketamine sessions, you should also be doing ongoing adjunctive integration work. At least one integration session is needed, but ongoing integration is most helpful — just like traditional therapy.
Ketamine facilitates healing through several neurobiological mechanisms:
Ketamine increases and releases glutamate, the "master switch" — the most abundant and important excitatory neurotransmitter (the workhorse of the brain). Glutamate plays crucial roles in pain, anxiety, inflammation, stress, fear conditioning, depression, resilience, learning, and memory.
Ketamine reverses neuronal atrophy and supports synaptogenesis (the formation of new neural connections). This neuroplasticity allows for new emotional flexibility to take place, creating opportunities for lasting change.
The Default Mode Network includes our identity, beliefs, and rumination patterns. Ketamine temporarily disrupts this network, allowing different parts of the brain to interact and new neural pathways to be bridged — opening possibilities for fresh perspectives and insights.
These effects are typically temporary and subside after the session. Your therapist will monitor you closely and provide support as needed.
Before scheduling a dosing session — individually, as a couple, or in a group — you'll need to complete the following steps. Together they ensure your safety, your readiness, and the depth of support around your experience.
One-on-one intake and clearance to proceed
Complete an individual mental health intake to receive clearance to move forward. This must be a one-on-one session so we can safely review your specific diagnosis, trauma history, and treatment goals before working in any group or individual format.
Prescription intake with our medical partner, Journey Clinical
Complete a medical screening and prescription intake with our medical partner, Journey Clinical. Your prescribed medication must be in hand before a dosing session can be scheduled.
At least one prep session — individual or group
Complete at least one preparation session with your therapist. Depending on your preference, this can be done either individually or in a group setting.