Ketamine treatment has been found to be effective for treatment resistant depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy combines the therapeutic effects of ketamine with the support and safe container available through the therapeutic relationship.
Ketamine has the potential to catalyze and accelerate the healing process in individuals suffering from an array of symptoms. The psychotherapy component of KAP allows the client to process the insights gained through the ketamine experience with the therapist, supporting integration of these insights and lasting symptom relief.
Our past and current life experiences and the meaning we make from them can give rise to negative and overwhelming psychological, emotional, and physical symptoms. Factors such traumatic childhood and adult experiences, demographic and socioeconomic factors, and other life experiences can shape our perception of ourselves and the world, including how we react and respond to life’s challenges and our ability to manage our emotions. These perceptions can become habitual patterns and cycles, which contribute to suffering, and can be extremely difficult to change. Individuals who seek KAP often struggle with life-long or treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. They have tried other forms of therapy and are still seeking relief from their debilitating symptoms.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can help the client gain perspective on their mental patterns and belief systems, allowing them to see these stuck patterns more clearly. Ketamine also introduces clients to new perspectives and insights, which they can then work to integrate into their conceptual framework with the support of the therapist. KAP can assist clients in addressing habitual thought processes which hold them back and develop and anchor in new, healthier ones that can help them move forward with their lives as happier and healthier individuals.
As a KAP therapist, I have witnessed my clients process stuck patterns which were holding them back for years. Individuals often experience more ease accessing emotion, allowing them to release pain, fear, and grief and creating space for feelings of relief and peace. I have supported KAP clients as they make contact with parts of themselves which they felt disconnected from for years. During a KAP session, many clients experience positive feelings of love, joy, connection. Over the course of treatment, I have seen clients connect with a sense of purpose, passion, and creativity which had felt out of reach under the weight of their pain and distress. I believe that Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for many individuals who have had difficulty finding and maintaining relief through other forms of treatment.