Ketamine - Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

• A legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, burnout and PTSD. 
• Is often used in emergency rooms and hospitals on all ages, including infants.
• Is on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines, which includes medicines considered to be most effective and safe to meet the most important needs in a health system.
• Has a rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks.
• Blocks the brain’s NMDA receptors while stimulating its AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood.
• Allows your brain to grow new dendrites, enabling new neural pathways (neuroplasticity) for lasting symptom improvement.
• Enhances anti-inflammatory processes for lasting improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms.
• Can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.
• Psychotherapy with a trusted KAP provider creates the best conditions for faster, longer-term mental health improvements. 
• Unlike many other mental health treatment options, KAP addresses the root causes of depression and anxiety, giving patients the opportunity to experience more meaningful breakthroughs in therapy and long-term improvement in treatment outcomes.
• KAP  may be delivered in various way including: In-person Individual, In-person Groups, In-person Retreats, Virtual Individual, Virtual Groups, Self-Guided at Home, In-office for Therapists.

The effects of ketamine, which most patients 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. 

1. Onboarding

• Inform your therapist that you are interested in KAP and they will refer you to Journey Clinical.

• Fill out Journey Clinical’s medical forms and book your initial medical consultation.

2. Initial Consultation with Journey Clinical via Zoom

• They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.
• If eligible for KAP, Journey Clinical will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you. If ineligible for KAP, your therapist will discuss other modalities of treatment from which you may benefit.
• If eligible, your prescription for two doses will be sent to your home. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.

3. Preparation 

Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions. Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to review the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions.

4. KAP Dosing Day

A typical KAP session lasts 3 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth. In-person sessions are highly recommended. This session includes one hour of preparation before taking the medication and two hours of medication journey. During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed. Once the Ketamine 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, the insights gained are none-the-less clear.

5. Integration

After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.

6. Follow-up Consultations with Journey Clinical

After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me on KAP, please e-mail me at khtherapyca@gmail.com or call 760-410-8609 to discuss eligibility and next steps.

Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while I take on the therapy. Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.

Here are multiple scientific references on the evidence of KAP efficacy:

1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS https://maps.org/news/bulletin/paradigms-of-ketamine-treatment-spring-2019/

2. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy – research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556

3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter https://www.townsendletter.com/article/438-ketamine-for-depression-and-mood-disorders/

4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop https://goop.com/wellness/health/ketamine-facilitated-psychotherapy/

5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of JourneyClinical – Psychology Talk Podcast

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy-with-jonathan-sabbagh-of-journey-clinical–49294267

5. Journey Clinical Patient Safety and Wellbeing Commitment https://www.journeyclinical.com/ourpatientcommitment/

6. Yale scientists explain how ketamine vanquishes depression within hours

7. Ketamine improved clinical outcomes after six doses

8. At-home, sublingual ketamine telehealth is a safe and effective treatment for moderate to severe anxiety and depression

9. Review of The Ketamine Papers: Science, Therapy, and Transformation from MAPS