Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) For Couples
I offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical.
- Do you often feel stuck in the same patterns of frustration and reactivity?
- Have you tried couples counseling before but feel nothing changes?
- Would you like to experience a greater sense of safety, empathy, and the ability to see issues with an openness to new perspectives?
The value of using ketamine as an adjunct to our couples work has to do with it’s potential empathogenic effects: Softening of affect, lowering of defenses, feelings of unity, and increased empathy. It has the potential to help couples gain greater perspective on their patterns of interaction, and create a safe emotional container for change. In short, it has the potential to help you get “unstuck” from old patterns of emotion reaction, behavior, and perceptions of yourself and your partner. Our work with Ketamine is integrated into our work doing Imago Relationship Therapy, and learning how to “dialogue” effectively. The “integration” and psychotherapy work that we do in conjunction with the medicine is intended to help you carry these experiences forward into your day to day life. Ketamine is not a “silver bullet” that will fix the issues that are bringing you in for counseling, but it can help to “grease the wheels” so that change is more available.
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine typically used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hours after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA 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.
How Does Ketamine Feel?
The immediate effects of ketamine are of short duration—approximately 45 to 60 minutes. While every individual will have their own unique experience, most find it is pleasant and relaxing. The effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive, even “mystical” in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subside, we’ll spend the remainder of our time giving you space to process and discuss your experience. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience. We will then meet again (preferably within 2 days) for an integration session to process how this experience informs your work on yourself and your relationship.
While there is flexibility in this approach, a typical sequence may look something like this:
- Initial session (90 minutes). We will discuss what brings you in for counseling, your goals, and introduce you to the “Imago Dialogue” process. This first session often results in profound insights into the patterns that arise in your relationship, and a deepening of your connection.
- If we decide that Ketamine is appropriate, you will make an appointment with Journey Clinical for an evaluation with a psychiatrist to see if you are eligible for the medicine.
- We have another standard couples counseling session to continue our work from session 1.
- You will have a “dosing session” to experience the effects of Ketamine. (2-3 hours)
- We have a series of integration and psychotherapy sessions to utilize the insights gained from the Ketamine session.
From here, we will continue with additional occasional Ketamine dosing sessions and integration and counseling sessions as appropriate.
For KAP sessions, we use a sublingual lozenge form of ketamine, which provides a gentle yet profound experience.
How Do I obtain the Ketamine?
I oversee the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team supports you on all medical aspects. The medical aspects include determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine and monitoring outcomes. I will provide you with more information about this process and the costs when we meet.
For further information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Ben at [email protected] or 303-717-5651.