A Different Kind of Treatment with Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

  • Find rapid relief from symptoms of treatment-resistant depression and anxiety.
  • Get deeper insights and emotional processing than in traditional talk therapy.
  • Use the altered state induced by ketamine to support emotional healing and uncover unconscious material.
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Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

Why I Practice Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) with my Patients

I specialize in KAP because it offers a powerful and effective approach for patients struggling with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety and trauma. By combining the rapid symptom relief of ketamine with psychotherapy, KAP allows my patients to access deeper emotional insights and process difficult experiences in a safe, supportive environment. This unique combination not only helps alleviate immediate symptoms but also promotes long-lasting healing and transformation, enabling patients to integrate meaningful change into their lives.

What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?

KAP integrates supervised ketamine administration with psychotherapy. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has some psychedelic effects. Properly used, this medicine can create a flexible state that facilitates deeper psychological work, and enables the patient to reach profound emotional breakthroughs. For appropriate candidates, it is a safe, legal, and effective treatment when conducted under professional supervision.

What can Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy help with?

KAP offers hope to individuals who have not responded well to other treatments. It can help with:
  • Depression
  • Anxiety disorders
  • PTSD
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Our Process

The Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Process

Initial Consultation and Preparation

We begin with a thorough evaluation of your mental health history and goals to determine your suitability for KAP. If this is an appropriate treatment for you, I will refer you to a trusted prescriber for a medical evaluation and prescription for sublingual ketamine. I will work closely with them to coordinate your care throughout the process.

Dosing Sessions

Ketamine is administered in my office in Brooklyn. I provide a comfortable and inviting environment and accompany you through a safe therapeutic experience.

Integration and Support

In subsequent sessions, I will help you integrate the insights that you gained into your daily life, and provide ongoing support to help you make progress toward your goals.

What to Expect During a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Dosing Session

We will begin with a guided mindfulness exercise to help prepare you for your journey inward. Once you take the medicine, you will be invited to put on an eye mask and headphones to listen to music. As the medicine takes effect, you may experience a sense of detachment, which is a key aspect of the therapy. This state can help you access and process emotions more effectively and reach new insights.

The acute effects of ketamine usually wear off within forty-five minutes, but you are welcome to stay afterward until you feel ready to go home. During this time, some people find it helpful to talk about the experience they just had, while others feel more supported by quietly being together. Post-session, many people report feeling lighter, clearer, and more capable of engaging in therapeutic work.

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FAQs

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy FAQ

1. What is ketamine?
Ketamine is an anesthetic that has gained attention for its powerful and rapid-acting effects on mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Unlike traditional antidepressants, which can sometimes take weeks or months to show results, ketamine has been found to work within hours or days, making it a breakthrough treatment for people with treatment resistant conditions.
2. How does ketamine work?
Ketamine interacts with your brain’s neurotransmitters, which have the important job of delivering signals to every nerve cell in the body. By promoting neuroplasticity, this medicine helps reset cognitive pathways, allowing the brain to form new connections and break through thinking blocks.

This allows us to step outside our everyday ways of thinking and find new and creative solutions to long-standing issues. With a gentle touch, ketamine also loosens the defense mechanisms that sometimes interfere with our ability to integrate therapeutic insights.

Biologically, neuroplasticity helps in repairing and reorganizing neural networks, potentially reversing some of the structural and functional brain changes associated with long-standing mental health conditions. Ketamine has also been shown to decrease inflammation in the brain.
3. What is the difference between Ketamine Therapy, and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy?
The key difference between Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and Ketamine Therapy lies in their approach and outcomes. Ketamine Therapy involves using ketamine to provide rapid symptom relief, particularly for depression and anxiety, but it focuses on the biological effects of the drug without integrating deeper emotional or psychological processing. It is usually administered intravenously in a medical setting. In contrast, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy typically occurs in a therapist’s office and combines ketamine with structured therapy sessions, allowing patients to explore and process emotions, trauma, and insights that arise during the experience, leading to more sustainable, long-term healing.
4. Do I need to discontinue taking my antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication in order to start KAP?
No, you typically do not need to discontinue taking psychotropic medication to receive ketamine treatments. In fact, many patients continue their current antidepressant or antianxiety regimen while undergoing ketamine treatments, as the two can complement each other.
5. How safe is KAP ?
For suitable candidates, KAP is considered relatively safe and effective when administered by a trained professional in a regulated setting. The medical and psychological evaluations at the outset of our treatment will help determine if KAP is safe for your unique physical and emotional needs.
6. When will I start to see results?
Many people notice improvements immediately after their first session. For longer-lasting results, multiple sessions are often recommended. We will collaboratively determine how many KAP sessions are appropriate for you.
7. Are there side effects to be aware of with KAP?
Mild side effects like temporary dissociation, increased blood pressure, and nausea may occur during treatment, but they typically resolve quickly.
8. Where is your office located?
My office is at 808 Union Street, Suite 3A, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
9. Do you have more resources available regarding Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
You can learn more here: Resources from KRIYA, the Ketamine Research Institute.

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All rights reserved to Shahrzad "Sherry" Sadighim 2024
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