Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a new approach to treatment that differs from traditional therapy. KAP is used to address a number of treatment-resistant conditions such as depression, PTSD, OCD, anxiety, and chronic pain conditions.
The defining feature of KAP is the use of ketamine infusions to accentuate and enhance the therapeutic session. Inversely, therapy can enhance the therapeutic effects of a series of ketamine infusions.
While ketamine infusion therapy is effective by itself, having a therapist there to guide you through the process and help you work through your feelings and thoughts can strengthen the amount of good this treatment can do for your overall mental health.
During a ketamine infusion session, many patients report imagery and sensations that are hallucinogenic or delusional in nature, if not outright psychedelic. While these side effects are mild in many cases, it can be extremely helpful to have a therapist act as a guide for you during your infusions to make sure you remain in the right frame of mind.
Ketamine – even at the low doses administered during intravenous infusion – can induce dreamlike states which allow your psychotherapist to move past the barriers and various defense mechanisms that your psyche puts up in response to trauma or emotional stress. This can lead to shifts in conscious or a new sense of awareness, and at times, even profound spiritual connections.
What Are KAP Sessions Like?
The first session is designed to determine if KAP is the right treatment for you and to identify what the end goals of your treatments are.
The next sessions may last anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours in overall length, but the length of the session greatly varies depending upon the dose, response, recovery time, and other factors.
Much like ketamine infusions or traditional therapy, KAP is most effective when you commit to an individualized treatment plan that stretches out over a period of several weeks.
It is important to remember that KAP, like ketamine itself, is not a “cure” for your condition – rather it is a novel new treatment designed to strengthen and empower you to take on the root causes of your condition.
NeuroRelief is currently investigating the integration of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy into our clinical model.
