What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine 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.
Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Skylight Psychedelics, we only use the sublingual lozenge form.
How Does Ketamine Feel?
The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45-60 minutes, although it can last longer. 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. Once these 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, people feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.
How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?
1. Initial consultation with therapist and a physician from Skylight Psychedelics.
You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the medical team 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 Skylight’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you.
Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a prescription of oral ketamine will be sent to your home. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by the medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.
2. Preparation sessions:
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 align on the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions together.
3. KAP Dosing Session:
A typical ketamine dosing session lasts between 2-3 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth with a chaperone.
During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge either in my office or in your home with a chaperone present. You will be in a comfortable 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.
4. Integration Sessions:
After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for multiple integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.
5. Follow-up consultations with Skylight Psychedelics:
After the initial KAP sessions, if further treatment is needed, and additional treatment plan will be discussed between you and the medical team at Skylight.
Psychotherapy/ Dosing session cost:
Preparation and Integration Sessions- $150/ hour or you can use accepted insurance plans (see insurance page).
Dosing Sessions- $200/ 2 hour session
Skylight Medicine Pricing:
“Introduction to the Medicine” ($289)
TWO doses of sublingual ketamine for clients interested in getting to know the medicine without committing to 6-10 sessions.
“The Standard Experience“ ($599)
SIX doses of sublingual or intranasal ketamine for those interested in working with their therapist beyond two sessions, with increasing dosing as you move through the program, providing higher doses and deeper psychedelic experiences.
“Go Deeper” ($679)
TEN doses of sublingual ketamine for those interested in deepening their inner work, promoting further connection with the inner healer.
All Clients Receive:
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A virtual intake visit with one of our physicians after we have reviewed the medical intake documents.
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Medication prescriptions for 6 - 10 doses of sublingual or intranasal ketamine.
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Access to the medical team
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Our carefully curated music playlists.
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Access to our proprietary virtual psychedelic integration yoga framework.
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Integration tools via our extensive client handbook.
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Access to our pharmacy and medical team.
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$100 off for returning clients.
How Do I Sign Up?
If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me on KAP, please e-mail me at melissa@feeltheraintherapeutics.com to discuss treatment options.
Access Skylight Psychedelics Client Portal Here
Helpful Resources:
1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS
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
3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter
4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop
5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical - Psychology Talk Podcast