Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in California For Individuals and Couples

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 hrs. after treatment. 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 Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.

• Anxiety

• Trauma

• Death Anxiety/ End of Life

• Stuck Patterns

• OCD/ Rigid Thought Patterns

• Compulsive Behaviors

• Maladaptive Patterns

• Psycho-Spiritual Growth

• Chronic Pain/ Life-Threatening Illness

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. Once these effects subside, 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 happens during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are clear.

All side effects are temporary and tend to go away within a couple of hours. They are typically minimal and most are not common but can include:

• Nausea/ Vomiting

• Dizziness/ Vertigo

• Sedation/ Fatigue

• Current mania or psychosis

• Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizophreniform

• High blood pressure/ hypertension (untreated)

• Arrhythmia 

• Thyroid disease (Untreated)

• Active addiction

• Caution with previous stroke or vascular disease 

• Caution with  obstructive sleep apnea 

• Pregnancy

Please note: Once we establish our working agreement, and we both agree that this is the direction we are working towards, I will refer you to Journey for your consult with them. We will take several therapy sessions for us to establish our therapeutic work together before this happens.

1. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical

● You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical 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 Journey Clinical’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 small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions. 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.

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 1-2 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth.

● During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge either in my office or in your home. 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.

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 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.

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.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out of-network reimbursement.
Please note: you will have two costs; Journey Clinical Intake and cost of medicine, and my therapy cost.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

• $400-$600 for 2-3 hour session utilizing Oral Dissolving Tablets
(there will be 8 sessions scheduled for the process, and highly encouraged to finish the entire process)

Journey Clinical Medical Costs

• Medical Intake: $250 (One time fee, reimbursable through out-of-network)

• Follow-up Sessions: $150/Session (minimum of 1/quarter, reimbursable through out-of-network)

• Cost of Ketamine Lozenges: approximately $75 for 4-6 doses

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 Podcas