Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

At Dickson Psychiatric Services, I offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy that incorporates both low to moderate-dose psycholytic (empathogenic) and moderate to high-dose psychedelic (ego-dissolving) sessions while recognizing the powerful neuro-biochemical effects of the medicine.

I strongly believe in the healing power of human relationships and the therapeutic potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC). Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy holds enormous reparative potential by combining therapeutic elements and the biological benefits of ketamine.

In the United States, there are over 3,000 ketamine IV clinics that provide off-label treatment for depression, with a focus on treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Low-dose ketamine infusion sessions, which are below the psychedelic threshold (<0.5 mg/kg), have been used almost exclusively in ketamine research to elicit an antidepressant response without dissociative or psychedelic side effects. However, these treatments do not typically include specialized psychological care, such as psychological assessment, psycho-education on NOSC, or discussions of set and setting, preparation, and integration. These elements are standard in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy research and practice.

Ketamine infusion treatment relies solely on the biological effects of ketamine, while ketamine-assisted psychotherapy relies on the therapeutic relationship and transformative experience facilitated by entering NOSC for symptom relief and personality change. The sublingual route using rapid dissolvable tablets or lozenges/troches, or intramuscular injections into the deltoid muscle are the routes typically used for KAP

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can help individuals address a range of issues beyond just symptom relief. This type of therapy involves ongoing dialogue and integration with a trained psychotherapist to address underlying attachment, addiction, anxiety, spiritual, somatic, existential, trauma/PTSD, and relationship issues. It's important to note that this type of therapy requires explicit training in KAP for the therapist, as it's different from sitting with a trained therapist in other forms of therapy like CBT, DBT, or EMDR.

Dore, J., Turnipseed, B., Dwyer, S., Turnipseed, A., Andries, J., Ascani, G., Monnette, C., Huidekoper, A., Strauss, N., & Wolfson, P. (2019) Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 51(2), 189-198.
Drozdz, S. J., Goel, A., McGarr, M. W., Katz, J., Ritvo, P., Mattina, G. F., Bhat, V., Diep, C., & Ladha, K. S. (2022). Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Literature. Journal of pain research, 15, 1691–1706. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S360733
Grob, C. & Grigsby, J. (2021). Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens. New York: The Guilford Press.