What KAP is
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is an evidence-informed clinical protocol in which a licensed therapist uses low doses of ketamine to enhance the conditions under which psychotherapy happens. Ketamine temporarily shifts the nervous system into a state that's often described as dissociative or introspective — less defended, more open. That shift is the therapeutic opportunity. The drug is not the therapy; the therapy is what we do together, before, during, and after.
I use a standard three-phase model: preparation, dosing, integration. Most clients do between one and six dosing sessions over the course of several months, with preparation before and integration sessions between. The dosing sessions themselves last about three hours and are always conducted in person, with me present the entire time.
Ketamine for psychiatric use is prescribed off-label by a collaborating prescriber I work with. I am not the prescriber. Any decision to use ketamine is made jointly by the client, the prescriber, and me, after a thorough medical and psychological screening.
Who KAP is for
KAP may be appropriate for adults who:
- Have been diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, complex trauma, chronic anxiety, or persistent grief
- Have tried standard psychotherapy and/or medication without adequate relief
- Are medically stable and cleared by the prescribing physician
- Are able to commit to the full preparation + dosing + integration arc (not a single session)
- Are curious about and comfortable with non-ordinary states of consciousness — within a clinical frame
KAP is not a walk-in service. Every client goes through a screening and preparation process before any dosing is scheduled.
Who KAP is not for
I'll decline or defer KAP when:
- A person is in active crisis or at imminent risk of self-harm
- There's a history of psychosis, mania, or certain cardiovascular conditions (the prescriber screens for the medical criteria)
- There's active substance use that hasn't been addressed
- A person is looking for a single session or a "one-shot" intervention — KAP doesn't work that way, and I don't practice it that way
- A person is looking for recreational or experiential use — this is clinical work, not a psychedelic experience market
If KAP isn't the right fit, I'll say so. There are other paths, and I'll help you think about which one might serve you better.
Safety and screening
KAP is a medical procedure as well as a psychotherapy. Every client goes through:
- A medical evaluation by the prescribing physician, including a review of medications, cardiovascular history, and psychiatric history
- A psychological evaluation by me, including trauma history, substance-use history, and attachment history
- An explicit informed-consent process covering risks, alternatives, and what we will and will not do
- A safety plan for the time between dosing sessions
Ketamine is a well-studied medication with a long history of anesthetic use, but its use for psychiatric conditions is still an evolving field. Peer-reviewed evidence supports its utility for treatment-resistant depression and shows promise for PTSD and chronic anxiety, but the long-term trajectory of KAP is not fully mapped. I'll be honest with you about what the evidence supports and where we are extrapolating.
What I won't do:
- Prescribe ketamine (I'm not licensed to — the prescriber does)
- Offer at-home or unsupervised sessions
- Promise any specific outcome
- Continue KAP if it's not working for you — we'll stop and try something else
What KAP isn't
A note on framing, because the public conversation about ketamine is noisy and it's worth being clear:
KAP is not a psychedelic experience service. The goal is therapeutic, not experiential. Some sessions feel profound; others feel routine. Both are useful.
KAP is not a cure. It's a tool that, in the right container, can unstick work that has been stuck. Whether that unsticking holds depends on the integration that follows — which is to say, on you and me, not on the medicine.
KAP is not a shortcut. Some people come to KAP hoping to skip past the slow, painful work of therapy. It doesn't work that way. KAP changes the conditions under which the work is possible; it doesn't replace the work.