Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
A medicine can open a door. The work is learning how to walk through it.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can create access to parts of experience that have been difficult to reach through insight alone. For some people, the medicine may soften familiar defenses, loosen rigid patterns, deepen contact with the body, and create enough psychological space for something new to become possible.
At Embodied Illumination, ketamine is held within an ongoing therapeutic relationship.
The work begins before the medicine and continues long after the session ends. Preparation, intention, relational safety, somatic attunement, integration, and the larger arc of psychotherapy all shape what the experience can become.
We approach KAP with respect for both its promise and its complexity. The aim is to help you engage the experience in a way that is grounded, supported, and connected to the life you are actually living.
What The Work Includes
Preparation
Preparation helps us understand what you are carrying into the experience.
We may explore your history, current symptoms, relationship patterns, previous treatment, expectations, fears, support system, nervous system capacity, and the parts of you that may have different feelings about entering an altered state.
Preparation may also include intention-setting, grounding practices, discussion of the physical and psychological effects of ketamine, and planning for what will help you feel supported before, during, and after the session.
The goal is to enter the experience with enough orientation that curiosity can remain available, even when something unexpected emerges.
Why ketamine can matter
Many people arrive at ketamine-assisted psychotherapy after years of doing meaningful work.
They may understand their history. They may recognize the patterns. They may have learned the language of trauma, attachment, grief, depression, or nervous system regulation. They may be highly reflective and deeply committed to healing.
And still, some patterns can remain difficult to reach.
The body may continue to brace. Old relational expectations may still organize closeness, conflict, or vulnerability. Shame may return quickly. A sense of possibility may narrow under stress. The nervous system may remain caught in familiar loops of vigilance, urgency, collapse, numbness, or overfunctioning.
Ketamine can sometimes create a temporary shift in these patterns. That shift may allow you to encounter emotions, memories, sensations, perspectives, or parts of yourself with greater openness and flexibility.
The experience itself matters.
What you are able to do with that experience afterward matters just as much.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at Embodied Illumination
KAP here is woven into a broader course of trauma-informed psychotherapy.
Our work may include attention to attachment, developmental trauma, family systems, identity, grief, chronic illness, relational dynamics, somatic experience, and the protective strategies that have helped you move through the world.
We are especially attuned to people who learned to survive through competence, caretaking, emotional intelligence, achievement, vigilance, or self-erasure. These capacities may have become genuine strengths while also making it difficult to know what you need, receive care, tolerate uncertainty, or remain connected to yourself in relationship.
Ketamine may help create enough internal space to experience these patterns differently.
The therapeutic relationship helps us understand what emerges.
Preparation helps establish safety, language, intention, and orientation.
Somatic attention helps us notice how the body participates in the process.
Integration helps connect the experience back to your relationships, choices, boundaries, identity, and daily life.
Over time, the medicine and the psychotherapy become part of the same unfolding process.
Working with trauma
Trauma often organizes itself across multiple systems at once.
It may live in memory, but also in posture, sensation, sleep, pain, dissociation, relationships, vigilance, shutdown, perfectionism, caretaking, and the ways the nervous system anticipates what might happen next.
Ketamine may make some of these patterns more visible or more accessible.
We approach that access with care.
The goal is not to overwhelm the system or force contact with material before you are ready. We pay attention to pacing, capacity, grounding, and the protective intelligence within the responses that developed over time.
When trauma material emerges, we work with it in context.
We ask what it means, where it lives in the body, what it protects, how it appears in relationship, and what new experience may now be possible.
The ketamine session
During the medicine session, the therapeutic environment is intentionally quiet, supported, and spacious.
Depending on your treatment plan, the session may include music, eyeshades, somatic awareness, limited verbal guidance, and therapeutic presence. Some experiences are highly visual or emotional. Others feel spacious, symbolic, relational, physical, or difficult to describe.
There is no single correct way for a ketamine session to unfold.
Our role is to help create a container in which your experience can emerge with as much safety, agency, and support as possible.
We remain attentive to your body, your level of contact, the quality of the altered state, and the relational field around the experience.
Integration
Integration begins after the medicine session and continues as the experience settles into the rest of your life.
We may explore what you remember, what you felt, what changed, what confused you, what remains unresolved, and what the experience seems to be asking of you now.
Some material may be immediately clear.
Other aspects may take time to understand.
Integration can include conversation, somatic tracking, parts work, attachment exploration, journaling, art, contemplative practice, behavioral reflection, and attention to the ways the experience begins showing up in your relationships and daily choices.
The aim is to help insight become lived experience.
The relationship remains central
Ketamine can create powerful states of openness, vulnerability, and altered perception.
The quality of the therapeutic relationship matters deeply within that process.
We pay attention to trust, attachment, boundaries, power, pacing, transference, and the ways old relational patterns may become more visible when familiar defenses soften.
This can be especially important for people with developmental trauma, histories of relational harm, chronic self-reliance, or experiences in which vulnerability has not always been met safely.
The relationship becomes part of the place where new experiences can be recognized, practiced, and integrated.
Who may be drawn to KAP
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy may be appropriate for some people living with:
Depression or treatment-resistant depression
Trauma or PTSD
Developmental or complex trauma
Anxiety
Grief and significant life transition
Chronic illness or medical trauma
Persistent shame or self-criticism
Emotional numbness or disconnection
Repetitive relational patterns
Long-standing protective strategies that have remained difficult to shift
A sense of being psychologically stuck despite meaningful previous therapy
Some people are drawn to KAP because they have reached a plateau in conventional psychotherapy. Others are seeking greater access to embodied or emotional material, increased psychological flexibility, or a different way of relating to themselves.
Suitability is always individualized.
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Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy requires medical evaluation and individualized screening before treatment begins.
Medical and psychiatric history, current medications, cardiovascular health, neurological conditions, substance use history, current stability, and available support all matter when determining whether ketamine may be appropriate.
Embodied Illumination coordinates the psychotherapeutic portion of care within the appropriate clinical and medical structure.
The prescribing and medical components of ketamine treatment are handled by qualified medical providers.
No treatment is assumed to be appropriate until screening is complete.
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Ketamine experiences vary widely.
You may notice changes in perception, time, body awareness, emotion, imagery, memory, or sense of self. Some people experience a feeling of spaciousness or distance from familiar patterns. Others encounter grief, tenderness, fear, symbolic imagery, bodily sensations, or memories that feel newly accessible.
There may be moments of beauty, confusion, insight, uncertainty, or very little narrative content at all.
You do not need to make meaning of everything while it is happening.
Often, the work is allowing the experience to unfold and returning to it later with curiosity.
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The hours and days following ketamine can carry their own sensitivity.
You may feel clear, tender, tired, emotionally open, grounded, unsettled, connected, or uncertain.
We help you plan for this period in advance.
Rest, hydration, reduced stimulation, supportive relationships, journaling, gentle movement, time in nature, and space for reflection may all be useful depending on your needs.
Integration sessions provide a place to revisit what emerged and understand how it connects with the larger arc of your healing.
The process continues as the experience becomes part of the way you live.
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Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges.
In our partnership with Journey Clinical we use the sublingual lozenge form.
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There is no universal number of sessions. Treatment planning depends on your goals, history, response to the work, medical recommendations, and the larger course of therapy.
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Some people speak very little during the medicine session. Others may want occasional support or grounding, while others prefer to engage throughout the journey. The amount of interaction is shaped by your experience and what is clinically appropriate in the moment.
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The structures can be very different. KAP at Embodied Illumination places significant emphasis on preparation, therapeutic relationship, trauma-informed care, somatic awareness, and integration. The medicine is held within a larger psychotherapeutic process.
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No. Ketamine has medical and psychiatric considerations and requires individualized screening. If KAP does not appear to be an appropriate fit, we will discuss other directions for care.
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What is the Process for Lozenge-Based Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?
If you choose to work with ketamine lozenges through Journey Clinical in combination with psychotherapy through my practice, treatment is approached as a collaborative, trauma-informed process that includes careful assessment, preparation, medicine sessions, and integration support. The goal is not simply symptom reduction, but creating the conditions for meaningful and lasting change.
1. Comprehensive Assessment & Medical Evaluation
The process begins with both a clinical and medical assessment to determine whether ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is an appropriate fit for your needs, goals, history, and current level of support.
Medical Evaluation with Journey Clinical
You will schedule an evaluation with a licensed Nurse Practitioner or physician from Journey Clinical via secure telehealth. During this appointment, they will:
Review your medical and psychiatric history
Assess current medications and possible contraindications
Evaluate safety considerations and appropriateness for ketamine treatment
Provide education about ketamine, potential effects, risks, and expectations
Develop an individualized prescribing and monitoring plan
If approved, Journey Clinical will prescribe a carefully titrated ketamine lozenge protocol tailored to your needs. Initial prescriptions are typically sent directly to your home pharmacy and generally include enough medication for the first several sessions.
You will also receive guidance regarding:
Blood pressure and safety monitoring
Medication interactions and contraindications
Safe administration procedures
Telehealth safety requirements
What to expect physically and psychologically during treatment
Careful screening and monitoring are considered best practice in ketamine-assisted treatment and are essential for supporting both safety and therapeutic effectiveness.
Psychotherapy Assessment & Treatment Planning
In our early sessions together, we will also explore:
Your goals and intentions for treatment
Trauma history and attachment patterns
Current symptoms and stressors
Emotional regulation capacity and support systems
Previous therapy experiences
Relationship to altered states, spirituality, or psychedelics
Current life circumstances and readiness for deeper therapeutic work
Preparation is not simply logistical. Research and clinical practice increasingly suggest that outcomes are significantly shaped by therapeutic alliance, preparation, psychological safety, expectations, and post-session integration support.
2. Preparation Sessions
Preparation sessions occur before any ketamine dosing session and are considered one of the most important parts of the process.
These sessions help create emotional safety, build trust, clarify intentions, and strengthen your ability to navigate non-ordinary states of consciousness with greater openness and resilience.
Preparation may include:
Psychoeducation about ketamine and altered states
Discussing intentions, fears, hopes, and expectations
Learning grounding and resourcing practices
Exploring themes or patterns you would like to work with
Establishing safety and consent agreements
Creating a supportive “set and setting”
Discussing music, environment, touch boundaries, and support needs
Planning for post-session integration and care
Ketamine experiences can range from calming and insightful to emotionally intense or disorienting. Challenging material is not considered a “bad trip,” but often part of the therapeutic process when approached with support and curiosity.
Research and provider consensus increasingly emphasize that integration actually begins before the medicine session itself.
3. Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (Dosing Session)
Ketamine sessions may occur either remotely via secure telehealth or in-person in my office, depending on clinical appropriateness, safety considerations, and your treatment plan.
A typical lozenge-based KAP session lasts approximately 2 hours, including preparation, medicine time, and initial grounding afterward.
During the session:
You will self-administer your prescribed ketamine lozenge
You will be in a comfortable reclining position
Eyeshades and a carefully curated music program are often used to support inward focus
I remain present throughout the experience to provide support, grounding, and therapeutic guidance as needed
Experiences may include:
Deep relaxation
Altered perception of time or body awareness
Emotional release
Symbolic or dreamlike imagery
Access to memories, emotions, or insights
Experiences of spaciousness, interconnectedness, or self-transcendence
Some individuals remain verbally engaged throughout the session, while others move into a quieter internal process. Both are normal and welcome.
Although ketamine can produce dissociative effects, current evidence does not suggest that dissociation itself is the mechanism of healing. Rather, ketamine appears to support increased neuroplasticity, cognitive flexibility, emotional processing, and shifts in entrenched patterns.
An integrative approach that combines ketamine with psychotherapy, intentional preparation, and integration support may enhance outcomes beyond medication alone.
Telehealth Safety Requirements
If participating remotely:
You must have a safe, quiet, private environment
A trusted support person/chaperone must be physically present and available during the session
You may not drive or operate machinery afterward
If participating in-office:
You must arrange transportation home (Lyft and Uber are ok)
Driving is prohibited until the following day
4. Integration Sessions
Integration is where insights begin to become lasting change.
Following your ketamine session, we will meet for integration therapy to help process and make meaning of what emerged during the experience and how it connects to your daily life, relationships, nervous system patterns, and healing goals.
Integration sessions may include:
Exploring emotional themes, imagery, or memories
Supporting nervous system regulation
Processing grief, trauma, or difficult material
Translating insights into behavioral change
Deepening self-compassion and self-understanding
Supporting relationship repair and communication
Encouraging pacing, self-care, and embodiment practices
Tracking shifts in mood, functioning, and meaning-making
Integration is not viewed as a single follow-up session, but an ongoing process that unfolds over time and often continues between medicine sessions and long after treatment ends.
Research increasingly supports the importance of psychotherapy and integration support in helping sustain ketamine’s benefits and translating neuroplasticity into meaningful psychological and behavioral change.
5. Ongoing Monitoring & Follow-Up
Journey Clinical’s medical team will continue to monitor your treatment response and prescribing needs through periodic follow-up appointments.
This may include:
Reviewing symptom improvement and side effects
Monitoring safety and medication response
Adjusting dosing protocols when appropriate
Coordinating care collaboratively with me as your therapist
Frequency of follow-up appointments varies depending on your treatment plan and clinical needs, though medical reassessment is required at minimum every few months.
Throughout treatment, we also continue evaluating:
Clinical progress
Emotional safety and stabilization
Integration capacity
Whether ongoing KAP remains clinically appropriate and beneficial
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is most effective when approached as part of a larger healing process that includes therapeutic relationship, nervous system support, meaning-making, and integration into daily life.
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My Hourly Rate
$225/hrTreatment via Journey Clinical
Medical Intake: $250 (One-time fee, reimbursable through out-of-network)
Follow-up Sessions: $150/Session (minimum of 1 per quarter, reimbursable through out-of-network)
Cost of Ketamine Lozenges: $75 for approximately 4-6 treatment doses (not covered by insurance).
Beginning the process
The first step is a consultation.
We will talk about what is bringing you to KAP, what you have already tried, what you are hoping for, and what your current support system looks like. We will also discuss the medical screening process and whether this approach appears to fit your needs.
You do not need to know exactly what you want the experience to do.
We can begin with the part of you that knows something needs more room.