Ketamine + Cannabis Assisted Therapy

Ketamine Assisted Therapy

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine Assisted Therapy

Delve into the historical roots of Ketamine, renowned for its pain-relieving properties and widespread use as a dissociative anesthetic since the 1960s. Originally developed in Belgium for animal anesthesia, it gained FDA approval as a human anesthetic in 1970. Notably, it played a vital role in treating injured soldiers during the Vietnam War. (https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/what-does-ketamine-do-your-brain).

Ketamine is known for its psychedelic and hallucinogenic effects, which can induce a sense of detachment from pain, including mental, physical, and emotional distress. Unfortunately, this quality has led to its misuse in non-medical settings such as clubs and concerts, contributing to its negative reputation.

Ketamine induces a hallucinogenic and hypnotic state, reducing pain sensitivity and promoting relief from trauma, PTSD, chronic pain, treatment-resistant depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, eating disorders, and OCD. Its efficacy is supported by extensive scientific research.

Ketamine can be administered via intravenous (IV) infusion, lozenge, nasal spray, or injections. Our preferred method involves a lozenge placed under the tongue, obtained through a consultation with a qualified medical provider, such as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) or Psychiatrist. Ketamine is strictly available by prescription from a licensed medical professional.

Understanding Ketamine and the transformative effects on our brain and nervous system:

Through the integration of ketamine therapy within a supportive therapeutic relationship, we collaborate to address your specific challenges. Studies suggest depression may stem from connectivity issues among nerve cells in mood-regulating brain regions. Unlike SSRIs, which require gradual buildup, ketamine acts swiftly on neurotransmitters, offering immediate relief and fostering neural growth. While it carries potential long-term effects and addiction risks, when administered under supervision, it's deemed safe. Research, like that conducted at Yale University School of Medicine, highlights its rapid efficacy in alleviating depression symptoms. Learn more about the benefits of ketamine therapy for depression from experts like Dr. Keming Gao, MD, PhD.

The Effect on the Brain and possible side effects:

Through the incorporation of ketamine therapy within a supportive therapeutic alliance, we collaborate to address your specific challenges. Research suggests depression may arise from connectivity issues among nerve cells in mood-regulating brain regions. Unlike SSRIs, which require gradual buildup, ketamine acts swiftly on neurotransmitters, offering immediate relief and fostering neural growth. While it carries potential long-term effects and addiction risks, when administered under supervision, it's considered safe. Studies, including research conducted at Yale University School of Medicine by Dr. Keming Gao, MD, PhD, highlight its rapid efficacy in alleviating depression symptoms. Discover more about the benefits of ketamine therapy for depression.

Into the Lens of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Sessions:

After our initial 30-minute complimentary consultation, our first session focuses on establishing a therapeutic relationship and understanding your goals, intentions, and challenges, known as a mental health assessment. Ketamine treatment requires a prescription from a qualified medical provider, such as your PCP, Psychiatrist, or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.

During your medical assessment, typically lasting 1.5 hours and priced around $350, we discuss your treatment plan, provide insights into the psychedelic session, and offer resources for further exploration. Additionally, we identify your support system and discuss coping strategies and self-soothing techniques. It's important to note that you may still be under the influence after the session and will need transportation home. You'll also sign a consent form confirming your understanding of refraining from driving for the remainder of the day.

Transformation and Healing during your Ketamine sessions:

Feel free to bring your own comfort items like a blanket, eye pillow, water, and music, including your prescribed ketamine lozenge. Sessions are three hours long, allowing ample time for discussion and preparation before self-administering the lozenge. I'll be present throughout, offering support with grounding techniques and meditation practices. Together, we'll navigate the dissociative journey, typically lasting 30 to 90 minutes, to address challenging emotions and behavior patterns. Afterward, time is provided for mindfulness, journaling, and regrouping. Please arrange for transportation home as you may still be under the influence

Integration and Somatic Awareness:

The integration session provides dedicated time to explore any lingering experiences or altered states of consciousness following your ketamine session. You may identify themes, patterns, or bodily sensations that emerged and wish to integrate these insights into your daily life. Together, we'll navigate these experiences, fostering awareness and trust in the healing potential of psychedelics. Our work extends beyond the session, as continued processing is crucial for addressing uncovered challenges. Integration is a deeply personal journey, and I'll follow up to offer ongoing support and resources tailored to your needs.

Example of a Ketamine treatment process:

The recommended course of treatment typically involves 6-9 sessions, encompassing intake, ketamine sessions, and integration. If we have an existing therapeutic relationship, treatment may be as few as 6 sessions; otherwise, it may range from 9-12 sessions for new clients. Here's a breakdown of the session schedule:

1 & 2: Intake, support, expectations, and Q&A (1-hour sessions)

3: Ketamine session (3-hour session)

4: Integration session (1-hour session)

5: Ketamine session (3-hour session) scheduled one month later

6: Integration session (1-hour session)

This structured approach ensures comprehensive support and guidance throughout your ketamine therapy journey.

Is it a good fit for you?

Ketamine therapy may not be suitable for individuals with certain medical conditions, including vascular disorders (such as hypertension, angina, history of heart attack or stroke), hyperthyroidism, severe liver disease, pregnancy, psychosis or schizophrenia history, ongoing mania, or current use of benzodiazepines, stimulants, or MAOIs. Patients are advised to consult their healthcare provider to assess individual risk factors and potential benefits before initiating ketamine therapy.

If traditional methods have yielded little success, consider exploring Ketamine therapy—a deeply personal journey that may offer transformative healing. As your guide, I'm here to support you every step of the way.

Schedule a complimentary 30-minute online consultation to discuss your questions, goals, and concerns, and determine if Ketamine therapy is right for you.

Integration is key to maximizing the benefits of therapy, extending beyond our sessions to your daily life. This may include creative practices like drawing, painting, or journaling, as well as reflection on insights gained during our sessions. Together, we'll explore how these experiences can inform your journey towards healing and personal growth.

3 hour session minimum, $480

If you are a new client there is a 6 hour minimum for these treatments (investment, $960

*At this time I do not accept insurance.

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Cannabis Assisted Therapy

Integrating microdosing with cannabis into a supportive therapeutic relationship can facilitate breakthroughs and healing in areas that may have previously seemed insurmountable. Often, obstacles to relief and personal growth are subconscious. Cannabis can help alleviate these barriers, allowing for full processing and release of what has held you back. It offers a respite from the weight of personal challenges, potentially expediting your healing journey. Combining cannabis with clinical interventions can accelerate progress, particularly for those who have felt overwhelmed or stuck. By tapping into your body's wisdom, this approach enables a profound healing experience at the visceral level, harnessing the innate potential of your autonomic nervous system (ANS).

Cannabis

Strengths:

Enhances body sensation and awareness, aiding in the prevention of dissociation and promoting embodiment.
Facilitates deprogramming of self-judgments by offering insights into the internal family system and the representation of different aspects within the mind.
Encourages a heightened experience of emotions, counteracting emotional numbness.
Induces a shift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system mode, promoting relaxation and stress reduction.
Provides access to stored memories, facilitating resolution of troubling or traumatic experiences.
Increases awareness and sense of agency in navigating past and present life situations.

What is a stress response?

The stress response encompasses physical sensations and thought responses triggered by your perception of different situations. This can lead to the release of substances such as adrenaline and cortisol, with organs responding in programmed ways to challenging or threatening circumstances.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn: These are natural bodily reactions to stressful, frightening, or dangerous events, aimed at keeping you alive when your body perceives danger.
Mind-Body Connection: Due to the close connection between the mind and body, when we genuinely believe we are in danger, our body initiates a stress response as if the threat were real. This is because the brain interprets thoughts as reality, often leading to stress responses triggered by imagined scenarios. Anxiety attacks can be triggered by frightening thoughts, prompting a heightened stress response regardless of actual danger.
Trauma and Stress Responses: Trauma or stress can be stored deep within the sympathetic nervous system, which can be triggered by reminders of the trauma. Physical reactions to perceived threats may include shaking, sweating, stomach pain, rapid heart rate, panic sensations, breath holding, or various emotional responses.

Challenges:

Cannabis Effects and Stress: Cannabis use may evoke feelings of paranoia, unpleasant experiences, or anxious thoughts for some individuals. This can trigger stress responses, as the body reacts to perceived threats based on the mind's interpretation of the situation.
Perception of Threat: The intensity of the stress response correlates with the perceived level of danger. Believing you are in minor danger may elicit a mild stress response, leading to physiological, psychological, and emotional changes. Conversely, perceiving grave danger can evoke a heightened stress response and significant bodily changes.
Managing Stress: Recognizing and managing stress responses is crucial, especially when induced by factors like cannabis use. Understanding the mind-body connection and employing coping strategies can help mitigate adverse reactions and promote overall well-being.

**While the stress response can trigger significant physiological changes, it's essential not to fear them or their effects. This response serves as the body's survival mechanism, acting as a friend in times of genuine peril. Instead of perceiving the stress response and its effects negatively, consider it as your ally during hazardous situations and circumstances.

Therapeutic Goals

Sovereignty:

The capacity to take responsibility.
The ability to be present and responsive to the world.
Maintaining boundaries of psychological space.
Becoming one's authentic and powerful self with self-control.
Owning and accepting oneself fully, including flaws and imperfections.
Factors hindering sovereignty:
- Feelings of powerlessness (trauma).
- Self-doubt (lack of self and external trust).
- Seeking external solutions.
- Fragmented internal parts and roles (internal family systems).
- Attachment wounds (lack of belonging).
- Dissociated memories (missing parts of life).

Self-Love/Acceptance:

Reconnecting with oneself, others, and the world.
Seeing the self as a witness and higher self.
Cultivating unconditional self-love.
Achieving congruence with inner and outer self.
Developing compassion and understanding for all experiences.
Trusting subconscious processes and innate value.
Genuine appreciation for life.
Obstacles to self-love:
- Negative childhood programming (perceived badness).
- Experiences of humiliation (feelings of worthlessness).
- Relational wounds (abuse and neglect).
- Separation from parts (soul loss).

Contraindications

Unfortunately, cannabis-assisted therapy may not be suitable for individuals with bipolar disorder, personality disorders, or schizoaffective disorders due to varying efficacy. Furthermore, while recreational cannabis use may have its benefits, the therapeutic experience of using cannabis under the guidance of a trained therapist is markedly distinct. It transitions into a deeply intuitive and supportive encounter during therapy. Even regular cannabis users often find unexpected therapeutic benefits from intentional medicinal use. Cannabis-assisted psychedelic therapy is open to individuals aged 21 and above, provided they possess a valid, unexpired ID for purchasing cannabis products. While I can offer personalized recommendations for cannabis strains, clients are responsible for bringing their cannabis to our sessions.

Please be aware: Screening for cannabis abuse will be conducted prior to treatment. Unsafe cannabis use will not be tolerated, and all therapy sessions are conducted in a controlled clinical setting.

If you find this interesting and you are ready to make a change in your healing process, please reach out for a free, 20-30 minute online consultation with Kat Partch, Wisdom Within.

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