TO YOUR HEALTH
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy... ...continued from page 11 administration are intramuscular (IM) and sublingual lozenges. Most KAP clinics use lozenges for the therapy sessions because of ease of administration. However, the protocol for KAP varies greatly among clients . Depending on what the client is treating, he/she can receive between 1-12 KAP sessions over the course of several weeks. The most common way to conduct an in-office KAP session is for the client to be medically cleared first by a medical provider and be prescribed the medicine. Once the medicine is prescribed, the KAP session takes about three hours and is conducted in a comfortable, quiet, office setting that allows the client to lie down or lie back in a comfortable chair. The session is facilitated by a licensed, trained KAP therapist and begins with preparation for the “journey”. While the preparation on the day of the journey is tailored to each individual, it can include spiritual rituals, energy work, meditation, journaling, and anything else that can help the client feel safe and set intentions. “Intention setting” is an important part of the journey as it involves the client very mindfully naming what they intend to explore, process, or release in their journey. The preparation of the journey also helps the client go into a relaxed state to allow for maximum neuroplasticity. Once the client self-administers the ketamine lozenge, the journey begins and lasts about 45-75 minutes. The experience is meant to be very introspective, and is accompanied by an eye mask and a curated ketamine playlist to help facilitate the experience. When the journey is complete, the therapist helps the client process and integrate any sig- nificant material or experiences that occurred during the journey. The purpose of this period of “integration” is to fully merge the experience into the client’s everyday life. A follow-up integration session is also completed within several days of the journey in order to continue to fully incorporate any insights that often arise days after the ketamine journey. A holistic treatment approach involves addressing the mind, body and spirit as all necessary parts of the process in order to fully heal. KAP has the ability to address all of these parts of the person. Here are some ways ketamine helps facilitate this process that other healing modalities do not possess.
Mind: To recap, research has shown ketamine rapidly alleviates depressive symptoms with sustained efficacy; in comparison with traditional antidepressants that take weeks to be effective, ketamine works in a matter of hours or days. Ketamine modulates glutamate receptors and as a result, it promotes neuroplasticity. Specifically, ket - amine allows the brain to make new synaptic connections, therefore making it much easier to engage in new behaviors and thought pat- terns. This is important not only for rapid antidepressant effects, but also for countering the atrophy and synapse loss often associated with chronic stress and depression. This neuroplasticity also makes ther- apy more effective due to decreasing the discomfort often associated with change. Body: While high doses of ketamine are used for aesthetic purpos- es, at lower subanesthetic doses, ketamine is used for pain manage- ment due to its effects on the perception and modulation of pain. This is important for pain management, and also for comorbid depression and mental health issues that often accompany chronic pain clients. Research has also shown ketamine may have anti-inflammatory prop - erties, which is an additional benefit for both pain clients and clients with autoimmune disorders. Spirit: While other therapies address the mind and the body, they do not address the spirit. When using higher doses of ketamine, clients often experience and report altered states of consciousness that can be accompanied by mystical and spiritual experiences. These experiences can be described as a feeling of being connected to everyone and ev- erything, and a feeling of being connected to a higher power. A com- mon experience of individuals who have a spiritual experience is “ego disillusionment”— or the “transcendence of self”, which gives people profound insight regarding their existence. This enhanced insight and dissolution of parts of the self can be very enlightening, freeing, and revelatory in the path through healing. Ketamine and KAP is a relatively new treatment modality. It car- ries many benefits other treatments do not carry due to its efficacy, safety, and rapid relief. It is also a safe treatment option for individu- als who have experienced treatment resistance or are just looking for a tool to help with trauma processing, resilience, improved insight, and spiritual growth. While 6-8 sessions are the recommended length of treatment, benefits can often be experienced after one session and are a good complement to talk therapy. While this treatment can be expensive, some parts can be reim- bursable by insurance. This therapy is considered an investment in your healing and wellness and can significantly decrease the amount of time someone is in therapy. By addressing the mind, body, and spir - it, this treatment is very promising for long term relief that we hope continues to help individuals heal. Dr. Eleni Boosalis is a licensed clinical psychologist and trauma therapist who has been practicing for 20 years. She integrates Ket - amine Assisted Psychotherapy, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and spir - ituality into her therapeutic approach. She is the co-founder/owner of Del Ray Psych & Wellness and the Wellness Junction, a holistic wellness center in the Del Ray Neighborhood of Alexandria, VA. Vis - it www.delraypsych.com to learn more about individual and group KAP offerings.
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64—PATHWAYS—Fall 24
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