In addition to ACT, IFS, and insight-oriented talk therapy methods, I am pleased to also offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a catalyst to psychotherapy to help eligible patients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms. Ketamine's effects on the brain are well known. Ketamine (1) Enhances neuroplasticity by significantly increasing Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (2) Ketamine quiets the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for obsessive negative thinking in depression, anxiety, and , PTSD, and OCD, creating an opportunity to temporarily experience an obsession-free mind (3) ketamine blocks receptors for glutamate, a neurotransmitter associated with brain excitotoxicity and inflammation. The increased neuroplasticity and decreased DMN activity in the brain last for two to three days post-dosing, which allow for enhanced potential for therapeutic breakthroughs.
Richard Schwarz, PhD, father of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, has called psychedelic medicine "the portal to divine wisdom, " implying that these medicines help us get in touch with our inner healer. The results of numerous studies show dramatic reductions in reported levels of depression and anxiety up to 2 years after a course of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are conducting double-blind studies across prominent research institutes (e.g., Johns Hopkins, Stanford, etc), and the results are extremely promising, especially for individuals struggling with anxiety and depressive disorders, OCD, trauma (PTSD, et al.), and addiction. (See Scott Shannon, 2023, "Ketamine: Catalyst for Paradigm Change in Mental Health.")
Please reach out if you are interested in finding out more about this area of my practice. I offer both sublingual and intramuscular (IM) ketamine dosing options.