Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy takes two effective treatments for depression and other mental health disorders and combines them for optimal effect. The integrative mental health professionals at the Rein Center in Iowa City, Iowa, use ketamine medication to reduce symptom severity and enable you to benefit more from talk therapy. Call the Rein Center or book an in-person or telehealth appointment online today to learn more about ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and how it could help you.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is offered at the “psychedelic”, medium to high dose, and “psycholytic” low dose ranges. 

Psychedelic or medium to high-dose sessions allows for a more intense out-of-body or mystical experience. The sessions aim to reduce body and sensory awareness that fosters the dissolution of ego and spiritual liberation. Research demonstrates greater relief from mental health concerns when patients report a mystical experience. During a medium to high dose ketamine assisted psychotherapy session, we recommend the use of an eye mask to enhance the experience and maintain internal focus. Although there will be minimal discourse, your therapist will check in with you periodically and take detailed notes as the medicine subsides and you being to share details of your journey. As the medicine wears off you will spend time discussing and integrating the experience with your therapist. Patients typically are prescribed multiple sessions over several weeks or months.

Psycholytic sessions involve the administration of low doses of ketamine during traditional psychotherapy sessions. Sessions resemble regular psychotherapy with psychotherapeutic interventions, such as reflections and interpretation but allow for a loosening of defenses, and greater access to the unconscious. Patients typically report greater ease when discussing challenging experiences and can access inherent insight and wisdom. During low dose Ketamine sessions, patients maintain conscious awareness and an ability to communicate with their therapist although there may be a reduction in direct verbal output. This type of treatment is conducted in the context of ongoing (medium- or long-term) psychotherapy.

What is ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy combines two highly effective mental health treatments — the drug ketamine and talk therapy.

Psychiatrists at the Rein Center take an integrative approach to healing mental health patients, using a combination of treatments ranging from various psychotherapies to meditation and yoga. This approach addresses the underlying issues that increase your vulnerability to poor mental health rather than just treating the symptoms.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy takes two proven, effective treatments, using each to enhance the effects of the other. Evidence suggests that this technique results in longer-lasting symptom improvement.

How does ketamine-assisted psychotherapy work?

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic drug that’s also used to treat chronic pain. When taken as part of a treatment program for conditions like depression, ketamine can have fast, striking effects. Its main use is in helping patients with treatment-resistant depression that hasn’t responded to other medications and therapies.

Ketamine alters the neural pathways in your brain, changing its chemical composition and freeing you from the burden of trauma. Taking it before your therapy session at the Rein Center allows you to open up about your experiences and thoughts and examine them more objectively.

With your therapist’s guidance, you can understand and process these moments, letting go of harmful emotional attachments and negative thought patterns. Ketamine-assisted therapy also accelerates the recovery process, helping you achieve emotional growth in less time than with therapy alone.

Who could benefit from ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?

Ketamine-assisted therapy could help if you suffer from one or more of the following:

Depression

Depression extracts every pleasant, rewarding emotion from your thoughts, leaving you feeling continually sad, despairing, and worthless.

Anxiety

If you have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), everything in your life is a source of stress, worry, or fear. GAD leaves you in a constant state of emotional arousal that can lead to panic attacks and a fear of leaving home.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

PTSD arises from significant trauma, usually one involving physical or emotional harm and potential loss of life.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy helps to alter depressive thought patterns, enabling you to revisit previous traumas safely, process your emotions, and heal from your experiences. You can take ketamine as a nasal spray or have an intravenous (IV) infusion into an arm vein.

To learn more about ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and how it could benefit you, call Rein Center or book an in-person or telehealth consultation online today.