FOR PATIENTS

You should get the treatment you need

KETAMINE-ASSISTED THERAPY (KAT)

Currently, ketamine is the only legal psychedelic medicine available

What is KAT?

KAT is a therapeutic treatment that integrates ketamine medicine sessions with psychotherapy to reduce emotional suffering. This combination may accelerate the process of growth and change. The psychotherapy appointment following the ketamine experience is known as an integration session. Depending on the provider, the integration session may occur immediately after a ketamine medicine session or within a few days of that ketamine medicine session.

Growing research shows that ketamine as well as ketamine in conjunction with therapy is effective at treating a variety of behavioral health disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, and social anxiety.

What does the research say?

What does KAT do?

It is theorized that KAT accelerates the therapy process. Under ketamine’s effects, the patient is typically able to work through issues more quickly and, overall, ketamine appears to increase the efficacy of talk therapy. Multiple ketamine sessions over time show continued improvements in outcomes and duration of efficacy in many mental health disorders.

How does it work?

Ketamine enhances healing in the brain through multiple pathways. The main action path for Ketamine is on the NDMA receptor site in the brain, increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate. This may enhance mood, decrease anxiety, and decrease the cravings found in addiction.

What happens in the brain?

Neurogenesis or growth of neuronal connections within the brain can occur, along with a decrease in the inflammatory response in the brain and body. Ketamine may ultimately allow for novel connections to be made across areas of the brain that allow for change and healing to take place.

Side effects? Duration?

Sessions may be 90 minutes to 3 hours in length. Side effects to the ketamine medicine session are generally limited to the timespan directly after the session and usually resolve quickly. These include mild nausea, dizziness, derealization, and drowsiness. The time depends mostly on dose, response to the medicine, recovery time, and other factors.

Talk to your health provider about what is right for you

IMPORTANT

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What is Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT)?

For decades, mental health has not had meaningful treatment advances. Scientists now have hope with psychedelic-assisted therapy which involves the ingestion of a psychedelic combined with talk therapy. There is a long history of their use by indigenous communities.

Psychedelics are a class of psychoactive compounds that induce temporary, unique changes in thought, perception, emotion and “feeling state”. "Classic psychedelics” refer to compounds that are serotonin 2A receptor agonists in the brain, such as psilocybin, LSD, and mescaline.

Psychedelics appear to diminish activity in the part of the brain called the default mode network. That network is very involved with operations having to do with our sense of self: how we integrate what’s happening to us in any given moment, with our abiding sense of who we are.

Recent research suggests that certain psychedelic substances can help relieve anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction and the fear surrounding a terminal diagnosis There are dedicated psychedelic research institutes at major academic centers.

Are Psychedelics Legal?

Currently, ketamine is the only legal psychedelic-like medicine available to mental health providers for the treatment of emotional suffering. All other psychedelics are available legally only within the context of FDA-approved research into their uses for depression, anxiety, demoralization, addictions, PTSD and other diagnoses.