Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
Some things require a different kind of door.
For many people, long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is the avenue for depth work and healing and there is nothing that replaces the slow, relational process of being truly known by another person over time. The therapeutic relationship itself is medicine.
And yet. There are places that are hard to reach with therapy alone. Patterns that have been examined from every angle and still haven't fully shifted. Grief that has been witnessed and still hasn't fully moved. A layer beneath the layer is often felt but not as accessible.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is not a replacement for therapy. It is a complement to it. It’s a tool that can open doors that have remained closed and it can create conditions for change that feel genuinely new. Offered here within the same relational, attachment-informed, depth-oriented container that guides all of the work in this practice.
This work is offered in Denver, Colorado and Seattle, WA.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Ketamine is a legal, FDA-recognized medicine with a growing body of evidence supporting its use in the treatment of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions where traditional approaches have reached their limits.
Unlike conventional ketamine clinics, which often administer the medicine in higher doses but with minimal therapeutic support, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy integrates the medicine experience into a full therapeutic relationship. Preparation, the session itself, and integration afterward are held together within a therapeutic context, continuity and care.
What makes this approach distinct:
Ketamine temporarily interrupts habitual thought patterns — the ruminating loops, the stuck places, the grooves that even years of therapy haven't been able to smooth. It creates a window of neurological openness that the therapeutic work can move through.
Ketamine increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) — supporting neuroplasticity and the brain's capacity to form new patterns, connections, and ways of relating to itself.
Ketamine enhances relational and emotional openness — many people find they can access feelings, memories, and insights during and after ketamine sessions that are difficult to reach in ordinary states of consciousness.
Ketamine does not require tapering off existing medications — it can be used alongside current antidepressants or other psychiatric medications, making it accessible to people who are already in treatment and want to go deeper.
What the process looks like:
Our work begins with getting to know you — your history, your goals, and whether KAP feels like a good fit. If we move forward, I will refer you to a trusted psychiatric nurse practitioner or psychiatrist for a prescribing consultation. If ketamine is appropriate, you'll receive an oral lozenge prescription, which you'll pick up directly from a pharmacy.
KAP is typically offered as a series of 6–8 sessions, each approximately 2.5 hours, preceded by 3–6 preparation sessions. After each medicine session, we meet for integration and will explore meaning-making from the experience and weaving insights into your daily life as you experience an increased capacity to shift long-standing patterns of behavior and thinking.
For some people, creating a ceremonial or psychospiritual container deepens the work. If that resonates with you, we can thoughtfully shape the space together. If you prefer something more grounded and clinical, we do that too. This is always a collaboration.
To explore whether KAP might be right for you, reach out for a consultation
Questions Worth Asking
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Ketamine produces a dissociative state where ordinary perception shifts, the sense of time loosens, and the usual boundaries between self and experience become more permeable. Many people describe a dreamlike quality, a sense of floating, or a feeling of deep inner spaciousness. Some experience vivid imagery, unexpected emotions, or profound insights. Others find it quieter and more subtle. The experience is genuinely different for every person and can vary from session to session. What most people share afterward is a sense of having accessed something they couldn't reach before.
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Yes. Ketamine at therapeutic doses does not render you unconscious. You will be aware, though your awareness will be altered. You will be able to communicate if needed, and will be attended to throughout the experience. You are never alone in the session.
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Ketamine sessions last approximately two to two and a half hours. The medicine itself is active for roughly 45 minutes to an hour, and the remaining time is for gentle transition back to ordinary awareness and initial integration conversation. You will need someone to drive you home so we will discuss that agreement ahead of time. Plan to rest for the remainder of the day. Most people feel grounded and themselves again by the following morning.
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No. You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home after every ketamine session. This is non-negotiable and a condition of the work. Please plan for this in advance.
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Difficult experiences during ketamine sessions are possible and are not necessarily a sign that something has gone wrong. Sometimes what arises is precisely what needs to be met. The therapist’s role is to hold the container with presence and care, help you stay oriented, and support you in moving through whatever arises rather than moving away from it. Preparation sessions exist in part to equip you for the full range of what might come so that you arrive resourced and ready.
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In most cases, yes. One of ketamine's advantages is that it does not require you to taper off existing medications before beginning. It can be used alongside SSRIs, SNRIs, and many other psychiatric medications. The prescribing nurse practitioner or psychiatrist will review your full medication list during the medical consultation and advise accordingly. Benzodiazepines are the primary exception as they can significantly reduce ketamine's effectiveness and may be a contraindication.
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A series of six to eight ketamine sessions is recommended for most people, along with three to six preparation sessions beforehand and integration sessions following each medicine session. The exact number is determined together based on your history, your intentions, and how the work unfolds. This is not a fixed protocol, it is a responsive and relational process.
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Some people notice a shift after the first or second session. Others find the change more gradual, emerging through the integration process over weeks. Ketamine's antidepressant effects can begin relatively quickly compared to traditional medications, but the deeper work of pattern change and integration takes time. The preparation and integration sessions are where that deeper work happens.
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Ketamine does have a potential for misuse, which is why it is prescribed and administered carefully within a structured therapeutic protocol. At therapeutic doses, in a clinically supervised context, the risk of dependence is considered low. The prescribing process and the structured nature of this work exist in part to ensure the medicine is used responsibly and intentionally.
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Both medicines work through non-ordinary states of consciousness to create access to healing that talk therapy alone sometimes cannot reach. Ketamine tends to produce a shorter, more dissociative experience and is often a gentler entry point for those newer to this kind of work. It can also be particularly effective for treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. Psilocybin mushroom experiences are typically longer, more immersive, and often more emotionally and spiritually expansive. For some people, ketamine is the right first step and psilocybin becomes available later. For others, psilocybin is what's calling. This is one of the things we explore together in the consultation call. There is no wrong answer only what is genuinely right for you and where you are right now.
Fees
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is not covered by insurance. All sessions are out of pocket at $150 per session.
A full course of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, including preparation, administration, and integration sessions, typically represents a total investment of $1,500 to $3,000 depending on the number of sessions needed. This is determined collaboratively and transparently throughout the process.
A superbill can be provided for preparation and integration sessions if you wish to seek out-of-network reimbursement through your insurance provider.