Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
First, what is KAP?
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) combines the therapeutic benefits of ketamine medicine with depth psychotherapy to facilitate profound emotional processing and healing.
Ketamine is a safe, legal medication with well-documented antidepressant properties, effective in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. By temporarily shifting our ordinary awareness, ketamine creates an expanded state where we can observe our thoughts, emotions, and patterns from a fresh perspective—often leading to new insights, emotional release, and transformed ways of relating to ourselves and the world.
Grief is complex in modern life. How can KAP help?
My approach to KAP is grounded in Francis Weller’s views on grief work, his main insight being that we live in a “grief-illiterate society” that has lost communal structures and ritual practices humans have historically used to metabolize loss. This loss has created a “shadow pandemic”—unprocessed grief manifesting as depression, addiction, rage, and disconnection. This therapy is about reclaiming grief work as essential soul work rather than a problem to fix.
Traditional rituals around grief provide containment and normalization, but most importantly, they create a communal experience of witnessing. Being together, sharing embodied experience with others, and being truly seen and validated is the antidote to the shadow pandemic's symptoms. There is an emphasis on sharing personal experience and listening to each other's unique process without judgment.
KAP offers an additional dimension to this work. The liminal space created through intentional ritual is amplified by ketamine's ability to enhance neuroplasticity, allowing us to metabolize grief that has become stuck or frozen in the body and psyche. These practices honor rather than pathologize the grief experience, creating pathways for healing where traditional methods alone may have fallen short.
Is KAP the right path for you?
KAP can help loosen what feels stuck, illuminate longstanding patterns, and create pathways through pain that have felt immovable.
The clients I support through ketamine-assisted psychotherapy are often seeking a breakthrough they haven't found through other approaches. Most are already engaged in talk therapy but sense they need something more to reach deeper layers of healing.
KAP works best as a complement to ongoing talk therapy rather than a replacement for it. I collaborate closely with both my clients and their primary therapists to determine the most effective approach for their unique needs. Continuing regular therapy sessions during the KAP process is highly encouraged—there is significant benefit to processing experiences and integrating insights while the brain remains in a heightened state of neuroplasticity.
How it works
Ketamine opens a unique space of receptivity—allowing access to unconscious material, new perspectives, and embodied experiences that can be difficult to reach through ordinary talk therapy alone.
KAP is particularly effective for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, or trauma that hasn't responded to traditional approaches. It's also valuable for processing grief, navigating significant life transitions, addressing persistent feelings of disconnection or numbness, working with chronic physical or health conditions, and supporting individuals on the autism spectrum.
The KAP Process
The process for KAP is highly individualized and will look different for each person. We'll begin with a complimentary 20-30 minute consultation call to explore whether KAP is a good fit for you and answer any initial questions.
Structure of Treatment
For each ketamine session, we'll have a preparation session beforehand and an integration session afterward. The preparation work focuses on assessment, setting intentions, and learning how to work with the ketamine experience effectively. I'll consult with both you and your primary therapist to establish a baseline understanding of your mental health history, any prior experiences with psychedelics, and other essential factors to ensure the best possible outcome.
Treatment Timeline
While this varies for each client, I typically recommend a minimum of three ketamine sessions to genuinely assess whether the treatment is progressing effectively. Commitment is essential for KAP to be effective—one session is rarely sufficient to see meaningful results. The work happens not just in the medicine sessions themselves, but in the ongoing preparation and integration that surrounds them.
Logistics
Preparation and integration sessions can be conducted remotely via telehealth. However, the ketamine journeys themselves must be held in-person at my Berkeley office for safety and optimal therapeutic support. A brief preparation check-in is also held immediately before each journey session.
How do I approach our work together?
I have received comprehensive training in working with non-ordinary states of consciousness. Creating a deeply safe, intentional, and nourishing container is of utmost importance to me. Every aspect of our sessions together is designed to support integration, ensuring that the insights and healing from your ketamine experiences become lasting, embodied parts of your daily life.
