What to Expect in Your First Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Session

Written By Moriah Conant M.A.

If you are looking into Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, you might feel overwhelmed by all of the different components of the treatment process. Ketamine is still a newer form of treatment, and it is normal to have a lot of questions. This blog will provide some insight into what your first session will feel like.

When you decide to sign up for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), you will meet with one of our ketamine therapists for assessment and preparation. This first session will be a lot of psychoeducation on what the process will look like. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions, discuss coping skills, and plan out the course of treatment in collaboration with your therapist. The assessment and preparation stage will feel very concrete- we want you to feel secure and confident going into the treatment process. We will discuss consent for the process, and make sure you clearly understand what your experience will look like. We also want to identify your coping skills and supportive people in your life so that you have support throughout the KAP process.

Ketamine treatment is primarily made up of two types of sessions: ketamine sessions and integration sessions. The ketamine sessions are when you will take the ketamine lozenges and the integration sessions are held between ketamine sessions.

Ketamine Sessions

Ketamine sessions are scheduled in 3-hour blocks. When the session begins, you’ll discuss consent and logistics with your therapist, and then they’ll ask you to take your vitals with a blood pressure cuff* to ensure you are within the threshold. If you are, your therapist will invite you to lay back into a comfortable position and instruct you in the process of taking the ketamine lozenges. If you feel any anxiety or discomfort, your therapist will be present to assist you in grounding techniques or coping skills.

You will then begin the inward journey. Ketamine creates a trance-like state, and you will be encouraged to lie back, close your eyes, and wear an eye mask so that you can focus on your experience and block out the external world. Generally, the peak effects of the ketamine will wear off about 40-60 minutes after ingestion. Ketamine sessions are scheduled for 3-hour blocks which allow for time before and after the peak effects of ketamine. You will want that time to prepare yourself for your ketamine experience, and time to slowly come out of your inward journey and readjust to the world. 

After the ketamine wears off, you may not feel ready to verbalize or process your experience. Instead, your therapist may lead you in previously agreed upon grounding or mindfulness techniques to create space for you to internalize your experience and slowly come out of the trance-like state. If you are ready to talk about your experience, you can then share it with your therapist.

Before closing the session, you will take your vitals again.

Integration Sessions

Integration sessions look a little bit more like what you might expect from talk therapy, but with a focus on your experience in the ketamine sessions. These sessions are a place for you to integrate your mystical ketamine experience with the rest of your life. Because ketamine is a dissociative experience, you may initially feel disconnected from the rest of your life.

This point in the process may feel very vulnerable and open for you. This is why it is important to establish safety and coping with your therapist in the preparation part of the KAP process. Your therapist will meet you where you’re at to help you process your experience. You may have had a good, neutral, or even negative experience with ketamine. This is all useful information and provides insight. 

There is no specific protocol for this part of the treatment, it is collaborative between you and your therapist, and your therapist is there to support you. This course of treatment will feel less directive than other forms of talk therapy because its purpose is to integrate your ketamine experience. Integration sessions might feel a little bit more “go with the flow” than other modalities of talk therapy because the course of these sessions incorporates each ketamine session.

In addition to integrating your experience through integration sessions with your therapist, they may encourage you to incorporate practices such as journaling, creative expression, meditation, yoga, use of breath, and body awareness between sessions. 

KAP is very personalized, so there is not a one-size-fits-all description of the experience. 

Curious what KAP is like? Read about this psychotherapist’s firsthand experience with KAP here.

If you think KAP might be a good fit for you, schedule a free 30-minute consultation. (CA residents only). 

If you are interested in other forms of therapy, we offer individual, couples, brainspotting, and EMDR therapy.


*Affiliate link

Learn More About Our Approach To Therapy

Blog
How to Maintain Your Relationship in the Midst of Parenting
How to Maintain Your Relationship in the Midst of Parenting

There are five stages in the family life cycle and the stage of parenting is considered the most stressful. This is the time in which divorce rates are at their highest, sex is at its lowest and couples feel the most disconnected. Here are some ideas to help maintain your relationship during this hectic time.

Psilocybin-Assisted Trauma Treatment, Part II
Psilocybin-Assisted Trauma Treatment, Part II

We might be only a year or two away from legalizing psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, for therapeutic use in the United States. Let’s talk about what that might look like for future trauma treatment.

5 Common EMDR Myths We Hear at Woven
5 Common EMDR Myths We Hear at Woven

With the well-earned buzz around this evidence-based approach to healing trauma, there are also plenty of misunderstandings. Let’s take a look at some common myths so that you are prepared to advocate for yourself and make decisions about your mental healthcare. 

What is Microaggressive Trauma for Asian Americans?
What is Microaggressive Trauma for Asian Americans?

Microaggressive trauma describes the excessive and continuous exposure to subtle interpersonal and systemic discrimination that lead to trauma symptoms like sensitivity to threat, anxiety, and hyperarousal.

Reparenting Your Inner Child: Healing the Past, Embracing the Present
Reparenting Your Inner Child: Healing the Past, Embracing the Present

When I ask myself: “What do all human beings have in common?” I always come to the same conclusion: we all have a wounded child that lives within us. That child may have been wounded by different systems and in different ways, but in the end, even if our identities are filled with privilege, we all have been injured, in one way or another in our early relational dynamics and that is part of being human.

What Should You Do With Your “Situationship”?
What Should You Do With Your “Situationship”?

What is a situationship, you ask? A situationship “is often discussed as being similar to a friends-with-benefits relationship, which usually involves sexual activity without a commitment to be exclusive to each other. The definition further explains that “a situationship is often described as a relationship that is more than friendship but less than a committed relationship.” So what are we to do if we find ourselves in one of these? Below are some ideas!

Psilocybin-Assisted Trauma Treatment, Part I
Psilocybin-Assisted Trauma Treatment, Part I

We’re in our shrooms era. That’s right. I said it. Psilocybin is having a glow-up in the psychotherapeutic community, and we are excited about what that means for future trauma treatments.

What is Inclusive Therapy for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)? 
What is Inclusive Therapy for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)? 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I felt like my White therapist just didn’t get it” or “I quit therapy when my therapist told me to just set boundaries with my immigrant parents.” Don’t get me wrong, I think any therapist of any race can be culturally inclusive with the right training, consideration, and sensitivity. For example, I trust the diverse team here at Woven to be thoughtful of issues of (de)colonization, Asian American frame switching, and being flexible with interventions to consider unique aspects of identity.

Somatic Awareness: Learning how to read your body’s story
Somatic Awareness: Learning how to read your body’s story

Throughout my practice as a somatic trauma therapist, I see patients whose painful experiences muted their connection to the body. For trauma survivors, focusing on their body sensations - even if only for a brief second - can become extremely overwhelming because it brings them back to their experiences of being neglected, abandoned, or abused.  Let’s explore the concept of somatic awareness and to help trauma survivors understand why this practice holds the key to understanding emotions, traumas, and overall well-being.   

Ask a Therapist: What does healing from trauma look like? With Megan Bakva, ASW
Ask a Therapist: What does healing from trauma look like? With Megan Bakva, ASW

You may be feeling vulnerable, hopeful, anxious, excited, uncertain, fearful, or any combination of emotions as you await your first session. Questions like what to expect during a 90-minute intake, what does a regular 45-minute session look/feel like, or how to plan/prepare for therapy in general may be on your mind (or search history). This is completely normal! Megan Bakva, ASW talks about her approach to trauma therapy.

What is Grooming?
What is Grooming?

Some may assume that grooming only happens to children or adolescents, but grooming happens to adults as well. Quite surprisingly, sexual abuse occurs by someone the victim knows 93% of the time. This might include a family member, friend, neighbor, teacher, coach, youth leader, supervisor, etc. Learn more about the common grooming tactics and impacts of grooming here.

What is Racial Trauma?
What is Racial Trauma?

How does racism show up in our body, thoughts, and emotions? People who are familiar with racism may know that it is acknowledged as a public health crisis by the American Public Health Association. But how do daily experiences of racism, discrimination, and microaggressions affect us psychologically and in our trauma symptoms? How does it show up in our bodies, thoughts, and emotions? Let’s dive in.

Dissociation 101
Dissociation 101

Have you ever found yourself scrolling on your phone for hours and then not being able to remember what you watched? Or maybe you feel overwhelmed all the time. Or numb. Does this sound familiar? Let’s talk about the freeze response and dissociation 101.

The Bittersweet Flavors of the Holiday Season                  
The Bittersweet Flavors of the Holiday Season                  

If this time of the year brings up anxiety, depression, hopelessness, or loneliness for you, your body can be at the center of it. For many people, the memories that arise are filled with joy and happiness, for others  - survivors of childhood trauma - the body remembers this season with complex emotions.

How to Survive the Holidays with your Partner
How to Survive the Holidays with your Partner

There are a lot of things happening during the holiday season. Because the holidays are usually very nostalgic for people, it’s almost like our brains are primed to remember all our childhood trauma. So how can we survive the holidays with our romantic relationship intact? JHere are some ideas that might help.

Creating Peace and Joy with your Inner Child this Holiday Season
Creating Peace and Joy with your Inner Child this Holiday Season

Calendar filling up with events? Booking those tickets back to your hometown? A familiar sense of anxiety creeping in? You’re not alone. As the lights and holiday spirit go up around town, many of us are faced with less-than-festive feelings. 

How to use Superbills for Insurance Reimbursement for Therapy at Woven
How to use Superbills for Insurance Reimbursement for Therapy at Woven

One of the most common questions we receive at Woven Together Trauma Therapy is surrounding insurance reimbursement and our superbill process. To help make this a little clearer for you, we have put together some answers to our most-asked questions.

How Medical Trauma Can Impact Relationships
How Medical Trauma Can Impact Relationships

If you’ve ever experienced a medical trauma, a traumatic experience related to the medical setting, you may have noticed some unexpected effects on your relationships. Maybe it’s more challenging than usual to interact with the people in your life and you’re wondering why. 

The Connection Between Trauma and Eating Disorders
The Connection Between Trauma and Eating Disorders

Research suggests that trauma, particularly in early childhood, can increase the risk the developing bulimia, anorexia, and binge-eating disorders.* This is useful information, not only in treating disordered eating, but also because it can help us to understand more about how trauma impacts a person’s development and healing process.

What is Medical Trauma?
What is Medical Trauma?

In the medical setting, the goal is to do no harm and bring healing, but it is rarely this simple. Patients discover they cannot control their circumstances and become vulnerable to the limits of their bodies and the medical expertise of others. Unfortunately, it can be extremely stressful, sometimes to a detrimental degree, to be a patient undergoing medical care.

Fawning Series Part III: What You Want Probably Isn’t What They Want
Fawning Series Part III: What You Want Probably Isn’t What They Want

You know how to read other people and assess for danger (read: rejection) better than you know yourself. That’s where that whole confusing-their-needs-for-yours thing gets so hard to tease apart: fawning can feel like knowing exactly what someone wants and being in alignment with that and that alone. But fawning is actually knowing how to protect yourself (most of the time) from being ignored, unaccepted, or pushed to the side by catering to the potential abandonment-risk-of-a-person in front of you.

Moriah Conant M.A.
Previous

What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and Who is it For?
Next

Let’s Talk About Brainspotting