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.


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