Ketamine-assisted therapy proceeds in several steps, from the initial meeting through psychiatric and physical assessments and preparatory meetings to the actual ketamine experience and subsequent integration sessions. You can read what the individual steps entail in more detail on this subpage dedicated to the specifics of ketamine-assisted therapy.

The foundation of ketamine-assisted therapy is to combine the benefits of psychotherapy with the pharmacological effects of ketamine in order to capitalize on the potential of both modalities. Ketamine has a direct anxiolytic and antidepressant effect. At the same time, it induces a state of expanded consciousness – a state of altered perception, thought, and experience, where one often comes into contact with a whole range of emotions and memories that are less accessible in the normal state of consciousness. This experience is then integrated into everyday life.

To put this in simpler terms: taking ketamine alone can make you feel better for a few days; however, your issues are likely to return. If you go to psychotherapy, it is possible that, despite all your efforts, you will not be able to resolve some problems, typically those that are lodged very deep within. And this is something that can happen in a ketamine session. Thus, ketamine-assisted therapy combines ketamine and psychotherapy to achieve longer-term relief and even greater improvement in mental health.