Ketamine Assisted Therapy FAQ
Scott D. Gilliam, PhD, LMFT
"When both body and mind are at peace,
All things appear as they are:
Perfect, complete, lacking in nothing."
~ Dogen
How Does Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Work?
1. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical
- Scott Gilliam, PhD, LMFT refers you to Journey Clinical through their portal, then you will receive an email to sign in as a patient.
- You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.
- If Journey Clinical’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop your personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan.
- Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write your ketamine prescription, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home (enough for the first 2 KAP sessions). You will be taught to take your vitals (blood pressure and heart rate) and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.
2. Preparation sessions
- Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions. Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to clarify the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions.
3. KAP Dosing Sessions
- A typical ketamine dosing session lasts 2-3 hours and can take place either in-person at Scott Gilliam, PhD, LMFT’s office, or remotely via telehealth.
- You will be recording your vitals (blood pressure and heart rate) before and after dosing. I will post your vital measurements in the Journey Clinical portal.
- During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed.
4. Integration Sessions
- A typical ketamine dosing session lasts 2-3 hours and can take place either in-person at Scott D. Gilliam, LMFT’s office, or remotely via telehealth.
- You will be recording your vitals (blood pressure and heart rate) before and after dosing. I will post your vital measurements in the Journey Clinical portal.
- During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed.
5. Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical
- After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.
FAQ
What is Ketamine?
- Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.
- Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical, we only use the sublingual lozenge form.
How Does Ketamine Feel?
- It’s important to feel both prepared for and open to whatever arises during a ketamine session with a safe and nurturing therapist. The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45-60 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body and facilitate shifts in perception which can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will likely be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you the opportunity to process and discuss your experience. Although it may feel difficult to articulate the experience in the moment, many patients nonetheless feel that the insights gained are clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.
What is the Cost of Treatment?
- Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement.
- Treatment costs include medical intake, and Prescription provided by Journey Clinical, and Psychotherapy costs provided by Scott D. Gilliam, LMFT.
What is the Cost of Ketamine Lozenges?
- $25 for approximately 4-6 lozenges (not covered by insurance). The RDTs (Rapid Dissolving Tablets) are produced by a compounding pharmacy and mailed to you.
What is the Cost of My Hourly Rate?
- $200/hr.
- a KAP session is typically 3 hours. Budget for at least 3 preparation sessions, at least one integration session between journey sessions, and a closing session.
What is Journey Clinical?
- Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team oversees patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring. Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.
What are the Journey Clinical Medical Costs?
First Time KAP Patients:
- Medical treatment: total cost of initial evaluation, treatment plan, and medication for up to 2 sessions: $347*. May be eligible for partial insurance coverage depending on your plan.
- Psychotherapy cost: dependent on KAP practitioner and modality. Depending on the practitioner, psychotherapy may be partially or fully covered by insurance.
Ongoing KAP Treatment:
- Medical treatment: Total cost of 6 additional treatments $313*. May be eligible for partial insurance coverage depending on your plan.
- Psychotherapy cost: Depending on the practitioner, psychotherapy may be partially or fully covered by insurance. Read about our commitment to patient safety and well-being here.
How Do I get Started?
- Call me at: (310) 280-8749, email me at: drscott@soultender.com, or click the button below to schedule an appointment to see if Ketamine treatment is right for you.
Helpful Resources:
1. An Introduction to Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Laying out the basics of an alternative approach to mental health care
Psychology Today, August 31, 2022
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/new-beginning/202208/introduction-ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy
2. Ketamine Lozenges: Here’s How They Work By Graham Pilger for Healing Maps
August 11, 2023
https://healingmaps.com/ketamine-lozenges-heres-how-they-work/
3. Journey Clinical, ‘Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Clinical Evidence
February 28, 2024
https://www.journeyclinical.com/resources/ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy-clinical-evidence
4. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter
January 1, 2020
https://townsendletter.com/ketamine-for-depression-and-mood-disorders-by-zelfand/
On Psychedelics:
Aldous Huxley, author of ‘the Doors of Perecption’ might be the most influential figure for psychedelic researchers today. Through the psychedelic experience, he wanted to achieve an overall understanding of the world and believed that psychedelics could help people with fundamental questions about life (Huxley, 1954). He argued that they can provide direct access to a transcendental reality and become a tool for social change (Benjamin, Marcus, Jennings, Eiland, & Smith, 1996). Walter Benjamin also saw the pursuit of visionary experience as an extension of a rational and intellectual quest and considered consumerism responsible for the loss of ritual in the West – ritual that would facilitate “ecstatic contact with the cosmos” (Huxley, 1954). He argued what many still argue today: the only way to effect social change is to change the relationship of the senses to the world, in other words, change one’s perspective.
Aldous Huxley, author of ‘the Doors of Perecption’ might be the most influential figure for psychedelic researchers today. Through the psychedelic experience, he wanted to achieve an overall understanding of the world and believed that psychedelics could help people with fundamental questions about life (Huxley, 1954). He argued that they can provide direct access to a transcendental reality and become a tool for social change (Benjamin, Marcus, Jennings, Eiland, & Smith, 1996). Walter Benjamin also saw the pursuit of visionary experience as an extension of a rational and intellectual quest and considered consumerism responsible for the loss of ritual in the West – ritual that would facilitate “ecstatic contact with the cosmos” (Huxley, 1954). He argued what many still argue today: the only way to effect social change is to change the relationship of the senses to the world, in other words, change one’s perspective.