Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

Dr. Ollen received training in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) through Fluence, the leading continuing education organization in psychedelic integration and psychedelic-assisted therapy. She also completed additional training on psilocybin assisted therapy through Cybin.

KAP involves the use of ketamine as a complement to psychotherapy. KAP has the potential to quickly alleviate symptoms in some clients seeking relief from treatment-resistant conditions. This is hypothesized to be facilitated by temporarily increasing neuroplasticity and leading to faster progress in therapy.

For individuals who already have ketamine treatments arranged, Dr. Ollen offers preparation (prior to dosing) and integration (post dosing) sessions. For individuals who do not have a ketamine provider identified, Dr. Ollen can provide referrals.

For those who are seeking more affordable options, she also works in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical, which has a specialized medical team that determines eligibility for KAP, prescribes ketamine when appropriate, and supports monitoring outcomes. Through Journey Clinical, Dr. Ollen offers preparation and integration sessions, as well as dosing-session support via Telehealth or in person in the greater Los Angeles and Santa Barbara areas.

The administration of ketamine in sub-anesthetic doses to treat depression, alcoholism, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other psychiatric diagnoses is a relatively new, off-label use of ketamine. Ketamine is increasingly used as a treatment for various chronic treatment-resistant mental and emotional conditions, often used after other treatment approaches have been unsuccessful. While the scientific data is still emerging, research suggests ketamine may help grow new neural connections once diminished by chronic stress, leaving many people feeling relief. The available research shows a 70% response rate to ketamine in patients with treatment resistant depression, and a remission rate of 40-50%.

FAQ

  • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a therapeutic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to psychotherapy and has the potential to help eligible patients experience more frequent breakthroughs in therapy and improvement in symptoms. Although Ketamine is FDA approved as an anesthetic, please be aware that the FDA has not yet established the appropriateness of KAP and its use is considered off-label. KAP is thus considered an experimental treatment. Ketamine is only available by prescription from a medical provider, physician, or nurse practitioner. It is a drug regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as a Schedule III medication and as such has long been used safely as an anesthetic and analgesic agent.

  • Ketamine is used off-label 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 hours 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. Therapy conducted within this window of neuroplasticity has the potential to have a greater impact than therapy alone without Ketamine.

  • Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray, and sublingually with (oral) lozenges. At the dosage typically self-administered during KAP through oral lozenges, most people experience mild anesthetic, anxiolytic (anxiety reducing), antidepressant and, potentially, psychedelic effects, though these latter effects are typically minimal.