Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAP) at BST integrates the transformational power of psychedelic medicine with the personal relationship and scientific grounding of somatic psychotherapy. Working therapeutically with expanded states of consciousness allows us to reach to the very sources of psychological suffering - offering release from our deepest and oldest traumas, and restoring a sense of meaning and belonging that modern life has made increasingly hard to find.

Rather than just “taking your medicine,” KAP weaves ketamine into the the psychotherapy process to deepen and enhance it. At BST, we utilize ketamine only as part of a longer course of therapy, either with one our therapists, or as adjunct to a course of therapy you are pursuing with another practitioner. When you fill out our intake form, please indicate whether you are interested in entering therapy with one of our clinicians or whether you are seeing someone else and want to involve ketamine to support that process.

Introducing Ketamine

Like every psychedelic medicine, ketamine has its own unique character and set of gifts. Its chemical makeup is that of an anesthetic and anti-depressant, and so it offers deep relaxation to the body and an abrupt release from negative and self-critical thought patterns, even at lower doses. As we increase the dose, ketamine enables a kind of “dissociation” - not the kind of shutting down that happens with trauma, but rather a way of letting us observe our thoughts, feelings and memories from a bit of distance, rather than be all rolled up in them. Experiences vary, but consistently include the following possibilities (Wolfson & Hartelius, 2016):

-Deep feelings of peace and joy

-Feelings of ego-dissolution

-Sense of transcending normal time and space

-Reliving of important life experiences, trauma reprocessing

-Feelings of unity with all, interconnectedness with all people and nature

-Sense of sacredness or transcendence

-Out of body experience

-Emotionally intense and meaningful visions

-Encounters with archetypal/spiritual/mythological places and beings

-Death and rebirth experiences

Another rather unique feature of ketamine is its short duration. Our bodies metabolize ketamine very quickly, meaning that the dissociative effects generally last only up to 1 hour. By 2 hours after dosing, you are fully back in your body and your cognitive faculties are back to normal operation. This makes journeying with ketamine much easier to fit in to a full life and less costly than other medicine experiences.

However, the beneficial effects of ketamine last well beyond the end of the session. For several days after each dose of ketamine, you brain remains in an enhanced state of neuroplasticity. This means that the brain is less beholden to the default patterns of neuron firing that keep us stuck in old stories and negative beliefs. This is a valuable window of time during which you may experiment with new ways of thinking and behaving about old challenges, and cultivate new, positive beliefs about self and world. This process is supported by continuing to see you therapist for a number of sessions after the ketamine dosing is complete, to help integrate and consolidate the fruits of your work with the medicine.

What is the Cost of Treatment?

The cost of treatment will vary depending on the individual needs and treatment plan of each client. The total number and frequency of your ketamine sessions is a decision made collaboratively with therapist and your prescriber.

The fees at Brooklyn Somatic Therapy are as follows:

50 minute preparation and debrief sessions:

With staff therapist: $180-250 per session (rate determined by therapist)

With clinical intern: $60

2hr 45m ketamine dosing session:

With staff therapist: 3x established session rate

With clinical intern: $80

A separate set of costs is paid to the prescriber and pharmacy:

Medical assessment with prescriber: $400

Prescription: Approximately $50-$70 for ketamine lozenges

We’re happy to hear from you, whether you are ready to get started on your ketamine journey, or just want to learn more.