Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Breckenridge, Colorado

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) brings together ketamine treatment with preparation, psychotherapy, and integration.

Ketamine has been studied most extensively for depression, particularly treatment-resistant depression. For some people who have not responded adequately to other treatments, ketamine may offer another treatment option to explore with a qualified medical provider.

During a ketamine session, changes in perception, emotion, body awareness, imagery, and your usual patterns of thinking can create a different context for psychotherapy.

The ketamine experience is one part of the process. The therapeutic work involves preparing for the experience, staying curious about what emerges, and exploring how it connects with your ongoing life and treatment.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is currently available in person only in Breckenridge, Colorado.

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Who Is Ketamine Treatment For?

The strongest evidence for the psychiatric use of ketamine is currently around major depressive disorder, particularly treatment-resistant depression.

Treatment-resistant depression generally refers to depression that has not adequately improved after previous evidence-based treatments.

Whether ketamine is appropriate for you depends on your diagnosis, symptoms, treatment history, medical history, medications, and other individual factors.

Before beginning ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, you will complete a separate evaluation with the prescribing medical provider to determine whether you are an appropriate candidate for treatment.

Ketamine for Depression Is an Off-Label Treatment

It is important to understand the difference between the off-label use of ketamine and Spravato (esketamine).

Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. It is not FDA-approved for the treatment of depression or other psychiatric disorders.

When ketamine is prescribed for depression or another mental health condition, it is being prescribed off-label by a qualified medical provider.

Off-label prescribing is a recognized part of medical practice in which an approved medication is prescribed for a condition or in a manner outside of its FDA-approved labeling.

Spravato (esketamine) is different. It is a ketamine-derived nasal medication that has received FDA approval for specific depressive disorders, including treatment-resistant depression in adults.

The ketamine used in my KAP practice is not Spravato, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy should not be understood as an FDA-approved treatment protocol.

What Does the Research Say?

Ketamine has been studied extensively for its antidepressant effects, particularly in people with treatment-resistant depression. Research has found that some patients can experience reductions in depressive symptoms relatively quickly compared with traditional antidepressant treatments.

Research specifically examining ketamine-assisted psychotherapy — the combination of ketamine and psychotherapy — is still developing.

Early studies are promising, but researchers have not yet established how much psychotherapy adds to the effects of ketamine itself or what form of psychotherapy works best alongside ketamine.

I think it is important to be transparent about that distinction.

My approach uses psychotherapy to help you prepare for the experience, work with psychological material that may emerge, and integrate the experience into your ongoing therapeutic process.

What Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Look Like?

KAP generally involves three parts:

Preparation

Before working with ketamine, we spend time understanding what brings you to treatment, your history, expectations, concerns, and what you hope to work with.

Preparation also gives us an opportunity to talk about the experience itself and how we will approach whatever may emerge.

Ketamine Session

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions take place in person in Breckenridge, Colorado.

During the session, ketamine may create changes in perception, emotion, imagery, body awareness, and your usual sense of self.

There is no particular experience you are supposed to have.

Some experiences may feel meaningful or emotionally significant. Others may be subtle, confusing, or difficult to put into words.

My role is to provide a supportive therapeutic environment and help you stay in relationship with what is happening.

Integration

The experience itself is not the end of the work.

Integration gives us a chance to explore what emerged and how it relates to your emotions, relationships, patterns, body, and everyday life.

Sometimes that involves making meaning of an experience.

Sometimes it means sitting with something we do not completely understand yet.

My Approach to KAP

My approach draws from somatic psychology, transpersonal psychology, depth-oriented psychotherapy, mindfulness, and my experience working with psychedelic and other non-ordinary states.

I tend to approach ketamine experiences with curiosity rather than trying to interpret them too quickly.

We may pay attention to emotions, memories, sensations, imagery, symbolic material, relationships, or questions of meaning that arise.

There is room for experiences that feel psychological. There is also room for experiences that feel existential, spiritual, symbolic, or difficult to categorize.

We do not have to force meaning onto the experience.

We can start with what actually happened and what continues to feel important afterward.

Medical Screening & Prescribing

Ketamine is a prescription medication and is not appropriate for everyone.

Before beginning KAP, you will complete a separate medical evaluation with a qualified prescribing provider.

The medical provider determines whether ketamine is appropriate based on factors including your diagnosis, psychiatric and medical history, medications, treatment history, and potential risks.

The prescribing provider is responsible for:

• Medical and psychiatric screening

• Determining eligibility for ketamine treatment

• Prescribing ketamine

• Medication-related instructions and decisions

• Medical questions related to ketamine treatment

My role is providing the psychotherapy, preparation, and integration components of the process.

When appropriate and with your permission, I can coordinate care with your prescribing provider.

Cost & Insurance

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a private-pay service and is not billed to insurance.

KAP sessions are paid for out of pocket.

You will also need to complete and pay separately for the required medical evaluation with the prescribing provider.

The medical evaluation, prescription, medication, and any other prescribing-related expenses are separate from my psychotherapy fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Interested in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

If you are exploring ketamine treatment for depression and would like to learn more about the psychotherapy component, we can start with a brief consultation.

We can talk about what brings you to treatment, answer questions about the process, and determine whether taking the next step toward a medical evaluation makes sense.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is offered in person in Breckenridge, Colorado.