Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy In Denver CO
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Are you experiencing mental health symptoms that months or years of hard work, medication, and therapy don’t seem to fully resolve?
Have you ever been told your mental health condition is “treatment-resistant”?
Have you tried multiple medications and still haven’t found the relief you are seeking?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. Millions of Americans are suffering from depression, PTSD, OCD, and other conditions that have not responded fully to the currently available treatments.
There is hope. You may be a candidate for a cutting-edge mental health treatment:
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine is a fast-acting, highly effective treatment for depression that has not responded to other treatments. Additionally, it shows promise in the treatment of PTSD, OCD and Eating Disorders. Ketamine has a completely different mechanism of action from any other antidepressant medication and offers hope to the millions of people who have not found adequate help through therapy and medication alone.
Ketamine is proven to break the cycle of treatment-resistant depression in over 70% of patients
The dissociative experience of Ketamine can disrupt dysfunctional cognitive patterns associated with Depression, Anxiety and PTSD
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine has been used as a safe and effective anesthetic for over 50 years. Ketamine has been FDA-approved since 1970 and has been administered billions of times worldwide. It is most often used as an anesthetic for minor surgeries and emergency pain relief. It is on the World Health Organizations’ list of essential medications. Ketamine is considered a very safe medication when administered under medical supervision to individuals who have been medically cleared, are adequately monitored, and follow basic before and aftercare instructions.
In the last two decades, ongoing research on the mental health application of Ketamine has shown it to have significant antidepressant properties. Studies of Ketamine have shown substantial benefit for people experiencing “treatment-resistant depression” (meaning they had tried two or more medications without substantial benefit) with over 70% of participants responding positively to the treatment.
At the Catalyst Center we believe combining the biochemical benefits and the transformational psychedelic experience of ketamine maximizes the impact of this cutting-edge treatment
Biochemical Benefits
Ketamine normalizes the brain’s default mode network activity. Think of the DMN as your brain’s usual mode of operation, the DMN is active when you are in wakeful rest such as daydreaming or mind wandering, it is also active when you are thinking about others, thinking about yourself, remembering the past, and planning for the future. Resetting the DMN can create an opportunity to get unstuck from negative thinking patterns and establish hope for a healthier future.
Ketamine also enhances neuroplasticity by significantly increasing Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Increased neuroplasticity can help undo the loss of neural connection commonly caused by long-term depression.
Finally, Ketamine blocks receptors for glutamate, a neurotransmitter associated with brain inflammation and excitotoxicity. Inflammation is another common factor in people with long-term depression.
These mechanisms are not found in other antidepressants and appear to help explain the rapid, powerful antidepressant effects of ketamine.
Transformational Psychedelic Experience
In the low doses used for mental health treatment (around 5-10% of what is typically used in anesthesia), Ketamine can induce a dissociative psychedelic experience. Most people feel disconnected from their bodies. You might revisit memories from your past, experience emotional release, or gain insight into your life situations. With the proper preparation and dosage, people can encounter a mystical experience. They return to describe feeling connected to a higher power and often report deep personal or transpersonal insights.
Ketamine psychedelic experiences can be deeply meaningful and offer an opportunity for profound personal transformation. Adequate therapeutic support is crucial to integrating the transformational experience of Ketamine, otherwise, your journey may remain an “interesting experience” rather than eliciting profound personal transformation. Our Ketamine therapists are all fully trained in psychedelic integration and will work with you to prepare for and integrate the experience. Together you and your Ketamine therapist will work to bring the insights gained from your experience to fruition in your life.
In our opinion, combining the biochemical and transformational psychedelic aspects of ketamine maximizes positive gains for our clients
Change Begins Here
The Catalyst Center Difference
Our Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy program offers fully supported Ketamine experiences; you will be medically monitored by our on-site medical staff and you will never be left alone during your Ketamine experience. You will be accompanied by your Ketamine therapist or one of our trained Ketamine assistants from beginning to end of your experience. In addition, you will work with one of our team of highly trained Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy clinicians to prepare for your experiences and to integrate your insights following your Ketamine journeys.
We believe The Catalyst Center Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy model prioritizes your comfort and maximizes the effectiveness of Ketamine for mental health conditions.
In contrast to The Catalyst Center model, typical Ketamine Infusion Clinics offer a more medicalized experience. These sites generally administer Ketamine but do not provide any pre or post-therapeutic support (though most recommend therapy, you are on your own to find someone trained to work with psychedelic integration, a very niche specialty). You would typically be in a room alone, or with other patients all being administered Ketamine in a room together with remote medical monitoring (like a video monitor) and a nurse or medical assistant checking in if needed.
People can have very intense emotional experiences during or just after their Ketamine experience, and we believe having adequate therapeutic support is vital to maximizing the benefits and reducing the risks of an adverse experience. The Infusion center model relies solely on the biochemical benefits of Ketamine and leaves out the transformational components we believe are vital to maximizing the benefit you receive from Ketamine.
Our Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) program integrates Ketamine and therapy into a three-week intensive program designed to maximize the benefits you may receive from Ketamine treatment
You will be guided through each step in the process by our compassionate and highly trained staff.
Ketamine Intensives at The Catalyst Center
Intake and Medical Screening
You and our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner will meet to discuss your medical and mental health history, answer any questions you may have about ketamine, and weigh the pros and cons of KAP for your specific situation. If you are medically cleared and together with our medical team determine that KAP is the right treatment for you, then you will move on to one of our KAP programs.
Preparatory Sessions (1-2 sessions before you begin Ketamine)
You and your KAP therapist meet for one or two sessions to discuss your history and set intentions for your Ketamine Experiential Sessions. You will talk through what to expect and explore your preferences for how your therapist can support you during and after your experiential sessions.
Ketamine Experiential Sessions
You will be fully supported medically and therapeutically throughout each of your Ketamine Experiential Sessions. Sessions are approximately two hours with additional recovery time as needed. Plan to take the rest of the day off on your Ketamine Experiential Session days and to have a ride home.
Integration Sessions
You and your KAP therapist will meet in the days following each Ketamine Experiential Session to integrate what came up for you in your experiential session and more deeply internalize the experience.
*Additional integration sessions can be booked if desired following the three-week intensive.
Begin Your Journey
Meet Our Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Team
We are proud to note that all of our KAP therapists have completed a year long intensive and are
Certified Psychedelic Assisted Practitioners.
Adrienne Long, PMHNP-BC
Sarah Long, PsyD, CEDS
As a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS), Dr. Sarah Long believes strongly in the healing potential of psychedelics, including Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), for those suffering from eating disorders and co-occurring trauma, anxiety, and depression. She is also passionate about working with clients who are experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, and are healing from all types of trauma.
Allison Kalivas, MA, MFTC
Kendra Doukas, MS, LMFT
Katie Godfrey
Katie is excited to see The Catalyst Center utilizing KAP. Katie believes KAP has the potential to truly help those struggling with the effects of trauma, PTSD, or depression or those who are interested in a more introspective life experience. She loves seeing clients gain a greater connection to the world around them when utilizing KAP. Katie also specializes in working with couples and the LGBTQ community.
Joey Tadie, PhD, LCP
Erin Jacklin, PsyD, LCP
Karmen Thulin, PsyD, LPC
Further Reading
Learn More about the Research on Ketamine for Major Depressive Disorder
Learn the Difference between Ketamine and Esketamine (Spravato)
Read about Psychedelic Integration Therapy
Our Blog
Why Preparation is Helpful for Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is an approach to mental health treatment that involves the use of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, in combination with psychotherapy to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including, but not limited to, depression,...
Three Reasons Why I am Inspired by KAP
By Joey Tadie, PhD, Certified Psychedelic Assisted Therapist I have been deeply inspired by the experiences I have had working as a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) provider. After training to become certified as a KAP provider last year, I have had the...
The Importance of Setting for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
When using psychedelic medicines such as ketamine for emotional or spiritual healing, the setting where you take the medicine will play a significant role in determining what sort of an experience you will have. The “setting” broadly refers to the physical, spiritual,...
How KAP Helps with Cultivating and Sticking with New Year’s Resolutions and Goals
Each January, many reflect on the previous year and set out to make changes or growth desired for the new year. New Year’s resolutions are a common tradition at the start of the year, but many struggle to fulfill their resolutions, even as we are just a few weeks into...
How to Set Intentions for KAP
One of the core elements of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is to set an intention for your ketamine experiences thoughtfully. This broadly refers to deciding what personal growth, insight, or healing you want to pursue as you take the medicine. Some examples of...