What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and Who is it For?

Written By Moriah Conant M.A.

Ketamine is an FDA-approved anesthetic and dissociative medication. It creates a trance-like state and has been used in research and clinical settings to address treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, substance use issues, and trauma. For years, ketamine has been used for pain reduction and deeper psychological exploration for those who need help accessing their deep consciousness. It has been especially useful for our patients wanting to explore new levels of self-understanding.  

In recent years, ketamine and other psychedelic therapies have shown incredible results with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) combines the helpful medicine of ketamine with the emotional support of a therapist to help you take your healing to the next level.  

What types of issues can KAP help with?

  • Panic attacks

  • Depression

  • Social anxiety

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Complex trauma or Complex PTSD

  • Bipolar Depression

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

If you choose to pursue KAP at Woven Together Trauma Therapy, you will work with a medical professional who prescribes the ketamine lozenges and a trauma therapist who will guide you through the ketamine sessions and the integration sessions. Learn more here. 

Trauma has a way of making us build up walls of emotional protection around ourselves and those walls can prevent our healing (the irony!). At Woven, we combine the use of prescribed Ketamine with the expertise of a trauma therapist to guide a journey toward deeper insight and recovery. 

Maybe you tried lots of treatments and you want to give up because it feels like nothing will help the pain you’re feeling. 

Healing is not hopeless. Ketamine-assisted therapy can help you manage your trauma symptoms and help you get your life back.  

Here’s what research says about psychedelic-assisted therapy: 

About 50% of those with treatment-resistant depression experienced a symptom reduction within 24 hours of their first ketamine treatment. It gets better. About 66% of those same folks experienced symptom reduction after their 4th ketamine session. ketamine-assisted therapy can help you get beyond your blocks and experience a new way of healing. 

Why should I choose KAP instead of other types of ketamine treatments?

There are more options than ever for ketamine treatment. The experience of ketamine is fundamentally changed in the presence of a trained psychotherapist who can help guide your experience. We pay extra attention to helping you feel mindfully grounded, emotionally safe, and psychologically prepared for the experience of a psychedelic intervention. 

Our trauma experts can help guide your experience to make it even more therapeutic and helpful. We curate a journey that can help you create emotional insight, uncover unconscious dynamics, and regain a sense of power and control over your emotional world.  

There are a variety of ways to be treated with ketamine, including nasal sprays, IVs, and lozenges. Many ketamine treatment options are offered in medical settings. This means that you are going through your ketamine experience in stark and sterile settings. KAP provides you with the opportunity to have your ketamine treatment in your own home (with a therapist’s presence over a video call) or in a warm and inviting office.

When you choose Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy at Woven, you will have a trauma therapist working with you every step of the way. They will sit with you during your ketamine sessions and provide support for whatever your experience is like. Then, you will have integration sessions with your therapist after the ketamine sessions in order for you to process memories, emotions, and experiences that came up for you.

Another benefit is that after you complete your ketamine treatment, you can choose to keep working with your therapist in a different form, such as in individual therapy, EMDR, or group therapy. If you’d like additional therapy after your Ketamine treatment is completed, our trained trauma-informed therapists can continue supporting your integration and recovery journey.  

We have options for ongoing support: 

We can make recommendations for ongoing trauma therapy after your powerful Ketamine experience. Want to learn more about how ketamine treats depression? Read this article. If you are curious about the science of ketamine, you can read more here.


If you think that ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a good fit for you, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation today with our therapist matchmaker. (California residents only).

Learn more about our approach to therapy

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What to Expect in Your First Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Session