Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

“Psychedelic psychotherapy is an attempt to go after the root causes of problems with relatively few administrations.”

Rick Doblin, Founder and Executive Director, MAPS



I am committed to helping clients find wellness through the intentional and compassionate use of expanded states of consciousness in an ethical and legal manner.

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is an anesthetic medicine. It is classified as a dissociative anesthetic. In low doses, it is useful for pain relief (analgesic) and to reduce anxiety (anxiolytic). Most recently, it’s off label use has been shown to improve a variety of mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety and PTSD. It is legal and available only by prescription and it is now considered a potent psychedelic.

What is KAP?

I believe that ketamine as a psychiatric medicine is best utilized in conjunction with psychotherapy in a model called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). This approach takes advantage of ketamine’s ability to promote deeper states of self-awareness and accelerates its healing potential. In KAP preparation sessions, we will collaborate to best prepare you for understanding the insights that typically arise during the ketamine medicine sessions. In working with clients undergoing KAP treatment, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of integration for optimal benefits. Integration sessions which occur after the medicine sessions help you to make sense of what arose for you in ketamine sessions and apply these insights to make positive and lasting changes in your life.  I am grateful to be trained to offer KAP  (in close collaboration with a medical provider) to my clients as a legal, safe, unique and transformative treatment option. During the initial screening session with a medical provider you will collaborate to determine whether ketamine is an appropriate medicine for your healthcare needs. If KAP is appropriate for you and there are no contraindications, a specific route of administration and dosing strategy based on your treatment goals and psychiatric history will be outlined. From that point, we will schedule sessions as needed to prepare you for the medicine sessions.

Your KAP treatment teams consist of a licensed medical and myself as your therapist. Both of us are authorized by our respective licensure boards to provide the gold standard of professional psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services.

KAP might be helpful to you if:

  • Prior psychiatric treatments or therapies have been unsuccessful in reducing your symptoms
  • You would like a time out from your ordinary mind and a broadened perspective of your psychological condition
  • You are open to having a spiritual or mystical experience for the purpose of transformation and symptom reduction

Potential benefits of KAP

  • A “time out” from ordinary mind and reality
  • Decrease in negative or obsessive thoughts and negative self talk
  • Profound shifts in perspective on self relationships and worldview
  • A more positive or hopeful outlook on challenging situations
  • Increase in self esteem and self compassion
  • Improve problem solving abilities
  • Increase creativity
  • Potential for spiritual or mystical experience
  • Lessen depressive symptoms
  • Decrease symptoms of anxiety

Affects

low dose sessions may involve mild dissociation, relaxation, mindfulness, lowered defenses, increased feelings of empathy effects, and antidepressant effects.

Moderate dose sessions may involve moderate dissociation, out of body experiences, and an expanded sense of self. High dose sessions may involve full dissociation from body and various transpersonal experiences.

Contact me to see if KAP might be a good treatment option for you.

Gina Searle


Embodiment . Presence . Connection

801-209-6243 - 2225 E. Murray-Holladay Road #108, Holladay, UT 84117