How to Choose a Therapist for Ketamine Assisted Pychotherapy
When you feel ready to embark on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, the options for a therapist to bring along on your journey may feel daunting. To begin with, many infusion clinics do not have therapists on staff, so you may receive your ketamine without any integration or intention-setting. Make sure you are choosing a clinic with multiple clinicians who provide KAP integration, so as to truly reap the benefits of this modality.
Some clients may want to do KAP with their regular therapists, which is, unfortunately, not an option due to the very distinct nature of ketamine treatment. Given that you will probably need to choose a new clinician for your ketamine work, how do you make this important choice?
For Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, it is critical that you have a clinician that inspires a feeling of calm and safety.
For some individuals, they may more easily succumb to the psychedelic experience and the heart-opening event of ketamine work if they are guided by someone of their own gender. Choosing a ketamine therapist is a good moment to follow your instincts, and listen to your natural preferences. Sometimes you feel a natural lightness when you're with an individual and do not feel like you need to over-explain or mask your experience.
It is incredibly important that you open yourself up during ketamine. If the clinician doesn’t feel emotionally safe, it may cause you to not go as deep into your experience due to moments of embarrassment or discomfort.
Decide if you would like a more active style of therapeutic engagement or a more hands-off technique.
Feel free to ask your clinicians how they stylistically approach ketamine work. Do they ask a lot of questions during the journey, encouraging their client to engage? Will they prepare a meditation for the beginning of the session or draw intention cards? Is the clinician trained in therapeutic touch, and will they employ it?
Some clinicians will hold a space of complete silence, allowing themselves to be non-directive to their client’s experience. While this is useful to some, others find that they do not have as valuable of an experience when they are not being led down a certain path.
Most good ketamine clinicians are able to do either approach, or a flexible hybrid, depending on the client’s needs and preferences.
Choose a clinician who honors and engages with your taste in music, scents, and environment.
The environment in which ketamine therapy occurs is extremely important for your journey. Our brain needs something to hold on to, so music is crucial and can often influence the rhythm and tone of the journey. Similarly, scents should be selected based on the client’s preferences, with a range between activating and relaxing based on the purpose of the journey. Feel free to express to your clinician your need for a warm or heavy blanket to support your comfort.
Your Ketamine-Assisted Therapist should be cognizant of and in congruence with your goals in treatment.
The most valuable trait of a good KAP therapist is willingness to work dynamically with you and the other clinicians on your case. You may ask your KAP therapist to be in communication with your regular therapist, your partner, or anyone else who is emotionally invested in your journey. These conversations help define a clear direction for ketamine work, including memories that need to be processed, emotions to be expressed, and even anxiety goals.
At Kairos Wellness Collective, we have three KAP clinicians: Natalia Aíza, Matthew Williams, and Jessa Buchalter. Each have their unique styles, personalities, and approaches. Our clinicians are flexible to meet our clients needs. Please contact us to speak for a free consultation with a KAP practitioner and we will match you with the best clinician, depending upon your preferences.
