Integrated Ketamine Assisted Therapy
A completely personalised team-based approach to your mental wellness.
We blend self-care, mindfulness, and psychotherapeutic approaches into a series of sessions with a trained ketamine therapist.
Ketamine Assisted Therapy can help with
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post traumatic stress disorder
- Substance use disorder
What is Integrated Ketamine Assisted Therapy (iKAT)?
Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAT) is the combination of the administration of ketamine with a therapeutic component to treatment such as talk therapies or somatic based therapies and has been used in this manner since the 1970s. Ketamine is an atypical psychedelic which can be used as a tool to create the experience of a non-ordinary state of consciousness, as well as allowing you to be more open which can aid in the psychotherapeutic processes that happen in therapy.
Our iKAT program takes your care a level deeper and provides the support, the structure and the services offered by our dedicated and compassionate practitioner and staff team to provide a real opportunity for a transformation in your health and wellness. You will receive treatment that is structured for you individually with your story and needs in mind with the goal of improving your quality of life through relieving difficult mental health symptoms.
Phases of Integrated Ketamine Assisted Therapy:
Intake
Intake
Is the process of determining if ketamine assisted therapy is safe and the right treatment for you. This involves a medical assessment, a therapeutic assessment and may also include a consultation with one of your care providers or additional investigations such as labs or an ECG. Unfortunately not everyone is eligible to have this therapy.
Preparation
Preparation
Is the therapeutic and other processes that take place prior to the ketamine assisted therapy sessions. Our team will help to determine the best treatment course for you, work with you to establish desired outcomes, prepare you with what to expect during the KAT sessions, answer any questions and provide you with all of the information you need to provide informed consent. In this phase you will have your individualised treatment plan created by your multidisciplinary care team.
KAT Sessions
KAT Sessions
You will be set up in a private and comfortable room lying down and will receive a dose of ketamine in the form of a dissolving tablet or an intramuscular injection by a nurse. Ketamine creates a non-ordinary state of consciousness that may elicit a shift in your perspective, your sense of self or the world. Your therapist will be with you during the session to support your experience as it unfolds. Within an hour the effects of the ketamine have lessened and you will have time to relax before going home.
Integration
Integration
Is your process of meaning making that takes place after your KAT sessions. You may be left with new thoughts, ideas, feelings, and understandings. Your therapist will be there to assist you in processing this new material, working with your experience and its impact on you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and how it all relates to your everyday life.
Intake
Is the process of determining if ketamine assisted therapy is safe and the right treatment for you. This involves a medical assessment, a therapeutic assessment and may also include a consultation with one of your care providers or additional investigations such as labs or an ECG. Unfortunately not everyone is eligible to have this therapy.
Preparation
Is the therapeutic and other processes that take place prior to the ketamine assisted therapy sessions. Our team will help to determine the best treatment course for you, work with you to establish desired outcomes, prepare you with what to expect during the KAT sessions, answer any questions and provide you with all of the information you need to provide informed consent. In this phase you will have your individualized treatment plan created by your multidisciplinary care team.
KAT Sessions
You will be set up in a private and comfortable room lying down and will receive a dose of ketamine in the form of a dissolving tablet or an intramuscular injection by a nurse. Ketamine creates a non-ordinary state of consciousness that may elicit a shift in your perspective, your sense of self or the world. Your therapist will be with you during the session to support your experience as it unfolds. Within an hour the effects of the ketamine have lessened and you will have time to relax before going home.
Integration
Is your process of meaning making that takes place after your KAT sessions. You may be left with new thoughts, ideas, feelings, and understandings. Your therapist will be there to assist you in processing this new material, working with your experience and its impact on you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and how it all relates to your everyday life.
Why ketamine?
There are many reasons which make ketamine suitable and ideal for use with certain mental health conditions. Due to its use in other areas of medicine it has a well understood and excellent safety profile that make it appropriate for a wide range of people. Ketamine’s side effects are generally short-acting and self-limiting and are easily managed with medications to treat things like nausea as needed.
The effectiveness in research is promising! Ketamine has been researched most often for depression, using a series of low dose IV infusions which shows an improvement in approximately 70% of people. For conditions other than depression there is less data available but is being researched actively and is still showing promising results. Always, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of treatment and this will be discussed with you with our treatment team.
Ketamine is ideal for use with therapy because it is a short acting medication with the peak effects being under an hour, unlike some other psychedelics which have effects for up to 12 hours or more. The total time needed for your KAT session is approximately 3 hours.
Do I need a referral for ketamine assisted therapy?
We do not require a referral, but it is important for us to get to know you, your medical and mental health conditions and ensure that this is a safe and appropriate therapy for you and that the benefits outweigh the risks. We can do this through a series of appointments with our team, reviewing your medical records and through consulting your current care providers. It is important to remember that not everyone is eligible for KAT.
Take the next step with us:
One of our iKAT Intake Coordinators will contact you.
Ketamine FAQs
For other questions like these, head to the helpful FAQ on the Ketamine Assisted Therapy Association (KATA) of Canada’s website.
