Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. It is a legal, FDA-approved medication. Some consider Ketamine to be a psychedelic, though its method of action differs from the classical psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline). On ketamine, one may experience a feeling of detachment or separation from the body. People also often experience an expanding of consciousness. Ketamine is generally considered to be safe and well tolerated. Acute effects of oral ketamine are relatively short in duration, lasting 60-120 minutes.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a therapeutic process combining the use of legally prescribed ketamine with structured psychotherapy to support psychological healing, insight, and emotional processing. At Kettle Cove Counseling, KAP is utilized specifically as a clinical tool to support recovery from addiction. While ketamine is a psychoactive substance, its use here is highly structured, supervised, and purposeful–designed to disrupt addictive cycles and leverage neuroplasticity for long-term recovery.

A few different ways.

• Neuroplasticity and "Circuit Breaking": The creation of a temporary window of neuroplasticity that allows the brain to bypass rutted addictive pathways and build new, healthier connections. 

• Reduced Cravings and Urges

• Enhanced Self-Awareness: Ability to observe one's own triggers and internal narratives from a new perspective, facilitating deeper insight into the root causes of addictive patterns. 

• Emotional Release and Healing: The processing of underlying emotional material. Many individuals report experiencing somatic relief following their experience.

• Reduction of Co-occurring Symptoms: Improvement in symptoms stemming from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other factors that often accompany and fuel the addictive process.

• Spiritual Dimension: Many individuals describe having a “mystical experience,” that serves as a tool toward a deeper spirituality. For those in long-term recovery, these benefits can deepen the quality of recovery by addressing spiritual plateaus.

Everyone’s recovery journey is unique. What is appropriate and helpful for one person can be inappropriate and harmful for another. Ketamine can be a useful tool at many junctures on one's spiritual path, and can help those in sustained recovery move beyond plateaus and ruts. If you are considering utilizing ketamine (or other psychedelics) as a tool in your development, we provide room to explore a path forward that honors your unique recovery experience. For those who decide to move forward with KAP, careful attention is paid to differentiating the therapeutic experience from past substance use patterns. 

While high-frequency, unstructured ketamine use carries addiction risks, supervised administration with controlled, spaced dosing carries a minimal risk profile for addiction. Kettle Cove Counseling utilizes safeguards to minimize risk of psychological and physical dependence, including careful preparation and integration of the experience.

I generally set aside three hours for a KAP session. You’ll arrive at my office (you will not be able to drive yourself home, so you will need to arrange a ride to and from the session). Once you’re here, we’ll take a minute to get grounded and review intentions. You will have independently obtained your prescribed ketamine prior to the session, and you will bring it with you. When you’re ready, you will place the prescribed dose under your tongue.

The medicine will likely come as a “troche” which is a waxy sort of tablet, maybe half the size of a Starburst, that you hold under your tongue for 10-15 minutes as it dissolves. The medicine is mostly absorbed sublingually, and you may either spit the medicine out at this point or swallow it, depending on what was discussed with your prescriber and between us during preparation. (Ketamine has limited bioavailability in the stomach, meaning that most of the available medicine is absorbed through the membranes under your tongue and in your mouth. Swallowing allows access to slightly more of the medicine for a stronger effect, and people often experience a longer “tail” if the medicine is swallowed.)

You will have access to eye shades and headphones, allowing you to completely go inward. I will curate a playlist ahead of time based on our collaboration to facilitate the journey. My sofa is very comfortable and long enough for taller folks to lie down comfortably, with a variety of pillows and blankets. As you journey inward and outward and back over the next 2-3 hours, I will be in the room at all times supporting your journey

When you and I agree that you are ready to leave the office, your designated ride will pick you up. We will meet within the next 48 hours for an integration session.

We won’t know for sure until we’ve met once or twice, but in general, from an addiction/recovery standpoint: 

KAP can work well for those who are in sustained recovery and looking to go deeper. 

KAP can work well for those caught in a chronic relapse cycle--someone who wants to change their relationship to the addictive object, can put together a few weeks here, a month there, but keeps slipping back to old habits eventually.

KAP can be difficult for those in active substance addiction to take full advatage of. One question you might ask yourself is, can I complete a week of abstinence from the substance? If the answer is no, you might not be ready for KAP yet. (NOTE: Withdrawal from substances, especially alcohol and benzodiazepines, can be extremely dangerous and in some cases fatal without medical oversight. If you experience withdrawals when stopping using a substance, please consider utilizing an ATS/Detox facility. You can search for services in Massachusetts through the MA Substance Use Helpline.)

KAP medicine sessions take place in-office only at our location in Beverly, MA. Preparation and integration sessions may be held virtually, when appropriate.

Preparation and integration sessions are often billable to insurance. The medicine session itself is generally not covered. Superbills are available upon request.