Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hours after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks.

It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood.

Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement. 

Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.

The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes.

These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature.

Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience.

Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear.

Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.

Journey Clinical is a platform for independent licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while I take on the therapy.

Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.

You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history, determine if you are eligible for KAP and provide education on the treatment.

If eligible, they will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you.

Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions.

You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.

Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions.

Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to settle any questions or doubts and set intentions for the experience. 

My office space is more like a healing sanctuary and the space I hold is sacred. 

I encourage clients to trust my choice of music, as I have created several albums designed specifically for this modality.

We can also use essentials oils to enhance the experience. You will be lying down and can use an eye mask if desired. 

The journey lasts about an hour and most people feel "normal" after a 1.5 or 2 hours. Bringing a healthy snack to eat can help to feel more grounded.

Powerful insights and realizations often happen in the journey and I have found it helpful to record the session and make a transcription to capture the "gold". 

After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for multiple integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session. This is a crucial part of the therapeutic process and so much more healing can take place as we "work" with the material that came up. 

Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical's medical team will monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

Therapy Fees:

My flat fee for the 3-hour session is $480. 

50 min Preparation/Integration sessions are $180.

A minimum of 2 preparation and 2 integration sessions are required. 

Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement. Similarly with my own therapy fees. 

Journey Clinical Medical Fees:

Medical Intake: $250 (One time fee, reimbursable through out-of-network)

Follow-up Sessions: $150/Session (minimum of 1/quarter, reimbursable through out-of-network)

■ Cost of Ketamine Lozenges: approximately $30 for your first two doses, and if you opt in for another 6 doses, those will cost around $75, plus shipping (not covered by insurance)

If you would like to explore the possibility of KAP to reach your therapeutic goals, please e-mail me at [email protected] or call 415-218-0320 to discuss eligibility and next steps.