KETAMINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

Clients say, “it’s as if the cobwebs are cleared” and report:
Less fear, chronic stress/fatigue/pain
Less addictive behaviors with food, alcohol, cannabis, media
More meditation, yoga, exercise, healthy eating
Taking risks in career, community and ending toxic relationships

What is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is the first substance with psychedelic properties to be approved for clinical use. Due to its tendency to produce a disconnection from our usual way of feeling and experiencing, ketamine is considered a “dissociative anesthetic”..

KAP utilizes the medicine ketamine within the psychotherapy session in order to facilitate growth and change. At low doses given during a therapy session, you will experience a shift in consciousness such as an expanded state of awareness, Research from top universities show entering into an “altered-state of consciousness” can help:

-Relieve depressed/anxious thoughts, feelings, behaviors

  • Aid in forgiveness, grief & loss, processing past traumas

  • Heal from inherited family trauma

  • Grow self-love, self-compassion

  • Foster creativity, spirituality, purpose and drive

  • Access to novel ways of viewing life concerns

  • Freedom from the worries and anxieties of your ordinary mind-states

Is Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy or a Ketamine Clinic better for me?

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

  • Combines ketamine administration with psychotherapy sessions

  • Provides real-time reflection and integration of experiences with a trained therapist

  • Aims to explore underlying psychological issues and achieve deeper, long-lasting healing

Standalone Ketamine Clinics:

  • Focus primarily on administering ketamine

  • May not include accompanying psychotherapy

  • Limited therapeutic support and potentially less depth and sustainability in treatment

Treatment Plans?

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

  • Personalized to individual needs of patients

  • Adjusted as needed for maximum effectiveness

Standalone Ketamine Clinics:

  • May offer more standardized treatment protocols

  • Less finely tuned to the unique needs of each patient

Therapeutic Alliance

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

  • Therapeutic relationship between patient and therapist is a cornerstone.

  • Fosters trust and safety, encouraging deeper psychological work

  • Ongoing support can enhance outcomes and help navigate difficult emotions and insights

Standalone Ketamine Clinics:

  • Limited interaction between patient and healthcare provider

  • Lack of a continuous therapeutic relationship may result in a less supportive environment

Holistic Healing Experience

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

  • Emphasizes a holistic approach to healing

  • Addresses not just symptoms but also root causes of mental health issues. Can lead to more profound and enduring improvements in mental health and overall well-being

Standalone Ketamine Clinics:

  • May provide relief from symptoms, but may not offer the same level of holistic care

  • Underlying issues may remain unaddressed

Potential Long-Term Benefits

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

  • Combination of ketamine and psychotherapy can lead to more sustained and long-term benefits

  • Patients learn coping strategies and gain insights for managing mental health in the future

Standalone Ketamine Clinics:

  • Rapid relief similar to KAP, but without the therapeutic component

  • Patients may require ongoing or repeated treatments to maintain the same level of symptom relief

While both Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and Ketamine Clinics offer effective treatments, KAP sets itself apart with its comprehensive, individualized, and holistic approach. Through the combination of ketamine administration and psychotherapy, KAP targets both the symptoms and underlying factors of mental health concerns, resulting in deeper and longer-lasting healing. For individuals seeking a comprehensive and supportive treatment experience, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy may offer notable benefits compared to standalone ketamine clinics

This program is designed for those who:

✔️ Experience moderate to severe or treatment-resistant conditions.

✔️ Favor a one-on-one treatment experience.

✔️ Would rather partake in ketamine exploration within a setting that offers comprehensive support.

✔️ Require or feel more comfortable with additional therapeutic support.

The ketamine assisted psychotherapy program at mettawell therapy is designed to help you get the most out of the “window of neuroplasticity” that ketamine can powerfully provide during treatment. We believe that better outcomes with ketamine come from may be the direct result of getting into an open and curious mindset before the treatment. This is accomplished in our preparation and integration therapy sessions.

Why Ketamine?

Unlike traditional antidepressants, which can take weeks to have an effect and may have disruptive side effects, low-dose ketamine has been shown to have a faster onset in treating depression. In fact, in a controlled clinical setting, ketamine has been found to be more efficient than SSRIs in this regard. The approach of ketamine differs greatly from conventional antidepressants due to several factors:

  • Quick Response: While SSRIs require weeks to alter brain chemistry, ketamine is able to rapidly modify neurotransmitter activity, providing a potentially faster relief for symptoms of depression.

  • Glutamate Regulation: At low doses, ketamine stimulates a surge in glutamate, a key neurotransmitter, which can promote the growth and development of brain synapses.

  • Neural Restoration: This glutamate surge also strengthens neural connections in areas of the brain affected by depression. Through this process, ketamine may be able to restore and improve overall brain circuit function in individuals with depression, anxiety, PTSD, as well as childhood developmental trauma.

Recent clinical studies on this well-established medication have demonstrated remarkable outcomes for patients with various depressive disorders and compulsive syndromes. Rapid Approximately 75% of patients exhibit a swift therapeutic response following ketamine administration

What does Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) look like?

Before beginning our KAP sessions, we will have two initial meetings to ensure that you are prepared for this transformative work. During these sessions, we will discuss your intentions and expectations, inform you of the process, and obtain your consent. We will also provide you with a safe and comfortable setting to familiarize yourself with the space.

Our KAP sessions are typically scheduled once a week for 6-8 weeks. Each session can last 2-3 hours. We also emphasize the importance of integrating your experience during the session, as you transition back into an ordinary state of awareness. This allows for a thorough exploration of your experience and the establishment of supportive practices to deepen the insights gained during the session. Our team consists of trained therapists and medical support to ensure that you are well-cared for throughout the entire process. All sessions are conducted with a trained therapist and medical support to ensure you are well cared for throughout your experience. ​

Our Med Provider :

Rachel Headings

I have been a certified family nurse practitioner for the past 17 years and have experience in family medicine, urgent care, and urology. I currently work 100% virtually as a certified functional medicine practitioner and health consultant.

I help people resolve chronic pain, balance hormones, lose weight, have more energy, improve mindset for lasting health and well-being.

I am currently taking new clients and offering a variety of services including medicinal cannabis card for the state of Iowa, ketamine prescriptions for therapy sessions, health/wellness visits to address chronic health issues, and a group weightloss program to reset metabolism and regain energy.

Dr. Aaron McDonough, PharmD

Dr. Aaron McDonough, PharmD is a Co-Owner and the Chief Innovation Officer of Towncrest Pharmacy Corporation. Towncrest Pharmacy has six ambulatory community pharmacy sites, a Long-Term Care pharmacy, a functional medicine clinic and compounding pharmacy, and a vitamin infusion and recovery clinic.

Dr. McDonough spends majority of his time increasing patient education and access to holistic functional medicine services by offering comprehensive functional medicine/wellness consultations targeting drug-induced nutrient depletion, chronic pain, mental health, cardiometabolic, anti-aging, pediatric, men’s and women’s health and genetics via pharmacogenomics / nutrigenomics testing

 How will Ketamine be administered?

At our practice, we use sublingual ketamine troches as our chosen method of administration. These troches are placed directly in the mouth and absorbed through the intestinal tract.  Our team works closely with your prescriber to devise a personalized approach to treatment, adjusting the dose, frequency, and time in between sessions based on your individual needs.

Within 15-30 minutes of taking the troches, you will enter the ketamine experience, which can last up to 2 hours. Our therapists will be there to support and assist you during the experience.We encourage you to record your journey with their help to aid in the integration of your experience

KAP Process

  • Submitting a referral form.

    ●   If you are a provider and are referring a current patient:

    ○        Fillable Doc with E-Signature: Referral Form from Provider

    ●   If you do not have a provider and are referring yourself:

    ​​○        Fillable Doc with E-Signature: Referral Form from Self 

  • Once the referral form is received, you will be contacted for an initial intake. The intake is composed of two parts.

    ●  One, an initial meeting to determine suitability with your therapist.

    ●  Two, a thorough personal assessment  to receive a prescription with our licensed Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).

  • To ensure a beneficial journey, at least two preparation sessions will be scheduled before your first session with the medicine. We take time to outline what you can expect during your treatment and guide you through creating an optimal mindset for your sessions. This includes setting your intentions, aftercare, and how to make the most of your time. Each preparation session is generally 45-60

    minutes long. These sessions are often covered by insurance.

  • During medicine sessions, you'll enter an altered state of consciousness. Clients describe feelings of deep relaxation, wonder, and a newfound capacity to explore challenging emotions and life experiences, with the support of our highly skilled team. In an altered, neuroplastic state, the brain is able to make new connections and rewrite learned patterns.

    Our skilled therapists help you draw out insights and ensure your gains from your Ketamine Exploration are sustained with integration.

  • Our evidence-based treatment protocol involves 1x/week for a period of 6-8 weeks. Throughout your journey, we personalize your ketamine dosage based on your comfort level, history, and tolerance to the medicine. We start with a low dose and slowly increase your dose throughout your journey to help you reach deeper breakthroughs. It will be important for you to commit to the day/time for the length of the KAP treatment.  Please make appropriate accommodations at work/school/home to allow for this

 Group Kap

Group KAP is an intimate (3-4 people) experience that blends the power of group therapy and integration with ketamine.

Groups include :

  • an individual assessment with me

  • medical evaluation with the prescriber

  • 1 group preparation meeting

  • 6 group ketamine sessions

  • a group closing integration session

During the ketamine sessions, each member self-administers the medicine at the same time, engaging in more of an internally directed experience.  We then take time afterwards for self-reflection and group integration.  The KAP Group offers a cost-effective way to engage in this work and provides a deeply supportive relational element.

Financing Ketamine Treatment

At this time we do not know of any insurance companies that cover ketamine treatments. Psychotherapy prior to the medicine being administered and preparation sessions is covered no different than a typical therapy session. We are in network with BCBS, United Health Care, Aetna, Molina, Iowa Total Care, and Medicaid.

Like getting braces or having a corrective vision surgery, ketamine treatments can be life-changing. Our ideal outcomes are ketamine plus therapy until remission of symptoms, and continue maintenance sessions as needed. etamine treatment is not a cure all, but it is our most powerful tool. This cost is between $3,000-$5,000.

We’ve partnered with Care Credit. CareCredit is a health and wellness credit card with flexible financing options so you can pay over time for care you want or need. One of those options is a zero interest plan. Pharmacies such as Walgreens are also partnered with Care Credit.

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