Ketamine Therapy

Of course! First, you’ll meet for an hour with a Nurse Practitioner to get a sense of your overall health and make sure Ketamine is safe for you physically. Next, you’ll meet for an hour with a Psychotherapist to better understand your mental health history and your goals for Ketamine therapy.

Your therapist will help you book your Ketamine treatments, integration sessions, and arrange a one hour preparation session to help you get the most from your therapeutic journey.

Next, you will attend your Ketamine treatments (either six or nine) and meet with your therapist for integration therapy sessions between select appointments.

Yes it’s very safe! It’s a common anesthetic in clinics and hospitals around the world, and has been in use for more than 70 years. In Ketamine Assisted Therapy, the dose is much lower than what’s used in hospitals and other settings involving general anesthesia.

At lower doses, Ketamine produces psychedelic effects. It relaxes you, helps you to think and feel in new ways, and process memories and experiences with new perspectives.

At higher doses, Ketamine produces anesthetic effects. This is how Ketamine has been used for most of the time since the 1970s, but many medical professionals noticed that patients receiving Ketamine for anesthesia also had relief from depressive symptoms and other mental health issues.

In the last several years, Ketamine has been adopted as both a psychedelic for mental health purposes in addition to its traditional use as an anesthetic in medical procedures.

Psilocybin is the psychoactive ingredient in a naturally occurring fungus, while Ketamine is a synthetic substance. There are differences medically in how they each affect the brain, therapeutically in how they are each used to treat mental health issues, and legally in terms of status (psilocybin is illegal – it remains a schedule III controlled substance in Canada).

Outside of clinical trials or Canada’s Special Access Program for people with terminal illness or in remission from terminal illness, Psilocybin cannot be accessed legally. Ketamine Assisted Therapy can be accessed legally and is also covered by most health benefit plans.

The experience itself is quite different in terms of how it feels, and the actual setting and administration of substances in a clinical setting is also very different from recreational use.

Describing the feel of psychedelics to someone who has never used them is notoriously difficult. This is part of why they can be so effective – it’s a unique experience that offers a perspective shift that can be hard to imagine until you experience it. Psilocybin can also feel different from experience to experience, even for the same user, so comparing them directly isn’t easy.

A clinic setting also involves a carefully prepared dose of medicine, administered by trained and experienced health professionals, in a controlled, comfortable, safe setting, with eyeshades, headphones, blankets, and a trained therapist with specific education in psychedelic therapy monitoring you the entire time.

“Bad trips” are better understood as challenging experiences, either due to the amount and type of substance used, or the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of the user.

Challenging experiences usually occur due to some combination of: inadequate preparation before the experience, expectations that are not in line with the experience, a substance that is not appropriate for the person using it, a dose of substance that is not appropriate, set and setting not comforting, and the lack of an experienced, skilled, educated psychedelic guide, and the psychological material and unresolved trauma that comes up during the experience.

Our Ketamine Assisted Therapy protocols address all of the above. You will meet with both a Nurse Practitioner and a Psychotherapist for your initial consultation, have a separate preparation session with your Psychotherapist before your first Ketamine session, and your Psychotherapist will be your personal guide supporting you through the entire process.

We also go “low and slow”, starting with a carefully prepared, low dose of Ketamine from an established pharmaceutical supplier, and increase gradually. Your Nurse Practitioner and Psychotherapist will work with you to determine the best dose for you. This gives you a gentle introduction to Ketamine Therapy and prevents you from being overwhelmed.

Our Ketamine treatment room is cozy, with fresh, clean pillows and blankets. You’ll be on a comfy reclining memory foam sofa, surrounded by natural lighting, plants, and art. In the event that you have a challenging experience, your guide will be there with you on every step of your journey.

When you come in for your Ketamine Therapy session, you’ll meet with both your Nurse Practitioner and your Psychotherapist. You’ll have time to talk with them, ask any questions you have, and get settled.

Your Nurse Practitioner will conduct a physical exam and then provide you with a Ketamine lozenge that sits under your tongue. Your Psychotherapist will provide you with headphones, eyeshades, a pillow and blanket, and you’ll get settled into a comfortable position.  Your Psychotherapist will conduct a 15 minute guided meditation while the medicine takes effect.

After 1.5-2 hours, the medicine will subside and you will come out of your meditative state. We will provide you with a drink, snack, and some time to relax before we wrap up your Ketamine Therapy session.

Our Ketamine Assisted Therapy treatment is covered by most extended health benefit plans.

Our Ketamine Assisted Therapy treatment is not covered by OHIP.

Our Ketamine Assisted Therapy treatment is not covered by ODSP.