Ketamine-Assisted Psychedelic Therapy
Transformative healing and mindfulness-based integration
Welcome to Missoula’s first legal, medically supervised psychedelic-assisted therapy center as an expansion of Harvest’s mind body health services.
We believe that Ketamine and other soon to be legal psychedelic therapies should be widely accessible as transformative therapeutic medicines for intentional, trained, licensed practitioners to integrate into their own therapeutic practices.
Transform and Integrate
Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) is a therapeutic approach that combines the psychedelic effects of Ketamine with supportive and integrative healing practices, therapy and mindfulness. Ketamine is either taken orally in rapidly dissolving lozenge form or intramuscularly (IM) via injection.
Ketamine induces a profound visionary expanded state of consciousness which is highly effective for therapeutic reprocessing and growth. Paired with mindfulness practices, ketamine therapy is a particularly effective modality for reprocessing and resolving mental and emotional stress, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain (i.e. fibromyalgia, migraine), and problematic substance use. By quieting the ego, Ketamine catalyzes a healing process that can continue in the days, weeks, and months afterward.
“Research shows when you use ketamine to accelerate psychotherapy with a trained guide or therapist, you’re much more likely to reap lasting mental health benefits. The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs says Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is more effective at reducing depression and anxiety than infusions alone. That’s why it’s essential to look for ketamine clinics with trained experts to facilitate the entire process. From intention-setting to guided ketamine experiences to 1:1 integration therapy, the more support you have, the better.”
– Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
Ketamine FAQs
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is a Schedule III medication that has long been used safely as an anesthetic and analgesic agent and in recent years as a breakthrough treatment of depression, alcoholism, substance dependencies, PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses, as well as for existential, psychological and spiritual crises and growth.
Ketamine is classified as a dissociative anesthetic and it is currently the only legal psychedelic medicine that physicians can prescribe to give patients access to “expanded states of consciousness” associated with classic psychedelic experiences. During the peak of the therapeutic ketamine experience, clients participate in a realm of consciousness variably described as as “cosmic,” “connected”, “ego dissolved,” and “boundless.”
Is Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAT) right for me?
KAT is only allowed for people with specific mental health diagnoses, such as treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and suicidality. You must receive a qualified mental health diagnosis to be eligible for treatment.
KAT may not be appropriate for people with certain mental or physical health problems. Ketamine may cause a loosening up of one’s perception of reality. In some mental health diagnoses, such as psychosis or schizophrenia, where there is already some disconnect with one’s sense of reality, this treatment can exacerbate these conditions.
Likewise certain physical diagnoses, for example, some heart conditions, may be contraindicated, so further screening is necessary to determine whether or not KAT is a safe course of treatment for you.
How long is a session, and what does it involve?
Each KAT session is 3 hours, including a 15-minute check-in with your medical provider and your KAT provider. Your KAT provider is present throughout the entirety of the session. The ketamine journey itself typically lasts between 30-50 minutes. The remaining time ensures adequate recovery and integration time with your KAT provider.
What is the treatment regimen and how many appointments will I need?
Harvest’s Ketamine model involves 1-2 preparation/intake non-ketamine sessions and 3-6 KAT sessions, typically with integration sessions following each KAT session. There is no specific schedule between sessions; everyone’s needs are different. That is why we leave the scheduling of your sessions between you & your KAT provider.
What if I already have a therapist or mental health provider?
Many mental health providers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy yet cannot provide those services for their clients. We encourage you to continue your work with your provider while going through KAT. Your Harvest Guide will require a specific number of preparation and integration sessions with you. With your permission, your current provider and your Harvest provider will share information to support you through your ketamine journeys. Once you complete your series of ketamine treatments, we recommend you continue with your current provider.
Can I get addicted to ketamine?
In a meta-study by Cambridge University: Ketamine for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: comprehensive systematic review, researchers reviewed 83 ketamine studies. In particular, they looked for evidence of ketamine dependence/abuse and found:
“Given that ketamine may also be used recreationally, it is notable that even in addiction treatment, no studies in our review report a transition to illicit use engendered by introduction to ketamine in a therapeutic context.”
This powerful evidence aligns with the experience of practitioners in our provider network. Harvest is part of a Ketamine therapy network that has conducted more than 500 in-office Ketamine therapy sessions and has filed more than 100 take-home prescriptions and refills in the past three years, and to date, not a single patient’s ketamine use has escalated in the direction of addictive or dependent use.
Harvest’s model emphasizes regular points of contact and conversation among the client, the medical provider, and the mental health provider to ensure that ketamine is a good fit and is continuing to be a therapeutically productive tool.
Can ketamine cure me?
Ketamine itself is not a cure and it does not change your behavior. Instead, if you’re willing to learn and embrace the new pathways that the experience with ketamine opens up, it can be highly effective in helping you change problematic habits.