KAP in 2026: Answering Your Questions

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a promising avenue of therapy, but what exactly does it promise? Sometimes, therapy alone cannot offer everything you might need to find healing on your journey, and you might find that you are spinning your wheels rather than moving forward. Ketamine helps your brain create new pathways and better ways of thinking, which can allow you to  embark on this journey with purpose, curiosity, and acceptance. With that, you can take advantage of everything that the medicine  has to offer.

What does it treat, and what can it offer you when it works? How do you know if ketamine therapy will be a good fit for you? What are the unique advantages of KAP, and what are the risks you should be aware of? Let’s turn on, tune in, drop out, and really understand how this psychedelic experience can be a transformational form of therapy.

Is Ketamine Therapy Safe?

When we think about psychedelic experiences, our first thought is often the recreational context.   We all know of somebody or are somebody with a negative psychedelic experience. When you experiment with psychedelics without guidance, intention, or expertise, that is always a possibility. 

With ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, you’re getting a guided psychedelic experience with built-in guardrails and a sage guide  alongside you at each step. 

Why Ketamine Is Used in Modern Medicine: Safety, History, and Clinical Use in Therapy

Although ketamine’s original purpose was as an anaesthetic, it has been studied for its psychological benefits since the 60’s. Due to this, there is a larger body of research on ketamine than we do for many other psychiatric drugs. 

The dissociative, “zoomed out” state change of the ketamine had always shown promise in the realm of psychological treatment. But in 2000, it was discovered that ketamine therapy had lasting positive impacts in patients with depression. Some cite this as the most important innovation in the treatment of depression in the past 50 years.

How Does KAP Differ From Recreational Ketamine Use?

It’s important to acknowledge that ketamine can be misused. As a recreational party drug, most clinicians would give it a negative review due to safety concerns. However a professional dose of ketamine does not carry the same safety concerns as a recreational one. 

Is Ketamine Therapy Addictive? 

Unsupervised use is one of the biggest risks when it comes to recreational ketamine. If you’re trying to dose it out and have an experience on your own, you’re risking psychological discomfort, habit-forming drug abuse, and even potentially a medical emergency. Working with a professional can mitigate or even eliminate these risks entirely.

Although recreational ketamine use does carry a risk of addiction, ketamine therapy has been shown to help addicts break their dependence on alcohol, heroin, and cocaine. Despite the risk for unsupervised abuse, KAP offers unique benefits for both struggling addicts and addicts in recovery.

“Ketamine has been used worldwide in hospitals for decades. It’s on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines and used in every hospital around the world. Because of its high safety profile, Ketamine is commonly used in pediatrics. In the context of KAP, Journey Clinical prescribes smaller, sub-anesthetic doses.” — Dr. Kwasi Adusei, DNP, PMHNP.

What Does Ketamine Therapy Treat?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is used to support individuals struggling with conditions that feel entrenched. When you have intrusive patterns of thought or unmanageable bodily reactions, KAP can be the catalyst for your transformation. You’re still in the driver’s seat. You’re still responsible for getting where you need to be. But ketamine can be the GPS that guides you through the more confusing roadways.

Can KAP Help With Anxiety? Ketamine Therapy for Anxiety Treatment in St. Petersburg

Yes, KAP can be an effective option for people living with chronic anxiety, especially when symptoms are rooted in the nervous system rather than conscious thought alone. Anxiety is not just a thought or a feeling, it’s a habit that our body learns. 

In a therapeutic setting, this state gives clients the opportunity to explore anxious patterns with more distance and less reactivity. Over time, and with integration support, many clients report reduced baseline anxiety, fewer somatic symptoms, and an increased sense of agency in their daily lives.

Is KAP An Effective Depression Treatment? 

Ketamine was first FDA approved as a treatment for treatment-resistant depression. It has only continued to show results in that regard. Ketamine is a fast-acting anti-depressant that impacts your depression somatically and psychologically. Unlike more conventional psychiatric treatment, ketamine therapy offers patients relief from their symptoms in hours instead of weeks, and promises long-term wellness even after the ketamine has fully left your system.

How Ketamine Therapy Heals PTSD

PTSD lives in the body as much as it lives in memory. Ketamine helps soften the brain’s fear circuitry, allowing traumatic material to be approached without overwhelming the nervous system. In this state, clients can revisit memories, sensations, and emotional states with greater regulation and choice.

When you work with the right counselor, KAP can help you  rewrite your stories without the tightening grip of trauma around them. When we zoom out, we can see the power and beauty in our entire story, instead of being fixated on the struggles along the way.

What Are the Unique Advantages of KAP Over Traditional Depression and Anxiety Treatments?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a great option for people who have struggled with more conventional treatments. Traditional treatments often rely on insight alone; KAP works by engaging the body, brain, and emotional system simultaneously. 

“[Ketamine therapy] was about me trying to work past the things that I couldn’t on a physical level.” – Trevor Noah, on using ketamine therapy to treat PTSD.

Who Is Not A Good Candidate For Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy? 

Although we believe that ketamine is a wonderful treatment option for many patients, it’s not for everybody. There are certain conditions that make ketamine therapy a questionable or unsafe option, and it’s important for you to have all the information.

Ketamine therapy is not a good option if you have: 

• Cardiovascular disease.

• High blood pressure. 

• Pregnancy/breastfeeding.

• Active psychosis.

• Schizophrenia.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in St. Petersburg: What to Expect From Integrative Counsel’s KAP Program 

At Integrative Counsel in St. Petersburg, our KAP program is designed to be careful, collaborative, and deeply secure. Whether you’re seeking relief from depression, anxiety, trauma, or long-standing emotional patterns, understanding what KAP actually involves can help you decide if this treatment is the right next step. Below, we outline what to expect, how safety is prioritized, and how ketamine therapy works when it is used thoughtfully and effectively.

Will I Experience A “K-Hole”? 

Recreational ketamine users often cite the dissociated and depressive state as one of the more debilitating side effects of the drug so it’s natural to be curious if that’s one of your risks. In ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, you’re taking a measured, non-heroic and highly supervised dose of ketamine. 

Oxford Health reports that 10% of ketamine patients have an experience that is challenging, but that is to be expected from any psychiatric drug. The amount of ketamine that you’ll be taking in a KAP session is not typically enough to send you into a psychological episode.

“The ‘K-hole’ you might hear about typically happens at higher, recreational doses. In the context of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, we use a measured, therapeutic dose, so you might feel dreamlike or detached but not overwhelmed. If you want to remain more present, we can opt for a lower psycholytic dose where we can talk throughout.” — Dr. Ingmar Gorman, Journey Clinical

What Is A KAP Session Really Like?

 

For your comfort and benefit, we like to be open and transparent about what our KAP sessions will look like. Our therapists do not prescribe, dispense, or administer the ketamine. Patients work with a medical prescriber, bring their own medication, and self-admiration during a KAP session with Integrative Counsel. Journey Clinical provides our patients with the medical expertise, while the therapists at Integrative Counsel provide on-sight psychological support and aftercare. 

1. Arrive & orient. Review informed consent, intentions, and set/setting; confirm you’ve brought your prescribed ketamine lozenges.
2. Set the space. Settle into a calm room (blanket, pillow, eye mask, headphones/playlist).
3. Baseline check. You will take your vitals (BP/HR) and share any last-minute concerns. 
4. Guided settling. Your therapist will guide you through brief breathwork, a  body scan, or meditation to ground and focus intention.
5. Dose. You will self-administer the prescribed lozenge(s).
6. Journey. You will recline with eyeshades and headphones and allow the inner experience to unfold. This takes 2-3 hours.
7. Therapeutic support. Your therapist remains present, offering grounding and minimal guidance as needed and any touch only with prior consent.
8. Re-entry & grounding. As effects subside, you will  remove eyeshades/headphones, hydrate, have a light snack if helpful, and do a brief check of your vitals.
9. Initial processing. You may have a short debrief to note themes, emotions, images, or insights.
10. Plan integration. You will schedule a 60-minute integration session within the next 1–3 days and outline home practices to make use of the neuroplasticity window.

How Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Works: What Happens When KAP Is Effective

With great personal effort, and the right counselor at your side, ketamine therapy can heal and transform your life. Patients report transcendent and lasting benefits from their experiences with ketamine therapy. We have seen people recover from burdens they thought they’d always have to carry. Patients have found they finally are able to break free from their old ways of thinking and being in the world and begin to live with more authenticity and presence.

We want to see you make that leap. Let us help you.

Schedule an initial free consultation with us where we will  discuss your needs, match you with a right-fit therapist and deepen your understanding of the process and steps to getting started.

Click here to fill out our form and get started. 

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.