Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy
Crystal Myers
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, EdS
Do you find your world getting smaller and smaller? Do you find what other people might call "minor annoyances" to impact you greatly, and no matter how much you try to force your brain to not be bothered by these "little things", you find yourself getting far angrier than what the situation might call for? Are you beyond tired of trying to manage by numbing yourself to not feel? Are you using most, if not all, of your energy just to get through the day pushing down the pain, the trauma, anything that even gets close to remembering? Do you wake up feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and with little resources to help you manage what might come at you during the day? Do you isolate yourself and push others away to try to protect yourself and others from feeling upset and overwhelmed? Do you know all the cognitive tools to use to work through these situations but then not having access to them during one of these episodes?
​​
As a clinician, one of the most difficult things to experience with a client is when they have worked hard in therapy to make progress and gains only to have a significant regression or resurgence of serious symptoms. This could be because we stopped meeting as frequently after they were maintaining stable mood and functioning. Because they are a couple of months out from their TMS therapy. Or after they’ve increased their doses of anxiety or depression medication to the highest recommended dose, it’s not as effective as it once was. That regression almost always brings a lot of grieving and a sense of hopelessness or despair for clients. For the first time since I started practicing in 2009, I’m finally able to offer a treatment option to clients that is much shorter in duration and has significant and much longer lasting impacts.
​​​
Because of my lived experiences, I notice things more quickly and see things that other people may not pick up on. Let me help you on your accelerated pathway to healing and wholeness.
I am thrilled to be offering Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy as an alternate solution for clients who find parts of themselves resistant to traditional treatment modalities (ex: medication, talk therapy, TMS, etc.). I utilize an integrative blend of various therapy modalities that are best fit for you, mainly borrowing techniques from Internal Family Systems, Narrative, Existential, somatic interventions, and Acceptance & Commitment therapies. I work with individuals who are struggling to heal from trauma and release the burdens of shame. This may show up as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, or a detachment from yourself.
​
As someone who was told often that I was “argumentative, stubborn and overdramatic” I know what it’s like to struggle to access your genuine emotions, and constantly fear you are “too much.” I would love to offer you the space and time to access the undercurrents of your emotional experiences, which you have always been worthy of. Wherever the medicine takes you, I will be there with a steady and supportive presence.
We deliver KAP in our practice in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical, which has a specialized medical team that determines eligibility for KAP, prescribes the ketamine, and supports us in monitoring outcomes. If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me or Jordan utilizing KAP, please e-mail us at to discuss eligibility and next steps.
As Journey Clinical KAP Providers, Jordan and I offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)—the use of ketamine as a complement to psychotherapy.
Jordan Wilson
Licensed professional counselor, LPC, Med
I remember my first experience with nitrous oxide at the dentist office. I had just gotten health insurance, and this was an inconvenient time for the re-emergence of my significant dentist fear. I remember feeling a dissociative sensation and being able to access various layers of myself in a wave of relaxation. To even have the experience that my body could access relaxation & self-compassion with the help of medication was therapeutic. To know that I could tackle a fear in my mind that felt insurmountable, moved mountains.
Let me be clear, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and getting laughing gas at the dentist office are highly different experiences; although this sparked my interest in experiential medication assisted therapies. What began as a spark slowly grew into a fire as I learned more about Internal Family Systems Therapy, and somatic interventions, and the wise cohesive connection between our minds, souls, and bodies.
I’ve done a lot of therapy (professionally and personally), and I know what it’s like to be in the chair and feel as though you are spinning your wheels. “I know about my trauma, my family of origin, my defense mechanisms. Why is that not enough? Why do I find myself in these same situations? Why does shame/pressure/anger/depression/anxiety have a grip on me the same way my dog has a grip on a chicken bone he found on the sidewalk? If I hear one more time that I’m so self-aware, I might just combust.” ​​