MEDIA & EDUCATION
I didn't realize how much I misunderstood (and was misinformed) about Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy until reading How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan in 2020. After this, I became curious to learn more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and pursue training to provide mental health counseling services within this multidisciplinary approach.
I've included several links below so we can continue learning about this fascinating topic together.
If you'd like to scroll ahead, this page is divided into the following sections:
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MEDIA • EDUCATION • RESEARCH • ETHICS
MEDIA
Here are some personal presentations and interviews that might provide additional information about this approach. Please note that some things I've previously said may be outdated, as I'm always learning and revising to offer the best services possible.
Below that are recommendations for articles, books, podcasts, and more!
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MEDIA • EDUCATION • RESEARCH • ETHICS
UNDERSTANDING HARM REDUCTION AND PSYCHEDELIC ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPIES
NBCC-Approved Presentation
September, 2023
Ketamine in Psychotherapy
Podcast
Ketamine is a versatile tool, and using it in a therapeutic context amplifies its potential for deep psychological and emotional benefits. There is a huge difference between taking Ketamine as a drug to adjust brain chemicals (in settings that lack thorough preparation, emotional support, and integration support) and engaging in the Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy process, which amplifies the potential of this approach for lasting change.
How to Change Your Mind
Book
This book effectively changed my mind about Psychedelic Assisted Therapies in 2020 and is an excellent entry point to this work!
How to Change Your Mind
Documentary
This mini-series provides an excellent overview of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in action. While Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is the only form of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy that mental health counselors can directly participate in at this time, laws are rapidly changing that will hopefully accommodate additional options for medicine-assisted therapies in the near future.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Clinical Data
The following articles are a few of my favorite that describe what Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is and present outcome data in the treatment of several mental health conditions.
Ketamine Books
Further Reading
The Ketamine Breakthrough by Dr. Mike Dow and Ronan Levy centers around Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, specifically, and is the most practical book I know of that best describes this process.
It articulates why someone might want to involve a psychotherapy-trained practitioner, and how this differs from other approaches.
Another resource is The Ketamine Papers by Dr. Phil Wolfson and Dr. Glenn Hartelius, which is more like a textbook with contributions from many authors, covering extensive clinical data and anecdotes about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Additional Ketamine Resources
Clinical Data & Podcasts
Doing your own research is important to make an informed decision about your own mental health. If you're interested in a deep dive, some fantastic resource lists have already been created by several clinics conducting Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and clinical research on psychedelic medicines. I highly recommend checking them out and learning more!
Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration
Treatment Model
If the job of a therapist is to help others navigate matters that impact their mental health, it only makes sense to discuss safe practices for experiences that may have a profound impact on one's mental health. It can also be helpful for individuals to discuss any emotional or psychological content from non-ordinary experiences in professional settings. This clinical model provides an evidence-based foundation for this approach.
ETHICS
The importance of intentional and ethical conduct within Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and other Psychedelic Assisted Therapies (as they become FDA approved) cannot be overstated. As a clinician in this complex and evolving field, I am not perfect. There will continue to be steep learning curves in exploring urgent, effective, and ethical avenues to increase accessibility to new and effective forms of therapy within our mental health system. Your compassion for practitioners like myself who are diligently navigating this uncharted territory during a global mental health crisis is much appreciated. Meanwhile, I wanted to include some ethics-related resources to transparently illustrate my commitment to providing mental health counseling services at the highest possible standards.
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MEDIA • EDUCATION • RESEARCH • ETHICS
American Psychedelic Practitioners Association
Ethical Code
The APPA synthesized this comprehensive document that offers best practices for psychedelic assisted therapists, which includes Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Polaris Insight Center
Training Organization
To get trained in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, I completed every available all-day module, as well as an in-person experiential retreat, from this outstanding organization. They also offer an all-day ethics module that I would highly recommend for any clinician looking to do this work.
