Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in NYC
Trauma-Informed Ketamine Therapy in New York City
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an approach that combines ketamine with psychotherapy, preparation, and integration in a supportive therapeutic setting. Rather than viewing ketamine as a stand-alone treatment, KAP uses the altered state created by the medicine as part of a larger therapeutic process.
I offer individual and group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in New York City for people seeking a different approach to depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, emotional patterns, and periods of feeling stuck or disconnected.
My approach is trauma-informed, relational, and somatically oriented. I integrate my experience in Somatic Experiencing®, Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to support each person's process before, during, and after the ketamine experience.
What Is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has been used in medicine for decades. It is included on the World Health Organization's Model List of Essential Medicines as an anesthetic.
In the United States, ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. Its use for psychiatric conditions such as depression is considered "off-label," meaning that a licensed medical professional may prescribe it for a purpose other than its FDA-approved indication when clinically appropriate.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy combines this medical treatment with psychotherapy.
In my KAP practice, a qualified medical provider separately evaluates you and, when appropriate, prescribes ketamine. During the therapeutic process, ketamine may temporarily alter ordinary patterns of thinking, perception, and self-awareness.
For some people, this can create space to approach emotions, memories, beliefs, and protective patterns from a different perspective.
The intention is not simply to have a psychedelic experience. The medicine session is held within a broader process of preparation, supported ketamine journeys, psychotherapy, and integration.
Who May Benefit From Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
People come to KAP for many different reasons.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy may be considered by people experiencing:
Depression, including difficult-to-treat depression
Anxiety
Trauma and PTSD
Persistent emotional or behavioral patterns
Grief and loss
Burnout
Major life transitions
Feelings of disconnection or stagnation
Difficulty accessing emotions through talk therapy alone
Some people seek KAP after spending years in psychotherapy and understanding their patterns intellectually while still feeling that something has not shifted emotionally or physically.
Others are interested in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and want to explore this work within a carefully prepared therapeutic setting.
KAP is not appropriate for everyone. Medical and psychological screening are essential before beginning treatment.
How Does Ketamine Therapy Work?
Research into ketamine has focused extensively on its effects on glutamate signaling and neuroplasticity, as well as its rapid antidepressant effects in some people.
The therapeutic experience, however, is about more than what happens pharmacologically.
Ketamine can produce an altered or expanded state of consciousness in which ordinary thought patterns and defenses may temporarily feel less rigid. This may allow some people to encounter emotions, memories, body sensations, and perspectives differently.
Psychotherapy helps us work with what emerges.
Rather than thinking of ketamine as doing the healing for you, I approach the medicine as one potential catalyst within a larger therapeutic relationship.
What Does the Research Say About Ketamine?
Ketamine has been extensively studied for depression, particularly treatment-resistant depression, and research has demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects in some patients.
Research is also exploring ketamine for conditions including PTSD, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance-use disorders. The strength of the evidence varies considerably by condition, and ketamine should not be presented as an established treatment for every mental health concern for which it is currently being studied.
There is also growing interest in combining ketamine with psychotherapy. Research specifically examining Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy continues to develop.
Ketamine is not FDA-approved for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. When prescribed for psychiatric purposes, ketamine is being used off-label.
What Happens During Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
My KAP process includes several stages designed to support safety, preparation, and integration.
1. Initial Consultation and Mental Health Assessment
We begin by discussing what brings you to ketamine therapy, your therapeutic history, current challenges, intentions, and what you hope might change.
Together, we consider whether KAP appears to be an appropriate therapeutic approach for you.
2. Medical Screening
If we decide to move forward, you will meet separately with a collaborating medical provider.
The medical provider reviews your health history, medications, and potential contraindications and determines whether ketamine is medically appropriate for you.
If appropriate, the medical provider prescribes the medication.
3. Preparation
New clients complete at least two preparation sessions before their first ketamine journey.
Preparation is an important part of the work.
We may explore:
Your intention for the experience
Fears or expectations about ketamine
Patterns and protective parts that may emerge
Nervous system regulation
Grounding and somatic practices
How to work with challenging material
Surrender, curiosity, and allowing the experience to unfold
The goal is not to control the journey but to help you enter it feeling informed, supported, and resourced.
4. The Ketamine Journey
Individual KAP sessions take place in a private therapeutic space in the Union Square area of Manhattan, New York City.
Sessions are approximately three hours.
Depending on the treatment plan established with your medical provider, ketamine may be prescribed as a sublingual lozenge.
We begin by settling into the space, reviewing your intention, and using meditation, breathwork, or somatic practices to help you arrive.
During the medicine portion of the session, you will typically recline comfortably with an eye mask and carefully selected music.
The ketamine experience itself generally lasts approximately 60–75 minutes, although individual experiences vary.
My role is to remain present with you throughout the experience, supporting rather than directing what unfolds.
5. Integration
Integration is an essential part of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
After the journey, we begin gently exploring what arose. A subsequent integration session gives us more time to work with emotions, memories, images, insights, body sensations, or questions that emerged.
Integration asks:
What does this experience mean for the way you live your life?
Together, we explore how insights from the journey can become meaningful changes in relationships, behaviors, boundaries, self-understanding, and everyday life.
Individual Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in NYC
I offer 1:1 Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy sessions in the Union Square area of Manhattan.
Individual KAP allows the experience to be tailored specifically to your therapeutic history, intentions, nervous system, and needs.
New clients complete at least:
Two preparation sessions
One mental health assessment
One virtual medical evaluation with the prescribing provider
Ketamine journey session
Integration
Group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in NYC
I also offer Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in small groups in New York City.
Group KAP combines individual psychedelic experiences with the relational support of a carefully facilitated therapeutic group.
The group setting can offer something individual therapy cannot: the opportunity to experience healing in relationship with others.
Preparation, medicine sessions, and integration help create a container in which participants can explore their individual experiences while also benefiting from connection, witnessing, and shared reflection.
[Learn more about upcoming NYC Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy groups.]
Frequently Asked Questions About Ketamine Therapy in NYC
Is ketamine therapy legal in New York?
Ketamine is a legal prescription medication in the United States. Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. When prescribed for psychiatric purposes, it is being prescribed off-label by a licensed medical provider.
Is ketamine the same as Spravato?
No. Ketamine and esketamine (Spravato) are related but different treatments. Spravato is an FDA-approved nasal spray containing esketamine and has specific FDA-approved psychiatric indications. Ketamine used in KAP is prescribed separately and off-label for psychiatric purposes.
Will I be unconscious during ketamine therapy?
The doses and routes used in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy are different from those commonly used for surgical anesthesia. Clients are generally conscious during the experience, although perception, sense of time, body awareness, and sense of self may change.
Do I need to already be in therapy?
Not necessarily. We will discuss your therapeutic history and current needs during the initial consultation and determine whether KAP is an appropriate fit.
How many ketamine sessions will I need?
There is no single number that is right for everyone. Your treatment plan depends on your history, goals, response to ketamine, and recommendations from your medical provider and therapist.
Can ketamine help with depression?
Ketamine has been extensively studied for depression, particularly treatment-resistant depression, and research has demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects in some people. Individual responses vary, and ketamine is not appropriate for everyone.
Can ketamine help with trauma or PTSD?
Ketamine is being studied for PTSD, and some people pursue KAP specifically to work with trauma. Whether it is appropriate depends on your individual history, symptoms, medical considerations, and readiness for this type of work.
What is the difference between ketamine treatment and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
Some models focus primarily on administering ketamine as a medical treatment.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy intentionally incorporates psychotherapy before, during, and after the medicine experience.
In my practice, preparation and integration are not extras. They are central parts of the therapeutic process.
Cost of Individual Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Current fees are:
Mental health intake with psychotherapist (50–60 minutes): $250
Medical intake with ketamine prescriber: $250
Ketamine prescription: approximately $200
Individual journey and integration package: $1,000
Medical and mental health clearance is required before participating in a KAP medicine session.
Sliding-scale and lower-fee options may be available. Accessibility is an important value in my practice, and I reserve lower-fee services particularly for people affected by financial and systemic barriers to care.
Why Work With Me for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
My approach to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy draws from years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist and from my training in trauma-focused and somatic modalities, including Somatic Experiencing®, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Compassionate Inquiry, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
I have facilitated Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with individuals and groups in New York City and have supported more than 100 participants through group ketamine programs.
My approach is not centered on ketamine as a quick fix.
Instead, I see psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy as an opportunity to work with the whole person: mind, body, relationships, history, protective patterns, and the deeper questions of meaning and connection that often accompany healing.
Take the Next Step
If you are curious about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in NYC, we can begin with a conversation.
During an initial consultation, we can discuss what brings you to this work, your previous therapeutic experiences, your questions about ketamine, and whether individual or group KAP might be an appropriate next step.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in New York City.
To watch or read:
https://www.resetketamine.com/blog/2018/3/20/the-7-types-of-people-who-should-not-get-ketamine