“I committed to a series of KAP sessions with Don because I felt stuck, lost, and hopeless about my relationship with my spouse. Anxiety overwhelmed me, juggling work, parental responsibilities, and feeling disconnected from my partner. Over a year of individual sessions and couples therapy with Don had shown my persistent stagnation. Recognizing my mental and emotional blocks, Don recommended KAP to break free from negative cycles rooted in old emotional patterns.
Each session commenced with setting intentions and closed with integrating the experience into my life, leaving me with valuable lessons. Every medicine session was a unique journey, providing distinct insights. Held on Don’s beautiful Petaluma property, sessions took place amidst ancient oaks and wildlife. The land itself became an integral part of the experience, enhancing the depth of the journey. Don cultivated an open, loving, and accepting space, skillfully guiding exploration into my inner psyche. His extensive therapeutic experience and holistic approach created a secure environment to delve into deep wounds and ingrained patterns, meeting me wherever I was on my journey.
My KAP sessions with Don have been life-changing. Despite engaging in meditation and mindfulness practices for years, it was through these medicine sessions that I gained insight and awareness into my subtle body and the interconnectedness of all things in a new and profound way. I’ve developed a deeper awareness of the ego-driven narrative that continuously circulates in my mind, causing suffering and disconnection from myself and my loved ones. I’m deeply grateful for experiencing the inner state of tranquility, safety, love, and inherent openness within me. Thanks to Don’s guidance, I now possess grounding practices to regulate my nervous system and access this state within myself at any time.”
Ketamine assisted therapy enhances regular therapy by helping you to experience some separation from the disturbing symptoms of anxiety and depression, such as repetitive negative thoughts and emotions, and hard-to-tolerate physical feelings. Working in a safe and familiar setting with a therapist who knows your history, ketamine can assist you to feel and “work-through” difficult body sensations, states and emotions; gain new perspectives on how you relate to yourself and others; and imagine new and freer ways of being. Even after a few sessions, the therapeutic effects of ketamine can be powerful in the way they interrupt old habits and patterns, and set into motion new, positive and embodied ways to feel and respond to your experience.
Some benefits from ketamine assisted therapy may include:
- elevated mood
- positive changes in your relationship to emotional and physical pain, and stress
- a lightening, loosening or diminishment of reactive, ruminative, negative or obsessive thinking
- positive changes in how you relate to yourself, your family members and others
- increased compassion for self and others
- motivation to make positive changes in your behavior
- spiritual and/or transpersonal connection
Why Ketamine?
In 1970 ketamine was approved by the FDA as an anesthetic and analgesic (pain reliever). Ketamine continues to be used for these purposes in a variety of medical procedures. Responding to frequent reports of decreased anxiety and elevated mood from patients following ketamine anesthesia, research into its use for mental health issues has resulted in new treatment opportunities. Many studies and clinical trials show ketamine to be effective in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, obsessive/compulsive thinking and behaviors, and other psychological disturbances. As a result, Ketamine is often prescribed off-label to treat a growing range of psychological and psychophysical symptoms and issues. Beyond positive changes in ones subjective experience, research has shown that ketamine may offer specific neurobiological benefits, manifesting as new neural connections (neurogenesis) and enhanced neural functioning.
What I Offer
There are several options in the greater Bay Area for ketamine treatment, ranging from expensive, medicalized procedures in ketamine clinics using intravenous delivery or intra-muscular injections, to online sessions using lozenges.
I offer a unique in-person process located in a country setting three miles west of downtown Petaluma. The process starts with establishing a therapeutic relationship, wherein you become familiar with me, the setting, and what to expect. This entails at least two or more preparation sessions for me to learn about you and your therapeutic goals. Once we have established a working relationship, I refer you to a medical professional with expertise in psychiatric medications and medicine interactions. You do an online evaluation with her to determine if ketamine is medically appropriate for you, after which she confers with me about your treatment. This may result in her writing a prescription for ketamine lozenges. Once you receive your lozenges, you bring them to your scheduled ketamine assisted sessions with me, wherein, it is always your choice to self-administer the medicine or not.
Ketamine assisted therapy sessions last for approximately three hours. Each session is tailored to your specific needs, goals and intentions. The work is primarily focused on your unfolding experience, and follows your unique, intrinsic, self-righting and healing tendencies. With your consent, I support your process with a variety of therapeutic modalities. If for any reason you choose not take your ketamine on a scheduled day, we can always modify our time together to accommodate your needs.
I am trained to do medicine assisted therapy by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS – https://maps.org/about-maps/ ).
I am a member of the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association (APPA – https://www.appa-us.org/ ), and follow its Standards of Care and Professional Practice Guidelines for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy.
I work in conjunction with Samantha Lau, a licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner who does Zoom evaluations, medicine consults, and ketamine assisted therapy from her office in Santa Barbara ( https://www.elevateherhealth.com/ketamine-therapy ).