What is ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?
As you will likely know, ketamine is an anesthetic and analgesic used widely internationally. Ketamine also has antidepressant and psychedelic effects at certain doses, and international research has increasingly demonstrated that the combination of ketamine with structured psychotherapy can have benefits for a range of mental disorders. The ketamine assisted psychotherapy protocol at Numinus is distributed over approximately 4-6 weeks, depending on the patient’s schedule and how the visits are scheduled. Generally, the therapeutic protocol is expected to include two 50 minute introductory psychotherapy sessions without the use of ketamine, three ketamine dosing sessions of 2.5 hours in duration each followed within 24 hours by 90-minute psychotherapeutic sessions where insights from the ketamine experience are integrated, and a closing 50-minute psychotherapy (non-ketamine) session. Throughout this process, the psychotherapy delivered is focused on support, integrating insights, and identifying and reinforcing change as part of the therapeutic process.
Who is eligible for ketamine assisted psychotherapy?
Though research indicates that ketamine assisted psychotherapy may be effective for a number of mental health indications, Numinus is currently focused on addressing treatment-resistant depression. If you have a patient suffering from treatment-resistant depression that is interested in ketamine assisted psychotherapy, our team will work directly with them to determine whether the patient is a good candidate for treatment by taking a full medical and psychological history. To be eligible for ketamine assisted psychotherapy at Numinus, the patient must be referred by their primary care providers, such as a family physician or nurse practitioner.
What are the contraindications of ketamine assisted psychotherapy?
Those conditions that may make ketamine assisted psychotherapy contraindicated (i.e., potentially unsafe) include, but are not limited to, a history of psychosis (e.g. hallucinations), mania, cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease, seizure, and severe liver disease. At present, youth, pregnant women and nursing mothers are not eligible for ketamine assisted psychotherapy since the effects of ketamine on pregnancy, nursing children, and youth are unknown. Additionally, the ketamine product monograph lists other risks which will be reviewed with all patients as part of an informed consent process at Numinus.
