I was super curious to learn more about this week’s topic, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. So I went on the hunt for the research as well as someone I could chat with about what this looks like in session. 

According to the article abstract for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs,  “Currently, ketamine is the only legal psychedelic medicine available to mental health providers for the treatment of emotional suffering. Over the past several years, ketamine has come into psychiatric use as an intervention for treatment resistant depression (TRD), administered intravenously without a psychotherapeutic component. In these settings, ketamine's psychedelic effects are viewed as undesirable "side effects." In contrast, we believe ketamine can benefit patients with a wide variety of diagnoses when administered with psychotherapy and using its psychedelic properties without need for intravenous (IV) access. Its proven safety over decades of use makes it ideal for office and supervised at-home use. The unique experience that ketamine facilitates with its biological, experiential, and psychological impacts has been tailored to optimize office-based treatment evolving into a method that we call Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). This article is the first to explore KAP within an analytical framework examining three distinct practices that use similar methods. Here, we present demographic and outcome data from 235 patients. Our findings suggest that KAP is an effective method for decreasing depression and anxiety in a private practice setting, especially for older patients and those with severe symptom burden.”

Link to artice: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30917760

This week's guest, Eric Blommel, discusses how ketamine assisted psychotherapy may accelerate the process of growth and change for people dealing with treatment resistant depression, ptsd, anxiety and more. He shares how he works with medication prescribers, the parameters he puts in place with his patients, and how psychedelics may act as brain reboot.

It’s such an interesting interview and we hope you find it helpful. 

Learn more about Eric here: https://improvecounseling.com/

Eric J. Blommel lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and sees clients in his office in nearby Littleton, as well as via telehealth. Originally from the Chicago area, Eric has lived in Colorado since 1993, and some say that makes him an honorary native. Just before moving to Colorado, he obtained his BA in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. After working for a number of years in the information technology field, Eric decided to change careers and earned his MA in Counseling from the University of Colorado Denver in 2016. When asked why he changed careers, Eric points out that he himself has been helped substantially by counseling, and now he enjoys the honor and privilege of giving back some of what he received. Eric sees clients under his business name,Improve Counseling LLC. He works with individuals, groups, couples, partners, and families, specializing primarily in healing relationships and trauma, particularly where those two intersect. 

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I want to tell you about a group I created on Facebook, it’s called the talk therapist lounge and it’s a place where talk therapists can find podcast guest opportunities! That’s right! If you are a licensed talk therapist and you are looking to grow your reach and visibility, this group may be a place for you to start.

I’m working to bring in podcast hosts who are looking to interview licensed clinicians that can share their expertise and knowledge with their audiences. 

Why should you be a podcast guest? Well people are crawling all over the internet, listening to podcasts and watching videos on mental health issues. My mission is to help spread the word about mental health treatment and help lower the stigma around mental health..and to do that we need to get you guys out there sharing your knowledge and wisdom and how you help people live their best lives. And it will help you grow your brand and visibility and possibly help you gain new clients!

I also share how to create a podcast guest one sheet and tips and ideas for getting yourself booked on shows. So will you come join us? Look for the talk therapist lounge on facebook! Hope to see you there!

If you like what you're hearing, I'd be so grateful if you subscribed to the show. Feel free to rate and review too! Thank you!