Is ketamine therapy dangerous? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Ron N. Gad, PhD, LMFT, Licensed Psychotherapist – Depth Psychology, on Quora:
Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) is a novel form of therapy that is increasingly being used among therapists. This type of intervention consists of therapist-mediated talk therapy along with the administration of ketamine. KAT is used to treat conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, and chronic pain.
The doses of ketamine that are given to the client are highly specific to the individual person and their mental health needs. Therefore, KAT requires meticulous medical supervision; this includes the involvement of a nurse practitioner, a psychiatrist, and your therapist. KAT can only truly be dangerous when proper precautions are not taken to ensure a seamless, safe session. Medically supervised psychotherapy acts as a container to monitor psychological and physiological responses that the client may be having to the various levels of doses. With this monitoring, changes and adjustments can be made to cater to the client’s comfort and progress.
I am a national psychologist and licensed (or license-pending) Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in over 10 states. I have over 10 years of experience practicing depth psychology (the modality that believes there is a root cause to your struggles). I specialize in working with executives and high net-worth individuals, utilizing my previous experience in business and marketing to assist professionals with Therapeutic Business Consulting.
– Dr. Ron N Gad, Founder & CEO of Beverly Hills Therapy Group
This question originally appeared on Quora – the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
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