Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
A Depth-Oriented Therapeutic Approach to Address Feeling Stuck, Constrained, or Unable to Move Forward
Dr. Scott Gordon • Clinical Psychologist
In-Person psychotherapy in Berkeley, California. Virtual services available statewide.
A Depth-Oriented Therapeutic Approach to Address Feeling Stuck, Constrained, or Unable to Move Forward
There are times when insight alone is not sufficient for progress. Patterns repeat despite understanding them, and depression feels immovable.
While therapy has helped, your nervous system remains locked and there are matters unchanged.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) can support those in therapy when traditional therapeutic methods stall, extend and deepen ongoing depth work, or simply offer a different fantage point within the therapeutic experience. KAP offers a carefully structured way to access new perspectives and restore flexibility in how experience is held.
This work shies away from escape and intensity and becomes focused on creating the conditions for meaningful change and integration.
When the Usual Ways of Working No Longer Create Movement
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) can support those in therapy when traditional therapeutic methods stall, extend and deepen ongoing depth work, or simply offer a different vantage point within the therapeutic experience.
You may recognize yourself if:
You feel stuck in patterns that insight has not shifted
Emotional pain feels inaccessible or overwhelming
You sense that something needs to change but don’t know how to reach it
For some, the nervous system becomes locked into survival patterns that limit flexibility, perception, and connection. KAP offers additional support, when used carefully and ethically under the care of a trained therapist.
A Depth-Oriented, Embodied Approach to Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
KAP is offered within the framework of Embodied Depth Psychotherapy, drawing from depth psychology, relational psychotherapy, and somatic awareness.
Rather than focusing on the experience alone, therapy centers on how the experience is prepared for, supported, and integrated afterward.
Careful preparation to establish intention, safety, and readiness
Supporting the ketamine experience within a therapeutic container
Attending to emotional, symbolic, and bodily experience
Exploring shifts in perception, meaning, or self-relationship
Integrating insights into daily life and ongoing therapy
Ketamine is understood as a support, a way of loosening rigid patterns and expanding perception, rather than a solution itself. Lasting change comes through integration.
What Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Often Looks Like
KAP is a structured process that unfolds over time. Treatment will include preparation, medicine-assisted sessions, and integration sessions before and after.
Over time, clients report:
Increased psychological flexibility
Relief from depressive or constrictive patterns
Deeper integration of insight into daily life
KAP embodies supporting sustainable change through careful, grounded therapeutic work instead of chasing experiences.
Who Will Benefit Most from Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
This approach is especially meaningful for people who:
Feel stuck despite prior therapeutic work
Experience depression or anxiety that has been resistant to change
Are open to careful preparation and ongoing integration
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is not appropriate for everyone. Determining fit is an important part of the process.
Common Questions About Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
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Ketamine is one component of a broader therapeutic process. The therapy includes preparation, supported sessions, and integration, all of which are essential to meaningful change.
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Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is conducted at carefully managed doses that allow for awareness and reflection. Safety and orientation are prioritized throughout.
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This is a clinically grounded therapeutic modality delivered within an ethical, professional framework.
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Some people engage in a short series of sessions, while others incorporate KAP into ongoing psychotherapy. Recommendations are made collaboratively.
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KAP involves a combination of psychotherapy and medicine sessions. It is often integrated into ongoing depth therapy but may also be pursued as a focused course of treatment.
As part of the process, I partner with a licensed medical provider who evaluates medical appropriateness and determines whether a ketamine prescription is indicated. KAP is always supported by medical oversight.
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Initial Consultation - We begin with several therapy sessions to determine whether KAP and my practice are a good fit. We’ll explore your history, hopes, support systems, and intentions before deciding together whether to move forward. If appropriate, you’ll be referred to a medical provider for evaluation and possible prescription.
Preparation Sessions- Once medically cleared, we schedule 2-4 preparation sessions. These resemble standard therapy sessions with particular focus on clarifying intentions and establishing psychological grounding for the medicine work.
Medicine Sessions- Medicine sessions are typically three hours. They may involve vivid emotions, shifts in perception, and physical sensations. I remain present throughout, offering guidance and support as you move through the experience. Clients often complete a series of sessions over several weeks or months.
Integration - Integration sessions (typically 2-4) help consolidate insight and translate the experience into lasting shifts. This is where meaning deepens and the work begins to take root in everyday life.
About Scott Gordon, PsyD
Scott Gordon, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work is grounded in Embodied Depth Psychotherapy, an integrative orientation informed by depth psychology, relational psychotherapy, and somatic awareness.
His work integrates Western clinical psychology with contemplative and somatic traditions, emphasizing preparation, integration, and meaning-making rather than symptom suppression alone.
Scott works collaboratively with clients to ensure ketamine-assisted work is grounded, ethical, and aligned with long-term psychological growth.