Feeling Stuck in your relationship?

 Not getting through to your partner despite attempts at conversations and even therapy? Feeling stuck? Or perhaps you have tried couples therapy before without making progress or reaching your goals? Feeling like your couples therapy sessions are creating an environment for your partner to say what the therapist wants to hear rather than honestly discussing issues? If you can relate, then Couples Ketamine therapy may be right for you. 

Couples therapy benefits and limits

Couples therapy is an incredibly effective tool for helping build skills to navigate conflict in a healthy way, repair from the betrayal of trust or infidelity, and learn one another’s attachment styles and love languages. It can help you create shared meaning for your partnership, and deepen your intimacy and connection to one another. Couples therapy can help when you have gotten sucked into a negative cycle of conflict that feels unending and can help you see the positive parts of your partner and your relationship again. It can offer support when you are transitioning into a new stage of life, navigating parenthood for the first time, or preparing for marriage.

Find the Space to Better Understand Your Partner and Your Needs

Couples therapy allows you the space to understand your partner better and articulate your needs. In some cases, traditional talk therapy is not enough, for example, for couples who have been stuck in a negative cycle for years, and have struggled to break out, or for folx who have been through a traumatic event together, infidelity, or are healing from the impacts of substance use disorders on the relationship. If you feel stuck and unable to implement the tools you have learned in couples therapy, you may benefit from Ketamine Assisted Couples Therapy. 

KAP for couples 

 Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)  for couples, integrates the standards of practice for couples therapy encompassing the theories and approaches from research-based interventions such as the Gottman Method, combined with the powerful effects of Ketamine Medication. Ketamine-assisted Therapy allows for increased neuroplasticity in the brain which helps with learning new skills, changing unproductive thought patterns, and taking new perspectives. Ketamine has been found to produce anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. By combining KAP with Couples therapy we harness the powerful tools of each modality to better help you understand one another, break free from negative cycles of conflict and deepen your connection to one another. 

What is KAP?

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is a method of therapy that encompasses psychotherapy approaches in combination with medication administration. KAP is done in a team made up of a mental health professional and a medical professional who work together to coordinate your treatment individually for your needs. The therapist and medical provider will take into account your history, goals, and current struggles to create a plan that works for you. Ketamine has historically been used as an anesthetic in pediatric surgeons and other medical procedures and is one of the safest anesthetics available.

Ketamine, an Essential Medicine

The world health organization has designated it on the list of essential medicines that should be widely available.  More recently, ketamine therapy anti-depressant effects have been recognized for treating mental health issues related to depression, and anxiety, trauma, and addiction. It has a unique safety profile that has minimal effects on the respiratory system and is safe to use in conjunction with antidepressant medications. It is one of the only psychedelics that can be used with antidepressants which allows for greater access for more people.

How does KAP for couples work to increase connection, and interrupt negative cycles? 

KAP works to interrupt the negative cycle of communication and relationship dynamics because of its neuroplasticity-promoting properties. Ketamine works on NMDA receptors which are responsible for neuroplasticity. This is how your brain develops and learns new skills and abilities. Ketamine’s promotion of neuroplasticity may allow you to learn new ways of thinking and relating to your partner to interrupt toxic communication habits and relationship dynamics. When paired with integration therapy sessions you can access the couples therapy tools on a deeper level and your brain is primed to be able to take in new information and see your relationship and partner in a more adaptive way.

Traditional Couples Therapy can Fail

Oftentimes couples therapy doesn't work because people are set in their ways, or their brains are not receptive to new information due to trauma, anxiety, depression, or age. Ketamine’s work in NMDA receptors helps to prime the brain to be able to access the therapeutic interventions provided in sessions. These effects are in place for up to 48 hours after the medicine session, so you not only gain the benefits from the medicine session itself but gain larger benefits from your integration sessions as well.

Low Dose Ketamine Therapy

The low-dose session process involves taking a lower dose of ketamine prescribed by a medical provider. Each person will take their dose and then the therapist will engage them in a couples therapy session in which they are able to participate. In many cases, the medicine works to help promote openness, respectively and increased neuroplasticity, so you get the most out of your session. 

High-Dose Ketamine Therapy

In high-dose sessions, the process involved taking a psychedelic dose of ketamine prescribed by a medical provider. In these sessions, the beginning will consist of preparation and intention setting, and the couple will take their higher doses and enter an hour of internally focused processing typically set to a curated playlist. After the journey, the couple will process and share their experience guided by a trained therapist to help them deepen their connection, and understand their relationship dynamics and the root causes of their struggles and needs. They will then have a longer more in-depth integration session 24-48 hours following their medicine session to further integrate their insights and implement new healthier ways of communicating and relating to one another. 

What to expect with KAP couples session.

Free Consultation

The process begins with a free consultation and initial screening to determine eligibility for KAP work. You will discuss your struggles, goals, background, and any questions about the process as well as logistics etc.

Intake

Then you will each meet with your therapist for an individualized intake session to gather information about your history, background, mental health, relationship history, and goals. 

Medical evaluation

You will meet with a medical provider, who will conduct a thorough evaluation to ensure you meet the criteria for KAP. They will prescribe your dose and answer any questions you have about the medical aspects of the process. 

Prep session 

You will then attend a preparation session to identify what you want to focus on first, your therapist will cover tools and techniques that will prepare you for getting the most out of your medicine session and you will discuss the flow of the medicine session. 

Medicine session 

 This is a 2- 3 hour session depending on the high or low dose in which you will experience the medicine as described in the early section, you will either take a low dose and participate in couples therapy, or take a higher dose and have an internally focused experience that you will process later. Your therapist will work with you to determine the best approach based on your individual needs. 

Integration sessions

After your medicine session, you will meet with your therapist for a session to integrate your insights and experiences from the medicine session. This session will help you to implement any new insights, awareness, and tools into your daily life and relationship to help create lasting change and support neuroplasticity. 

 Group Ketamine Therapy

We offer group KAP sessions that follow a similar process and offer these services at a reduced cost. Groups are small intimate settings, which provide the opportunity to move through the healing process with other people with similar goals. 

Benefits of group work

At Flourish Mindset, we believe all healing and learning happen in connection. As humans, we are wired for connection. Being in a supportive community development helps to promote safety and growth. We can often learn from the experiences of others and feel supported knowing that we are not alone. Doing couples work in groups can provide similar benefits as you recognize you are not the only couple who is struggling and you can gain new insights and ideas from hearing about the experiences of others. 

Begin Ketamine assisted therapy in Los Angeles Today

If you are struggling with your relationship, feel unsure how to move forward, and need help creating lasting change you may benefit from one of our Ketamine assisted therapy approaches. Flourish Mindset in Los Angeles takes a holistic approach to help you understand your options for therapy and helps you develop a customized strategy for reaching your goals. If you are ready to take the next steps in your journey with Ketamine Assisted Couples Psychotherapy,, or talk therapy follow the simple steps below!

• Get to know our therapists here

• Book a Free 20 Minute Consultation

• Begin your new and exciting journey to healing