Preparation for Your KAP Session
Most people come to KAP because there is a problem they want help with. They may be struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, grief, or simply feeling stuck. Seeking relief, healing, and change is completely appropriate.
What makes KAP different is not that we ignore the problem. It is that we approach the problem differently.
Many of us are used to solving problems by thinking harder, analyzing, controlling, fixing, or forcing change. While those approaches can be helpful, they sometimes reach their limits.
KAP invites a different process. Rather than trying to force an answer, we become curious about what lies underneath the problem. We create space for thoughts, emotions, memories, insights, and new perspectives to emerge naturally.
Research suggests that ketamine temporarily increases the brain's capacity for change and learning. During this time, familiar patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating may become less rigid, making it easier to see yourself and your experiences from a different perspective. While the medication creates this opportunity, your approach to the experience also matters. Openness, curiosity, and a willingness to make room for whatever emerges can help you make better use of what the medicine makes possible.
Paradoxically, people often discover that meaningful change occurs when they stop trying to control the process. We are still working toward healing and solving problems, but we do so by listening more deeply to ourselves rather than forcing a particular outcome.
Come with Curiosity, Not Expectations
Many people arrive hoping for a specific outcome:
Instead of asking:
"Will this work?"
Try asking:
"What might I learn about myself today?"
Hold an Intention Lightly
An intention can be helpful.
Examples:
Trust the Process
Many people worry they are "doing it wrong."
There is no right experience.
Some people experience:
Whatever happens is useful information.
Let Go of the Need to Control
Most of us spend our lives trying to manage thoughts, emotions, and discomfort.
During KAP, we practice a different stance:
Rather than analyzing an image, simply observe it.
Rather than pushing away discomfort, become curious about it.
You do not need to make anything happen. Often the most helpful thing you can do is notice what is already happening.
If Difficult Feelings Arise
Sometimes sadness, fear, anger, grief, shame, vulnerability, or old memories emerge.
This does not mean something has gone wrong.
Often these experiences are appearing because they have been carrying something important for a long time and finally have an opportunity to be noticed and understood.
If difficult feelings arise, try not to fight them, fix them, or make them go away. Instead, see if you can create some space around them.
You might ask yourself:
Getting to Know Different Parts of Yourself
Most people discover that they are not just one thing.
There may be a part of you that is confident and another that is afraid.
A part that wants connection and another that wants protection.
A part that wants change and another that worries about what change might bring.
During KAP, these different aspects of yourself sometimes become easier to notice. Rather than judging them or trying to get rid of them, see if you can become curious about them.
Ask:
Practicing Presence
One of the skills that can enhance your KAP experience is mindfulness.
Mindfulness simply means paying attention to what is happening in the present moment without judging it as good or bad, right or wrong.
Before a KAP session, it can be helpful to intentionally set aside the demands of daily life for a period of time. Work responsibilities, family concerns, unfinished tasks, relationship stress, and other worries will still be there after the session. Many of us spend much of our time thinking about the future, replaying the past, solving problems, or reacting to whatever is demanding our attention. For now, the goal is not to solve those problems but to create some space from them so you can focus on your inner experience. The more present you are with what is happening during the session, the easier it may be to notice thoughts, emotions, sensations, and insights that might otherwise be overlooked.
If mindfulness is unfamiliar to you, or if you would like additional guidance, I encourage you to review the mindfulness page my website before your session. Even a basic understanding of mindfulness can help you approach KAP with greater openness, awareness, and curiosity.
You do not need to empty your mind or stop your thoughts.
Instead, try simply noticing:
When we notice our experience without immediately judging, fixing, avoiding, or analyzing it, we create space for deeper understanding and insight to emerge.
If you find yourself caught up in thinking, planning, or evaluating the session, gently bring your attention back to the present moment.
Many experienced KAP clients eventually discover a simple attitude:
"I will welcome whatever shows up."
When clients approach the session with openness, curiosity, and self-compassion, the work often unfolds naturally. You do not need to make anything happen. Try not to spend the session looking for answers. Spend the session noticing what happens when you create enough space for answers to find you.
What makes KAP different is not that we ignore the problem. It is that we approach the problem differently.
Many of us are used to solving problems by thinking harder, analyzing, controlling, fixing, or forcing change. While those approaches can be helpful, they sometimes reach their limits.
KAP invites a different process. Rather than trying to force an answer, we become curious about what lies underneath the problem. We create space for thoughts, emotions, memories, insights, and new perspectives to emerge naturally.
Research suggests that ketamine temporarily increases the brain's capacity for change and learning. During this time, familiar patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating may become less rigid, making it easier to see yourself and your experiences from a different perspective. While the medication creates this opportunity, your approach to the experience also matters. Openness, curiosity, and a willingness to make room for whatever emerges can help you make better use of what the medicine makes possible.
Paradoxically, people often discover that meaningful change occurs when they stop trying to control the process. We are still working toward healing and solving problems, but we do so by listening more deeply to ourselves rather than forcing a particular outcome.
Come with Curiosity, Not Expectations
Many people arrive hoping for a specific outcome:
- "I want my anxiety to go away."
- "I want to understand my childhood."
- "I want to heal this trauma."
- "I want a life-changing insight."
Instead of asking:
"Will this work?"
Try asking:
"What might I learn about myself today?"
Hold an Intention Lightly
An intention can be helpful.
Examples:
- I want to understand myself more deeply.
- I want to be open to healing.
- I want to feel more connected to myself.
- I want to learn what needs my attention.
Trust the Process
Many people worry they are "doing it wrong."
There is no right experience.
Some people experience:
- vivid imagery
- memories
- emotions
- body sensations
- insights
- a deep sense of peace
Whatever happens is useful information.
Let Go of the Need to Control
Most of us spend our lives trying to manage thoughts, emotions, and discomfort.
During KAP, we practice a different stance:
- Notice.
- Create Space.
- Be Curious.
Rather than analyzing an image, simply observe it.
Rather than pushing away discomfort, become curious about it.
You do not need to make anything happen. Often the most helpful thing you can do is notice what is already happening.
If Difficult Feelings Arise
Sometimes sadness, fear, anger, grief, shame, vulnerability, or old memories emerge.
This does not mean something has gone wrong.
Often these experiences are appearing because they have been carrying something important for a long time and finally have an opportunity to be noticed and understood.
If difficult feelings arise, try not to fight them, fix them, or make them go away. Instead, see if you can create some space around them.
You might ask yourself:
- What am I feeling right now?
- Can I stay curious about this?
- What might this feeling want me to know?
- What happens if I make room for it rather than push it away?
Getting to Know Different Parts of Yourself
Most people discover that they are not just one thing.
There may be a part of you that is confident and another that is afraid.
A part that wants connection and another that wants protection.
A part that wants change and another that worries about what change might bring.
During KAP, these different aspects of yourself sometimes become easier to notice. Rather than judging them or trying to get rid of them, see if you can become curious about them.
Ask:
- What part of me is showing up right now?
- What is this part concerned about?
- What is it trying to accomplish?
- What does it need?
- What does it fear?
Practicing Presence
One of the skills that can enhance your KAP experience is mindfulness.
Mindfulness simply means paying attention to what is happening in the present moment without judging it as good or bad, right or wrong.
Before a KAP session, it can be helpful to intentionally set aside the demands of daily life for a period of time. Work responsibilities, family concerns, unfinished tasks, relationship stress, and other worries will still be there after the session. Many of us spend much of our time thinking about the future, replaying the past, solving problems, or reacting to whatever is demanding our attention. For now, the goal is not to solve those problems but to create some space from them so you can focus on your inner experience. The more present you are with what is happening during the session, the easier it may be to notice thoughts, emotions, sensations, and insights that might otherwise be overlooked.
If mindfulness is unfamiliar to you, or if you would like additional guidance, I encourage you to review the mindfulness page my website before your session. Even a basic understanding of mindfulness can help you approach KAP with greater openness, awareness, and curiosity.
You do not need to empty your mind or stop your thoughts.
Instead, try simply noticing:
- What am I feeling in my body?
- What emotions are present?
- What thoughts are coming and going?
- What am I experiencing right now?
When we notice our experience without immediately judging, fixing, avoiding, or analyzing it, we create space for deeper understanding and insight to emerge.
If you find yourself caught up in thinking, planning, or evaluating the session, gently bring your attention back to the present moment.
- Notice.
- Create Space.
- Be Curious.
Many experienced KAP clients eventually discover a simple attitude:
"I will welcome whatever shows up."
When clients approach the session with openness, curiosity, and self-compassion, the work often unfolds naturally. You do not need to make anything happen. Try not to spend the session looking for answers. Spend the session noticing what happens when you create enough space for answers to find you.
Prior to the KAP Session
Food
The main reason is that ketamine can occasionally cause nausea, and a relatively empty stomach reduces that risk.
Fluids
Alcohol
Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before the session.
Alcohol can:
Cannabis
Practices vary, but most KAP providers recommend avoiding cannabis the day of treatment.
Cannabis can:
Recreational Drugs
Avoid all non-prescribed recreational drugs before treatment.
Substances such as:
Caffeine
A small amount of caffeine is usually fine.
However, excessive caffeine immediately before a session may:
Prescription Medications
Continue medications exactly as directed unless specifically instructed otherwise by the prescriber.
Certain medications may affect ketamine's effectiveness, including:
Day of Session
RecommendationsMany KAP providers encourage clients to:
- No solid food for 4–6 hours before the session.
- A light meal earlier in the day is usually fine.
- Avoid heavy, greasy, or large meals before treatment.
The main reason is that ketamine can occasionally cause nausea, and a relatively empty stomach reduces that risk.
Fluids
- Stay well hydrated during the day.
- Stop drinking large amounts of fluids about 1–2 hours before the session.
- Small sips of water are usually fine.
Alcohol
Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before the session.
Alcohol can:
- Increase sedation
- Interfere with emotional processing
- Increase the risk of side effects
- Make it more difficult to interpret the experience
Cannabis
Practices vary, but most KAP providers recommend avoiding cannabis the day of treatment.
Cannabis can:
- Alter the ketamine experience
- Increase anxiety or dissociation in some people
- Make it harder to understand what is coming from the ketamine itself
Recreational Drugs
Avoid all non-prescribed recreational drugs before treatment.
Substances such as:
- Cocaine
- Methamphetamine
- MDMA
- Psilocybin
- LSD
- Other psychedelics
Caffeine
A small amount of caffeine is usually fine.
However, excessive caffeine immediately before a session may:
- Increase anxiety
- Increase heart rate
- Make it harder to settle into the experience
Prescription Medications
Continue medications exactly as directed unless specifically instructed otherwise by the prescriber.
Certain medications may affect ketamine's effectiveness, including:
- Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium)
- Some sleep medications
- Certain anticonvulsants
Day of Session
RecommendationsMany KAP providers encourage clients to:
- Get a reasonable night's sleep.
- Avoid rushing to the appointment.
- Minimize stressful obligations beforehand.
- Set aside time afterward for rest and reflection.
- Avoid scheduling demanding work, difficult conversations, or major decisions immediately after treatment.
KAP Session To Do List
- Create a clean, comfortable, cozy space, with a pleasing smell that feels safe
- Keep noises and distractions away (including pets)
- Discuss dosing with your person and prepare the ketamine tablets.
- Have a spit cup handy
- Have a pair of eyeshades ready
- Have a blood pressure cuff ready (and charged)
- Have a pair of headphones ready (and charged)
- Ensure a downloaded music playlist is ready.
- Use the restroom at the beginning of the session and brush your teeth and gums for increased ketamine absorption
- If you are doing a remote session online, decide if you want your chaperone to stay in the room the whole time or be in another room WITHIN VOICE RANGE
- Have a journal and pen or art supplies ready for immediately after their session
- Prep some snacks and drink for after the session if desired (nuts and fruit, etc)
Just before ketamine intake, take your vitals and text them to me:
- MAX VITALS TO CONTINUE WITH KETAMINE ARE
- Blood pressure - 160/90
- Heart rate - 110
- If vitals are too high it's not a big deal
- Take some slower belly breaths with a slightly prolonged exhale (e.g., 4 seconds in, 4 second pause, 7 seconds out, 4 second pause) for 3-5 minutes and then try again
- You can not proceed with taking the ketamine until their vitals are under the max threshold
When you are ready, you will place tabs under your tongue and begin swishing:
- You or I will set a timer for 12 minutes and keep track of time
- Begin music and pull eyeshades down while sitting up to swish to keep the ketamine from going down your throat
- At 12 minutes you will spit the ketamine into a cup
- Have a mint available if you don't like the taste of the medicine
- If you accidentally swallow the medicine, it may increase your chances of experiencing nausea
KAP Chaperone Guidelines
If you are doing a remote KAP session, you will need a chaperone to be available as needed. The chaperone provides support and assistance when the therapist is not physically present in the room. This individual is an adult (18+ years old) and a reliable and trusted person in the patient’s life, such as a partner, close friend, family member, or roommate, with whom the patient shares a positive and uncomplicated relationship. During the session, they may be asked for assistance by either the therapist or the patient as needed.
Before the session
You will know when they are finished by them taking off their eye shades:
When they are finished, you must take vitals again and text them to me.
When may a chaperone be asked to help?
In Case of Emergency: Contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room and inform the therapist. In addition, please fill out the Adverse Events Form or text 999 to 936-251-5362 once it’s safe to do so. A member of our medical team will review your submission and contact you shortly via phone to develop an action plan.
Learn more about KAP at Journey Clinical
Before the session
- Please familiarize yourself with the KAP process.
- Make an internal commitment to be fully present with yourself and with your person during their session
- Prior to the session, if needed consider regulating your own nervous system with some deep breathing exercises (e.g., 4 seconds in, 4 second pause, 7 seconds out, 4 seconds pause)
- Show up in person 15 minutes before the KAP session begins
- If you haven't already, exchange phone numbers with the KAP patient’s therapist and check-in before the session
- Agree on check-in frequency with patient and therapist
- If your person wishes, you may be asked to leave the room at this time
- Even before your person takes the ketamine tablets, they have already entered their own journeying space. This is an important time for them so minimal to no talking is suggested once details have been communicated. Once they begin swishing, no interacting with them unless they ask for it. This is an internal process for them.
- Help provide a distraction-free environment during the KAP session (e.g. keep kids and pets away with low noise level)
- Stay within voice-range and check-in on the patient based on agreed upon frequency
- Serve as point of contact for the therapist via text and/or phone call
- Help the KAP patient as needed (see below some examples)
- If needed, follow emergency process outlined below
You will know when they are finished by them taking off their eye shades:
- Stay with the patient until they are alert, able to move around safely, and feel comfortable on their own
- Help them walk if they need to get up right away
- Do not try to engage them in conversation unless they express that they would like to
- Know that they will still be somewhat in their experience for several hours after journey, so allow them to begin conversation at their pace.
- If they choose to share their experience, try being a witness and just listen to what they have to say rather than commenting on it - being heard and witnessed is so powerful!
- They will be extra sensitive to everything around them - your quiet support will be appreciated!
When they are finished, you must take vitals again and text them to me.
- This is critical for them to be able to continue doing self-guided journeys with me as I have to report these vitals back to Journey Clinical, otherwise they will not be able to continue their treatment
When may a chaperone be asked to help?
- Physical Support: The dissociative nature of ketamine can be disorienting, so a patient’s balance could be poor and they may need help from the chaperone to stand up, move and walk to and from the bathroom, especially in a home with stairs.
- Technical Issues: Ideally, the patient’s technological set up is working (e.g. laptops, headphones/speakers are fully charged, the music is ad free etc.). In case of a technological difficulty, the therapist or the patient may ask the chaperone to help.
- Environmental Disturbances: In case unexpected disruptions arise, such as new people entering or increased noise levels, the chaperone helps manage these factors, maintaining a quiet and focused environment for the patient.
In Case of Emergency: Contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room and inform the therapist. In addition, please fill out the Adverse Events Form or text 999 to 936-251-5362 once it’s safe to do so. A member of our medical team will review your submission and contact you shortly via phone to develop an action plan.
Learn more about KAP at Journey Clinical