Preparation for KAP Session

  • 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. See below for information on music.
  • Use the restroom at the beginning of the session and brush your teeth and gums for increased ketamine absorption
  • Decide if you want your person 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
  • If your person wishes, you may be asked to leave the room at this 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
  • If you accidentally swallow the medicine, it may increase your chances of experiencing nausea 

KAP Chaperone Guidelines

​In the context of ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy at Journey Clinical, 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
  • 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
  • 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.
During the session
  • 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
After the session
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

🎵 ​The Benefit of Music in KAP Therapy

Music plays an essential role in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. During the medicine phase, music is not background — it becomes part of the therapeutic container. As ketamine softens ordinary thinking and quiets protective defenses, music helps the nervous system feel safe, supported, and grounded. It provides emotional structure to the journey and allows insight, imagery, and healing experiences to unfold naturally.

What Kind of Music Is Used?
Music in KAP is typically:
  • Instrumental or minimal lyrics
  • Spacious and emotionally supportive
  • Steady in tone (without sudden shifts or intensity)
Common styles include:
Ambient & Atmospheric
  • Brian Eno
  • Hammock
  • East Forest
Neo-Classical / Piano / Strings
  • Nils Frahm
  • Ólafur Arnalds
  • Max Richter
  • Ludovico Einaudi
Mellow Instrumental Guitar
  • William Ackerman
  • Andy McKee
  • Michael Hedges
Soft, Spacious Jazz (Selected Carefully)
Jazz can be appropriate if it is slow, melodic, and not rhythmically complex.
  • Bill Evans
  • Chet Baker
Nature-Integrated Soundscapes
  • Ocean
  • Wind
  • Light tonal layering
Especially helpful for highly anxious clients.
Gentle World / Chant / Sacred (Carefully Chosen)
Works when:
  • Client has spiritual orientation
  • Music feels spacious, not doctrinal
Examples:
  • Snatam Kaur
  • Deva Premal
Must screen carefully for religious trauma triggers.

What Music We Avoid
  • Strong lyrical storytelling
  • Sudden crescendos or dramatic shifts
  • Heavy percussion or driving rhythm
  • Music strongly tied to personal memories
  • Sudden volume spikes
  • Dramatic tempo shifts
  • Chaotic or dissonant compositions
Clients in altered states can feel overwhelmed by intensity.

🚫 What Kind of Music Is Not Ideal?
❌ Strong Lyrics
  • Pop
  • Folk storytelling
  • Worship music (unless intentional)
  • Songs tied to relationships
❌ Intense Emotional Drama
  • Big cinematic scores
  • Heavy percussion
  • EDM
  • Hard rock
❌ Music with Personal History
Avoid tracks:
  • Played at weddings
  • Associated with ex-partners
  • Linked to trauma memories
Unless you are intentionally working with that memory.