Yes. Ketamine is a profound psychedelic medicine with a very large safety profile. It is known to be safe and well-tolerated in both healthy adults and children. Before getting started, we will screen you carefully to ensure you are a safe candidate for treatment.

Yes. Ketamine is the only legal psychedelic that we currently have to work with in the United States. It is a Schedule 3 medication that has been used safely as anesthesia and analgesia (for surgeries, conscious sedation, and pain relief) for over 50 years. More recently, ketamine is now being used as an off-label treatment for various chronic, treatment-resistant conditions, such as depression, alcoholism, substance dependence, PTSD, and other psychiatric diagnoses as well as for existential, psychological, and spiritual crises and growth.

Ketamine differs from other classic psychedelics such as psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, etc. in a variety of ways:

• Legally, psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and other classic psychedelics are currently classified as schedule 1 drugs, which means that the US government deems them to have no medical benefit and have a high risk for addiction. Though many of them are indeed in the process of being rescheduled, ketamine is currently the only psychedelic that is recognized by the FDA as medically beneficial and safe. It will be prescribed to you by a licensed medical provider who clears you for it.

• Experientially, most psychedelics work on the serotonin 2A receptor site, whereas ketamine works on the NMDA receptor (more on this below!). Ketamine is truly a whole different wheelhouse!

Ketamine is a very safe medicine overall. Because it can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, people who can’t tolerate a rapid increase in blood pressure should not use ketamine. Additionally, some mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar 1 with active mania, are not indicated for ketamine treatment.

Most medications are very safe with ketamine. Because ketamine acts on a completely different neurotransmitter pathway than other traditional psychiatric drugs such as SSRIs, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, SNRIs, etc., it can safely be used in conjunction with most other psychiatric drugs.

From a scientific perspective, ketamine is an NMDA antagonist and works through the glutamate neurotransmitter system. It increases glutamate in the spaces between the neurons. With more glutamate in the receptor and activation of the receptor, it allows us to make new pathways for synaptogenesis, which is when our synapses attach and make new connections. This can affect mood, thought patterns, cognition, movement, and how our bodies feel – and may also help to reduce inflammation.

It can relieve anxiety and chronic pain and act as an antidepressant. Additionally, by increasing blood flow to atrophied neurons in the brain, it initiates revascularization and rebalancing of neurotransmitters for people who suffer from depression, obsessive thoughts, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

From a transpersonal perspective, ketamine is known to soften or dissolve our standard belief structure about ourselves, and our default ways of thinking. It allows us to think in new ways. It may give you a sense of connection to things beyond yourself or give you an opportunity to look at ideas or relationships in a new way. This is helpful when we get stuck in particular thought patterns such as depression, OCD, anxiety, etc. ketamine will quiet that default way of thinking and allow for novel connections to occur.

Every psychedelic experience is unique to the individual and environment, and ketamine is no different. There are some commonalities in reported sensations from psychedelic doses of ketamine. You may experience a sense of disconnection — that you are observing your mind and body from outside rather than within. The experience has also been described as feeling a lot of movement as if you are floating down a rushing river or atop a flowy lake.

Many people also experience changes in energy level, becoming either extremely relaxed or more energetic. The heart rate often increases, and breathing can slow or become shallow. It’s important to recognize that for some people these unfamiliar sensations can be overwhelming or difficult, but they are completely normal with ketamine use. Even with experiences that may seem negative in the moment, the insights gained are often tremendously valuable.

Common side effects (experienced by about 30% of people) include nausea/vomiting, dizziness and fatigue. There are things we will do to mitigate your risk of nausea/vomiting, especially if you are prone to motion (or other) sickness. The most common medical risk, though still very rare (about 0.4%), is laryngospasm, or a temporary and easily resolvable spasm of the vocal cords that can make it feel difficult to speak or breathe.

Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including insufflation, sublingually, rectally, intravenously, and through intramuscular injection. Inside the IGNITION Ketamine-Assisted Coaching Program, clients are administered ketamine sublingually in a rapidly dissolving lozenge or IM injection.

In so many ways! Much of our differentiation comes from the fact that we are a team of nurses. Because of that, we are able to provide whole-person care on all aspects of health and wellbeing from medical to psycho-social-spiritual. We will meet you where you are, challenge you to walk your own path and support you along the way. Another key difference worth noting is our focus on robust education, preparation, integration and harm reduction.

The ketamine used in your sessions is prescribed by our licenced medical providers at Telos Transformational Therapies (www.telostherapies.com)

Short answer: no. This is for so many safety-related reasons and also because the integration part of the process is critical for success. For that reason, we offer treatments through our Ignition treatment/coaching program only.

Right now the only legal psychedelic treatment is ketamine – but we expect that to change in the near future and are certified and ready to support others (specifically MDMA) as soon as it does. Our lead coach, Angela Ward, is certified in MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training (Parts A-D) and is currently earning her Synthesis certification.

While we do not offer other psychedelic medicines like MDMA or psilocybin, we do offer psychedelic harm reduction and integration support through our Travel Insurance Coaching Package.

We also offer a DIY course called Mindful journey, designed to help you prepare for and integrate an internal journey, much like you would prepare to travel for a vacation. Click here for more information.