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Ketamine-Assisted Hypnotherapy in Beverly Hills, CA

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Your Subconscious Has Been Running the Show. Here’s a Way In.

You’ve said the same things in therapy for years. You know your triggers, your patterns, your history, backward and forward. And the anxiety, the depression, the trauma response still fires the same way it always has.

That’s not a failure of insight. Insight lives in the conscious mind. A lot of what’s actually driving your symptoms doesn’t.

Ketamine-Assisted Hypnotherapy (KAH) at Brain Spa pairs a low dose of ketamine with guided hypnotherapy, using the temporary window ketamine opens in the brain to work directly with the subconscious patterns that standard therapy struggles to reach.

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What Ketamine-Assisted Hypnotherapy Is

KAH combines two things: a sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine, and hypnotherapy, a guided-relaxation technique that uses focused attention to access the subconscious mind. On its own, ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic with documented rapid-acting antidepressant effects. On its own, hypnotherapy has a long history of use for anxiety, phobias, and behavior change, but it depends heavily on how suggestible a person is in the moment. Put them together, and something specific happens: ketamine’s dissociative state appears to increase suggestibility, the exact quality hypnotherapy depends on to work. That’s the premise behind KAH, and it’s different from Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, which pairs ketamine with talk-therapy-based psychotherapy instead of hypnotic techniques. Sessions happen in a private, comfortable setting, and can also be arranged in-home or in an environment of your choosing, with medical staff monitoring you throughout.

How Ketamine and Hypnotherapy Work Together

The ketamine side of the mechanism:
  • Ketamine blocks NMDA receptors, a type of glutamate receptor involved in transmitting and regulating brain signaling
  • That blockade triggers a glutamate surge elsewhere in the brain, activating AMPA receptors
  • AMPA activation sets off a cascade that promotes synaptogenesis, the rapid formation of new synaptic connections, concentrated in the prefrontal cortex
  • This is part of why ketamine’s antidepressant effects can show up in hours rather than the four-to-six weeks typical of standard antidepressants
The hypnotherapy side of the mechanism:
  • Hypnotherapy works by narrowing focused attention and reducing the usual “gatekeeping” the conscious mind does, making a person more open to suggestion and reframing
  • Ketamine’s dissociative effect appears to lower that same gatekeeping further, which is the working theory behind why pairing the two may deepen the hypnotic state beyond what hypnotherapy alone can reach
A 2025 paper in the Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders examined exactly this pairing for depression, noting the increased suggestibility ketamine produces could help hypnotic suggestion land more effectively, while also flagging that formal research on this specific combination is still early and limited. Separately, NIMH-funded research continues to study ketamine’s rapid-acting effects on depression more broadly. This is general background on how the treatment is believed to work, not a promise of outcome for any individual patient.

Who Is (and Isn’t) a Good Candidate

KAH gets considered most often for depression, anxiety, and PTSD that haven’t responded well to standard treatment, what’s clinically referred to as treatment-resistant. In practice, that usually means someone has tried at least two different antidepressant medications, at an adequate dose, for a full 6 to 8 weeks each, without meaningful improvement. Typically a good fit if you:
  • Have treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, or PTSD
  • Are open to hypnotherapy as a modality (some people are naturally more responsive to hypnotic suggestion than others)
  • Are medically stable enough to tolerate a temporary rise in heart rate and blood pressure
  • Understand this is a series-based treatment, not a single-session fix
Typically screened out or requiring extra caution:
  • A personal history of psychosis or schizophrenia
  • Active, unmanaged substance use disorder
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure or significant heart disease
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Poorly controlled bipolar disorder, due to mania risk
  • Untreated glaucoma or elevated intracranial pressure
This isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. It’s a preview of what your provider will assess directly during intake. Schedule Your Consultation Today

Your Session, Step by Step

What To Expect

Inside a KAH Session at Brain Spa

Each step goes a little deeper. The dip in the middle is the hypnotic state itself.

1

Intake & Screening

Your provider confirms candidacy and reviews history.

2

Dosing Begins

A low dose of ketamine is administered. Vitals are tracked.

3

Hypnotic Induction

Your hypnotherapist guides you deeper, working with suggestion while the window is open.

4

Monitoring

Dissociation and response are tracked throughout, 60–90 minutes total.

5

Integration & Rest

Someone drives you home. The rest of the day is for resting.

60–90 minutes per session
1:1 private, one-on-one care
0 driving yourself home after
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  1. Intake and screening. A licensed provider reviews your medical history, current medications, and mental health goals to confirm you’re a good candidate before anything is scheduled.
 
  1. Dosing begins. A low, sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine is administered. This is not the anesthetic-level dosing used in surgery. Vitals are tracked from this point forward.
 
  1. Hypnotic induction and suggestion. As the ketamine takes effect, your trained hypnotherapist guides you into a hypnotic state, using suggestion and relaxation techniques aimed at your specific patterns, whether that’s anxiety loops, trauma responses, or negative self-talk.
 
  1. Monitoring throughout. Expect some dissociation, a floating or dreamlike distance from your usual thoughts. That’s the intended effect, not a malfunction. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes.
 
  1. Integration and aftercare. You will not be driving yourself home. Plan for a ride, and give yourself the rest of the day to rest rather than diving back into work or family obligations. Some patients feel clear-headed within a couple of hours; others feel mildly foggy for the rest of the day.

Safety and Monitoring, in Plain Terms

What’s tracked during your session:  
  • Heart rate and blood pressure, since both can rise temporarily during dosing
  • Oxygen saturation
  • Your level of dissociation and general response, tracked directly by staff in the room, not a monitor alone
  Known side effects, most resolving within a few hours:  
  • Dissociation (expected, not a malfunction)
  • Nausea
  • Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
  • Occasional grogginess or mild confusion that clears by the next day for most patients
  Who’s present: A licensed healthcare provider evaluates your candidacy and oversees your care. During the session, your trained hypnotherapist stays with you throughout, alongside clinical monitoring. Full sourcing behind these protocols is available on our references page.

Expected Timeline

  • Session 1 to 2: Some patients notice early shifts in sleep, anxiety intensity, or mood
  • Session 3 to 6: This is typically where the hypnotic suggestion work compounds, building on whatever loosened in earlier sessions
  • After the initial series: Relief duration varies by person. Some sustain benefits for weeks to months; others use periodic booster sessions to maintain progress
  • Not a one-time fix: Response varies, and your provider adjusts the plan based on how you’re actually responding, not a fixed script
  Your provider will walk you through what’s realistic for your specific case at your consultation.

KAH vs. Other Approaches

How the approaches differ
Approach What Happens Who’s With You
Standard IV Infusion Ketamine delivered through an IV. Monitoring is mostly vitals-based. Medical staff, minimal in-session talk therapy
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Ketamine combined with active talk-therapy-based psychotherapy during dosing. A trained psychotherapist, present the entire time
Ketamine-Assisted Hypnotherapy (KAH) Ketamine combined with guided hypnotic suggestion, aimed at subconscious patterns. A trained hypnotherapist, present the entire time
Spravato (esketamine) An FDA-approved nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression, separate protocol. Medical staff for post-dose observation
 

Cost and Insurance

Ketamine used for psychiatric treatment, including KAH, is prescribed off-label, meaning it’s billed differently than an in-network medication.
  • Ask for exact pricing at your consultation. Cost depends on your treatment plan, session format, and number of sessions recommended.
  • Ask about an itemized superbill to submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement through your insurance plan. Contact your insurer directly to ask what they cover for outpatient psychiatric and infusion-related codes.
  • Spravato is a separate track with its own FDA-approved insurance pathway, worth asking about if that fits your situation better.

Ready to Work With the Part of Your Mind Talk Therapy Couldn’t Reach?

Standard therapy works on the conscious mind. KAH is built to reach further, with a trained hypnotherapist beside you the entire time. Request Your Consultation or call (310) 628-1062 to learn more.

FAQ

Ketamine Assisted Hypnotherapy is a treatment approach that combines the use of ketamine, a medication with anesthetic and analgesic properties, with hypnotherapy, a form of therapy that uses guided relaxation and focused attention to help individuals access their subconscious mind.

Ketamine Assisted Hypnotherapy has shown promising results in treating a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, and chronic pain.

Ketamine Assisted Hypnotherapy is typically administered by a licensed healthcare provider, who will first evaluate the individual and determine if they are a good candidate for the treatment. The individual will then receive a low-dose infusion of ketamine while being guided into a hypnotic state by a trained hypnotherapist.

While ketamine has been used safely in medical settings for decades, there are potential risks and side effects associated with the treatment, such as dissociation, nausea, and increased heart rate. It is important to discuss the potential risks and benefits with a healthcare provider before undergoing Ketamine-Assisted Hypnotherapy.

The length of a Ketamine Assisted Hypnotherapy session can vary depending on the individual and their specific needs, but they typically last between 60-90 minutes.

Clinically, it generally means you’ve tried at least two different antidepressant medications, at an adequate dose, for a full 6 to 8 weeks each, without sufficient improvement.

Uncontrolled heart disease, a history of psychosis, active unmanaged substance use, pregnancy, and poorly controlled bipolar disorder are common reasons a provider may screen someone out or require extra caution. Your intake evaluation is where this gets assessed for your specific situation.

Ketamine for psychiatric use is typically billed as out-of-network. Ask about an itemized superbill at your consultation, and see our FAQs page for more on billing.

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