Years of therapy. Maybe a few medication trials. You show up, you say the right things, you know your patterns cold. And still, something in you stays stuck.
That’s not a personal failure. It’s often a sign that talk therapy alone has reached its ceiling, and your brain needs a different kind of opening to make the next shift stick.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) at Brain Spa combines a low-dose ketamine session with real-time work from a trained psychotherapist, inside a private, one-on-one setting in Beverly Hills. Not a group infusion room. Not a self-administered lozenge at home. A licensed clinician, in the room, while your brain is in a state that makes old patterns easier to loosen and new ones easier to form.
KAP is not the same as a standard IV ketamine infusion, and it’s not the same as Spravato.
Here’s the difference, plainly:
| Approach | What Happens | Who’s With You |
|---|---|---|
| Standard IV Infusion | You receive ketamine through an IV. Monitoring is mostly vitals-based. | Medical staff, minimal in-session talk therapy |
| Spravato (esketamine) | An FDA-approved nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression. Separate track, separate protocol. | Medical staff for post-dose observation |
| Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) | A low dose of ketamine is combined with an active psychotherapy session: talk therapy, cognitive techniques, and processing while the medication is working. | A trained psychotherapist, present the entire time |
Ketamine on its own can shift mood in hours instead of weeks. But the shift you’re chasing, the one that actually holds, usually needs a person guiding the process, not just a monitor tracking your heart rate.
That’s the whole premise of KAP. The medication opens a window. The therapist works inside it with you.
Most standard antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs) target serotonin and norepinephrine, and they typically take four to six weeks to show an effect, if they work at all.
Ketamine works on a completely different system: glutamate, the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter.
Here’s the short version of the mechanism:
There’s also research suggesting ketamine temporarily quiets the default mode network, the brain circuit tied to rumination, self-referential negative thought loops, and much of what depression and anxiety feel like from the inside. Quieting that network is part of why the psychotherapy happening during the session can land differently than it does in a standard weekly appointment. The brain is, briefly, more open to building new pathways instead of running the old ones on autopilot. We’ve written more on this in our post on ketamine’s rapid-acting antidepressant effects.
This is general science background, not a promise of a specific outcome for any individual patient. How your brain responds is something your clinician will assess and discuss with you directly.
KAP tends to be considered for treatment-resistant depression, but that term gets used loosely. Clinically, it usually means someone has completed at least two adequate trials of different antidepressant medications (correct dose, for a full 6 to 8 week trial each) without sufficient improvement. If that’s your situation, or you have longstanding anxiety, PTSD, or trauma that hasn’t shifted with standard talk therapy, you’re the profile this treatment is generally built for.
Typically a good fit if you:
Typically screened out or requiring extra caution:
None of this is a diagnosis, and it isn’t a substitute for a real medical intake. It’s here so you walk into your consultation already knowing what your provider will be asking about, and why.
Candidacy criteria aside, here’s the plainer version. If any of this sounds familiar, KAP is worth a serious look:
Brain Spa’s clinicians build an individualized treatment plan around your specific history. There’s no one-size protocol here.
What To Expect
A single guided session, from screening to rest. The window in the middle is where the real work happens.
A licensed provider reviews your history and confirms you're a good candidate.
A low dose of ketamine is administered. Vitals are monitored throughout.
Your therapist works with you directly while the window is open. This is where the processing happens.
Someone drives you home. The rest of the day is for resting, not work or errands.
Before: A licensed provider evaluates you first. This isn’t a walk-in service. You’ll go through a screening to confirm you’re a good candidate, covering your medical history, current medications, and what you’re hoping to work through.
During: You receive a low dose of ketamine while your psychotherapist works with you directly, using talk therapy or cognitive behavioral techniques suited to what surfaces in the moment. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes. You’ll likely feel some dissociation: a floating, dreamlike sense of distance from your usual thoughts. This is the intended effect, not a side effect to fear, though some patients also experience mild nausea or a faster heartbeat, which the clinical team monitors throughout.
After: You won’t be driving yourself home. Plan for someone to pick you up, and give yourself the rest of that day to rest rather than jumping straight back into work or parenting duties.
Every session happens one-on-one, in a private room, with a clinician who stays with you the entire time.
Ketamine has been used safely in medical settings for decades, first as an anesthetic, more recently at lower doses for psychiatric care. That track record doesn’t mean zero risk. It means the risks are well understood, which is exactly why monitoring exists.
What’s tracked during your session:
Known side effects to expect, most of which resolve within a couple of hours:
Who’s present: A licensed healthcare provider evaluates you before treatment begins and oversees your care throughout your protocol. During the session itself, your trained psychotherapist stays with you the entire time, alongside the clinical monitoring described above. You will never be left alone mid-session.
If anything about your medical history raises a flag, your provider will walk through it with you directly before your first session, not after. You can see the clinical sources behind these protocols on our references page, including recent peer-reviewed research on combining ketamine with hypnotherapy and psychotherapy techniques.
Per Brain Spa’s clinical protocols, KAP has shown meaningful results for:
If you’re not sure which category fits, that’s exactly what the consultation is for.
There’s no universal number, since your plan gets built around your specific presentation. What’s typical:
Some patients notice a shift in mood or sleep within the first couple of sessions, sometimes within hours of a single dose, which is part of what makes ketamine different from standard antidepressants. Deeper, more durable change tends to build across the full series rather than any one session.
A realistic shape of the timeline:
Your clinician will walk you through realistic expectations for your specific case at your consultation, based on your history and what you’re treating.
Ketamine used for psychiatric treatment is prescribed off-label, meaning it’s not the same billing pathway as an in-network medication. Most patients in the Beverly Hills and West LA area pay privately for KAP sessions.
Here’s what that actually means for you:
No guessing games. Bring your questions to the consultation and get real numbers before you decide anything.
A subscription lozenge mailed to your door is convenient. It also means self-dosing alone, with a much smaller and less consistent amount of the medication actually reaching your system, and no therapist present while it’s working.
Brain Spa runs every KAP session as individualized, in-person, one-on-one care: full clinical monitoring, a trained psychotherapist in the room, and a private space built for the kind of processing that doesn’t happen well over an app.
If convenience is your top priority, that’s a fair thing to weigh. If depth of care and real-time clinical support are what you’re after, this is built for exactly that.
You already know what standard treatment feels like. This is a chance to work with your brain differently, with a licensed psychotherapist beside you the entire time.
Request Your Consultation or call (310) 628-1062 to learn more.
Brain Spa
433 N Camden Dr, Suite 610
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 628-1062
Monday–Saturday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is a treatment approach that combines the use of ketamine with psychotherapy, a form of therapy that helps individuals explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a safe and supportive environment.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy has shown promising results in treating a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, and chronic pain.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy 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 participating in a therapy session with a trained psychotherapist.
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 Psychotherapy.
The length of a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy session can vary depending on the individual and their specific needs, but they typically last between 60-90 minutes.
A licensed healthcare provider evaluates you first to confirm candidacy, then you receive a low-dose infusion while working directly with a trained psychotherapist.
Is it safe? Ketamine has decades of medical use behind it, but it carries real risks and side effects, including dissociation, nausea, and a faster heart rate. Your provider will walk through your specific risk factors before you start.
You’ll experience dissociation, a sense of distance from your usual thought patterns, rather than a recreational high. Most patients describe it as introspective rather than euphoric.
No. Arrange a ride in advance. Give yourself the rest of the day to rest.
Ketamine for psychiatric use is typically billed as out-of-network. Ask about an itemized superbill at your consultation, and check with your insurer directly about reimbursement for outpatient psychiatric services. See our full FAQ page for more billing detail.
Clinically, it generally means you’ve completed at least two adequate trials of different antidepressant medications, at the correct dose, for a full 6 to 8 weeks each, without sufficient improvement.
No. Uncontrolled heart disease, a history of psychosis, active unmanaged substance use, pregnancy, and poorly controlled bipolar disorder are all reasons a provider may screen someone out or require extra caution. Your intake evaluation is where this gets assessed for your specific case.
