This document provides an introduction to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) from the Polaris Insight Center in San Francisco. It discusses clinical issues treated with KAP such as complex PTSD and depression. It describes a case study of a client named Beatrice and reviews concepts from polyvagal theory and window of tolerance. The document outlines types of therapeutic touch and working with transpersonal experiences. It provides an overview of non-ordinary states of consciousness with ketamine and their potential therapeutic value. Finally, it announces future KAP training opportunities.
2. Introduction to Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
COPYRIGHT 2020
POLARIS INSIGHT CENTER – SAN FRANCISCO
.
Focused Clinical Issues
Veronika Gold, LMFT, Eric Sienknecht PsyD, Harvey Schwartz, PhD
3. Rick Doblin
Stanislav and Christina Grof
Julane Andries and Phil Wolfson Raquel Bennett
Annie and Michael Mithoefer
4. In gratitude to our known and unknown
lineage
• Stanislav and Christina Grof
• Ralf Metzner
• Rick Doblin
• Anne and Michael Mithoefer
• Marcela O’Talora
• Phil Wolfson and Julane Andries
• Raquel Bennet
• Chris Bache
• Sandor Ferenczi
• Stephen Mitchell
• Maria Sabina
• Timothy Leary
• Peter Levine
• Steve Hoskinson
• Bessel van der Kolk
• R.D. Laing
• Rollo May
• Dick Schwartz
• Francine Shapiro
• Donald Winnicott
• Michal Vancura
• John C. Lilly
• Terrence McKenna
• Ram Dass
12. Beatrice
• 72-year-old Asian America female
• Complex PTSD, symptoms of severe depression, hopelessness,
insomnia
• Born premature and placed in incubator, emotional, physical,
and sexual abuse during childhood, assault as adult, abusive
marriage, years of taking care of mentally ill mother
• Successful in her career as an interior designer
• During earlier years enjoyed creativity, outdoor activities, bird
watching and volunteering in an animal shelter
14. From Chaos to Responsive Organization
• Assessment of client’s nervous system – dysregulated, controlled, self-regulated
• Interventions based on where the client is on the continuum
• Understanding the cycles of activation and deactivation – assessment of resiliency
• Interventions based on where the client is in regards to the window of tolerance
15. Window of
Tolerance
• Activation = Energy
• Anxiety – Fight / Flight
• Depression – Freeze
• Global High Activation of the Nervous
System
• Coming down from Freeze through
Fight/Flight response
• Non-pathological view of Activation
including Dissocciation
16. Polyvagal Theory
Stephen Porges
AROUSAL –
Fight/ Flight
Dorsal Vagal
– Freeze/
Submit
Ventral Vagal
– Social
Engagement
Sympathetic Nervous System Parasympathetic Nervous System
17. The Inner Healing Intelligence
Systems’ Tendency to Completion
Holotropic States
18. Types of Therapeutic Touch
Supportive
• Containing/Stabilizing
• Listening
• Soothing
• Integrating
• Energetic/non-physical
Active
• Following
• Directing
• Stimulating
• Exploring
• Inhibiting
• Energetic/non-physical
20. Features of Transpersonal Psychology
• Recognizes Multiple Ways of Knowing
• Some phenomena can't be empirically measured (e.g. OBE's, NDE's, etc..)
• William James - Radical Empiricism – finding invariant features across subjective accounts
• Prioritizes Experiential over Conceptual Knowledge
• Shift of focus to SLOW TIME
• Gamma brain waves ( >40 Hz) - High performance cognitive tasks
• Beta brain waves (13- 39 Hz) – Normal waking consciousness- calculative mode of
thinking
• Alpha brain waves (7 – 13 Hz) – Resting state – wakeful relaxation, meditative
• Theta brain waves (4 – 7 Hz) – Reverie state – intuitions, inspirations, trance and
visionary experiences
• Delta brain waves ( <4 Hz) – Lowest level of brain activity – deep sleep
21. Dissociation is Good!
• Karl Jansen MD PhD- Kriya conference 2017
• Healthy Dissociation is natural and needed (e.g.
sleep, driving a car, listening to music)
• Even “pathological” trauma-based dissociation is
life-saving!
• Healing through Trance is oldest Medicine?
22. Types of Non-Ordinary/Holotropic
States
• Spontaneous (e.g. daydreaming, NDE’s)
• Physical and Physiological (e.g. fasting, sex)
• Psychological (e.g. meditation, hypnosis, music)
• Pathological (e.g. epilepsy, brain damage)
• Pharmacological (e.g. psychoactive substances)(Vaitl)
KAP is technology that combines Pharmacological and
Psychological Trance-Induction Methods
23. KETAMINE-INDUCED NON-ORDINARY STATES OF
CONSCIOUSNESS (Kolp)
- Feelings of leaving one’s body/out of body experience
- Awareness of becoming a non-physical being
- Emotionally intense visions (e.g., of deceased relatives, angels, spirits)
- Encounters with archetypal beings (e.g., Christ, Buddha, Krishna)
- Encounters with non-terrestrial beings (e.g., space aliens)
- Visits to mythological realms of consciousness
- Re-experiencing the birth process
- Vivid dreams or memories of past or future incarnations
24. - Experience of psychological death and rebirth of self (i.e., near-death experience)
- Feelings of ego-dissolution and loss of identity
- Experience of reliving one’s life
- Deep feelings of peace and joy
- Sense of transcending normal time and space
- Feelings of interconnectedness with all people and nature
- Feelings of cosmic unity with God/Goddess and the Universe
- Sense of sacredness
- Profound sense of ineffability of the experience
- Intuitive experience of "peeking through the veil" into the nature of “absolute reality”
25. What is the Therapeutic Value of
Transpersonal Experiences?
• SLOWING DOWN - Shifting temporarily into a different
state of consciousness, quality of being, way of knowing
• SPACIOUSNESS - Calculative à Meditative
-Wandering, Wondering, Reverie
• REFRESHMENT
- Unplugging from calculative programming
- Example of Computer freezing and requiring reboot
• DISCOVERY - Possibility of stumbling upon something new
• RESTORING/HEALING disconnection from self, nature, cosmos,
divinity, and the symbolic world
26. Transpersonal Practices
• Holding Space & Witnessing via Mindfulness
• Music – Resonating and Activating
• Invitation for exploration and entering more deeply into the experience
• Positive affirmations, encouragement, and supporting trust in the process
• Invocations, prayers, and meditative techniques
• Therapist’s use of inner imaginal experience and associations (Active
Imagination)
• Working with imaginal/symbolic/archetypal/mythical
• Monomyth – Story of Personal Healing
• Perennial Philosophy
• Divination cards
• Mandala-drawing
28. The Call
A wanderer from the West
Did go upon an unclear path.
As bone and flesh, alone they went
Through dark unholiness.
A wonder, “Can I find myself?”
Brought clearing and a voice,
“Nobly Born, seek spiritual dawn
The path is open,
it’s your choice.”
31. Integrating, Synergizing, Linking,
Cross-pollenating
• Biographical and Transpersonal
• Ordinary and Non-Ordinary States
• Analytical and Meditative/Reverie
• Mystery and Mastery
• Goal is to weave dualities together in a harmonious, non-
compartmentalizing, and mutually supportive relationship
• How does dipping into the Mystical translate into being a better partner?
32. Polaris Insight Center – At-Home Session
Date of session: Number of lozenges:
Describe your set and setting going into the session: How were you feeling before the
session? What had you been doing that day prior to the session? How did you prepare?
What music did you use?
What was the experience in your body?
What feelings have you experienced during the session?
What images have you experienced during the session?
What messages/insights have you received from the session?
Please note any plans for integration:
Notes about the environment and ideas for next session:
Do you have any questions for the therapist?
33. Future
Training
Opportunities
• Introduction to KAP Webinars
• Intermediate KAP Webinars
• Advanced KAP Webinar for
practicing providers
• Experiential Trainings in fall
2020; dates TBD after COVID-19
safety is established
• Polaris Intensive KAP retreat
34. Polaris Insight Center
4257 18th St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.800.7083
polarisinsight.com
info@polarisinsight.com
harvey@polarisinsight.com
eric@polarisinsight.com
veronika@polarisinsight.com
THANK YOU