KETAMINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY IN SAN DIEGO & NEWPORT BEACH
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) combines medically supervised ketamine treatment with psychotherapy before, during, and after treatment. The goal is to use the effects of ketamine alongside structured therapeutic support to help patients explore patterns, emotions, and experiences that may be difficult to access through traditional therapy alone.
SPRAVATO
Many people considering KAP have already spent years working on themselves. They may have tried psychotherapy, antidepressants, mindfulness, lifestyle changes, or other treatments and made real progress, yet still feel that certain patterns haven’t changed.
Sometimes you understand exactly why you feel or react a certain way, but understanding it intellectually hasn’t been enough to change the response. Trauma triggers may still feel automatic. Anxiety may return even when you know you’re safe. Depression may improve for a period and then return.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy offers a different way of approaching that work. Rather than replacing therapy, ketamine is used within a therapeutic process that may help create greater psychological flexibility and an opportunity to approach thoughts, emotions, and experiences from a different perspective.
The goal isn’t to erase difficult experiences. It’s to create conditions in which meaningful therapeutic work may become possible again.
SPRAVATO
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an approach that combines medically supervised ketamine treatment with psychotherapy. Treatment typically includes preparation before ketamine, therapeutic support during or around the ketamine experience, and integration afterward to help translate insights into changes in everyday life.
Ketamine can temporarily alter perception, emotional processing, and patterns of thinking while also affecting brain pathways involved in neuroplasticity. In KAP, that period is used intentionally as part of the therapeutic process.
KAP is different from receiving ketamine as a medical treatment alone. Both approaches can be appropriate. The difference is that KAP deliberately incorporates psychotherapy into the treatment plan.
INSURANCE & COST
KAP may be worth considering when traditional treatment has helped but progress has plateaued, or when you want to combine ketamine treatment with a more structured therapeutic process.
You’ve done good work with your therapist, but progress has stalled. You sense there’s
something deeper that talk alone can’t reach.
SSRIs or other medications have taken the edge off, but you still don’t feel like yourself. You want to address root causes, not just manage symptoms.
You’ve processed your trauma intellectually, but your body and nervous system haven’t caught up. Triggers still control your reactions.
Constant overthinking, hypervigilance, or a nervous system that won’t calm down, even when you know you’re safe.
You’re not looking for a quick fix. You want a guided, supported process that creates lasting change, and you’re willing to do your part.
You’ve heard about ketamine therapy but want the full experience: preparation, guided support during the session, and integration afterward.
INSURANCE & COST
KAP may be considered for people whose symptoms have persisted despite traditional treatment or who want to combine ketamine with a more intentional therapeutic process. Whether KAP is appropriate depends on your diagnosis, treatment history, goals, and medical evaluation.
For people with depression, particularly when previous treatments haven’t provided enough relief, KAP combines the antidepressant effects of ketamine with psychotherapy focused on changing patterns that may contribute to ongoing symptoms.
Ketamine may help some people approach difficult memories and emotions from a different perspective. With therapeutic support, KAP can provide a structured setting to explore trauma while developing healthier ways of responding to triggers and emotional patterns.
When anxiety becomes deeply ingrained, understanding the pattern doesn’t always make it easier to change. KAP may help create greater psychological flexibility while therapy focuses on the thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses that reinforce anxiety.
Grief is not something that needs to be “fixed.” But when grief becomes prolonged or significantly interferes with daily life, KAP may provide another way to process difficult emotions and adapt to life after a significant loss.
Ketamine is being studied as a potential treatment for obsessive-compulsive symptoms. When appropriate, KAP may be used alongside evidence-based psychotherapy rather than as a replacement for established OCD treatments.
Chronic pain affects more than the body. It can influence mood, sleep, fear, activity, and quality of life. For selected patients, ketamine treatment combined with psychotherapy may help address both the physical and psychological dimensions of living with persistent pain.
SPRAVATO
KAP is more than the ketamine session itself. We use a structured process that includes preparation, the ketamine experience, integration, and ongoing care to help patients get more from treatment.
Prepare for the experience
Before your first KAP session, we take time to understand your history, treatment goals, and what you hope to work on. You’ll meet with our medical team to make sure ketamine is appropriate and with your therapist to prepare for the experience.
Preparation can include setting intentions, discussing concerns, and identifying patterns or areas you may want to explore. The goal isn’t to script what happens during ketamine. It’s to help you enter the experience feeling informed, supported, and prepared.
Experience ketamine with therapeutic support
During your KAP session, ketamine is administered in a comfortable, medically supervised setting while your therapist provides support throughout the experience.
Ketamine can temporarily change how you experience thoughts, emotions, memories, and your sense of self. Rather than forcing a particular outcome, your therapist helps you remain curious and open to what emerges.
Your medical team monitors you throughout treatment so the focus can remain on the experience and the therapeutic work.
Turn the experience into meaningful change
What happens after a ketamine session can be just as important as what happens during it.
Integration sessions give you an opportunity to explore thoughts, emotions, memories, or insights that came up during treatment and connect them to your everyday life. Together with your therapist, you can identify patterns, new perspectives, and practical changes you want to carry forward.
The goal is not simply to understand the ketamine experience. It’s to use what emerged during treatment in ways that support meaningful change outside the treatment room.
Build on the progress you’ve made
KAP can create an opportunity for change, but lasting improvement usually involves more than a single intervention.
Depending on your needs, ongoing care may include psychotherapy, additional ketamine treatments, medication management, sleep and metabolic evaluation, exercise, nutrition, stress regulation, and other elements of the Seaside Method.
Our goal isn’t simply to help you feel better during treatment. It’s to help you build on that progress and develop the tools and support needed to maintain it.
SPRAVATO
Many clinics offer ketamine infusions in isolation — you receive the medicine, sit in a chair, and go home. KAP is fundamentally different.
| Ketamine Therapy | Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Medical treatment using ketamine | Ketamine treatment combined with psychotherapy |
| Therapist During Treatment | Not required | Typically incorporated into the treatment experience |
| Preparation | Medical evaluation and treatment preparation | Medical evaluation plus therapeutic preparation |
| During Treatment | Medical monitoring in a comfortable, supportive environment | Medical monitoring with therapeutic support during the ketamine experience |
| Integration | Available and encouraged when appropriate | A structured part of the treatment process |
| Best Suited For | Patients primarily seeking ketamine as a medical treatment | Patients who want psychotherapy to be an active part of their ketamine treatment |
SPRAVATO
Ketamine works differently from traditional antidepressants. It affects the brain’s glutamate system, including NMDA and AMPA receptor signaling, and activates pathways associated with synaptic plasticity, including BDNF and mTOR.
In simpler terms, ketamine may temporarily create conditions that make the brain more capable of change. This may help explain both its rapid antidepressant effects and why combining ketamine with psychotherapy is of interest.
During treatment, some patients experience shifts in perspective, emotional openness, or an ability to approach difficult thoughts and experiences differently. KAP uses this period intentionally by combining ketamine with therapeutic preparation, support, and integration.
Research on ketamine’s antidepressant effects is well established, while research specifically examining KAP is promising but still developing. Our approach reflects both what the evidence supports today and what we continue to learn as the science evolves.
The science is evolving. Our approach evolves with it.
SPRAVATO
Our trained medical staff is present for every ketamine session. You receive genuine physician-level care throughout your treatment.
First, our therapists are highly trained in ketamine-assisted care. In fact, they specialize in a famous trauma method called Compassionate Inquiry. Furthermore, this means they understand how deep pain affects your mind. Therefore, this care is not generic counseling. Instead, it is a custom path to help you heal.
First, our specialized care connects your treatments to metabolic psychiatry. In fact, we pair this with the Gupta Program and lifestyle medicine. Furthermore, we provide ongoing emotional support after your visits. Therefore, your mental health gains will not fade away when the session ends.
Spravato treatment is available through Seaside Ketamine in Cardiff-by-the-Sea and Newport Beach.
No two people receive the same treatment. Dosing, session frequency, therapeutic approach, and integration plans are all tailored to your unique needs and goals.
We work with your existing therapist, psychiatrist, or primary care physician. Healing works
best when your entire care team is aligned.
SPRAVATO
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is powerful on its own, but it becomes transformative when combined with our full approach to healing. The Seaside Method combines rapid relief (KAP), root-cause treatment (Metabolic Psychiatry), neuroplastic rewiring (The Gupta Program, Compassionate Inquiry), and lifestyle medicine (nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress management) into one physician-led system.
When you start with KAP, you’re not just getting a treatment. You’re entering a complete ecosystem designed to help you heal and stay healed.
Stabilize symptoms quickly using medically supervised ketamine therapy to create space for deeper healing work.
Guided integration and therapeutic support to help reshape patterns, beliefs, and nervous system responses.
Comprehensive metabolic and psychological assessment to identify the biological and emotional drivers of distress.
Long-term metabolic optimization, lifestyle medicine, and continued support to sustain transformation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Traditional therapy relies on conversation in a normal state of consciousness. KAP combines therapy with the neuroplastic effects of ketamine, which temporarily shifts brain activity to allow deeper emotional access, reduced defensiveness, and new perspectives. Many patients describe accessing insights in a single KAP session that would take months to reach in conventional therapy.
Experiences vary widely. Some people feel a deep sense of calm and spaciousness. Others experience vivid imagery, emotional release, or shifts in perspective. Some sessions are quiet and reflective; others are more intense. Your therapist is present throughout to provide guidance and support. Most effects of the ketamine resolve within 1-2 hours after the session.
Ketamine has been used safely in medicine for over 50 years. When administered in a controlled medical environment with proper screening and monitoring, it has a strong safety profile. At Seaside Ketamine, our trained medical staff supervises all ketamine administration, and vital signs are monitored throughout every session.
Integration is a critical part of the process. Between sessions, you’ll have follow-up with your therapist, guided reflection exercises, and practical steps to reinforce what emerged during your session. We may also recommend complementary support including mindfulness practices, The Gupta Program, metabolic evaluation, or lifestyle adjustments.
Absolutely. We encourage collaboration with your existing therapist, psychiatrist, or care team. Integration is most effective when everyone involved in your care is aligned. We can share session notes and coordinate treatment with your permission.
KAP pricing depends on the treatment plan we develop together. IV and IM ketamine sessions are typically cash-pay. Spravato (esketamine) may be covered by insurance for eligible patients. We discuss all costs transparently during your consultation so there are no surprises.
A: The first step is a free 30-minute phone consultation. We’ll discuss what you’re experiencing, answer your questions, and determine if KAP might be a good fit. If it is, we’ll schedule a comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation with Dr. Gillin.
If you’ve been doing the work but still feel stuck, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy might be the missing piece. The first step is a free 15-minute call with our team — no pressure, no commitment. Just an honest conversation about whether KAP could help you.
