Patient Information
PATIENT INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TREATMENT
General Information For Ketamine Therapy
- An Intramuscular (IM) Ketamine Session will last about 90 minutes.
- The total time spent at the Klarisana office is about 90 – 120 minutes
- Patients are strictly prohibited from driving themselves home.
- Ride must be a sober adult or a ride share service
- Failure to comply may result in termination as a Klarisana patient and/or notification to law enforcement. Your safety is our priority, please keep yourself and others safe.
- Please arrive 15 minutes EARLY to all appointments to avoid delays.
Ketamine Therapy - Preparation Day Of
Do’s ✔️
- Do continue with your prescription medications as directed by the prescribing provider unless otherwise told by a Klarisana provider
- If prescribed, do take your anti-nausea medication 30-60 minutes prior to your session
- Do wear comfy clothes and bring a blanket/pillow if you get cold
- Do bring your comfort items such as headphones, eye mask, or anything else that might put you at ease.
- Do wear clothing that will allow easy access to your upper arm
- Do go to the restroom before arriving
Don'ts 🚫
- Do not be under the influence of any altering substance or illicit substance including but not limited to marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, kratom, etc.*
- Do not consume large amounts of caffeine or stimulants
- Do not eat a heavy meal within 2-4 hours of your scheduled session
* If you are concerned about the possibility of withdrawal symptoms from any altering or illicit substance, please consult with a Klarisana provider prior to beginning treatment. If you are using kratom daily, please consult with your External Medical Provider before treatment.
BEFORE YOUR SESSIONS
Things to Consider Before Ketamine Therapy
Make a Playlist
- Consider making a playlist of songs that have positive meaning to you. Music can be a very powerful catalyst during treatment and can take you to the memories you have associated with the music.
- You may also consider a playlist that has no lyrics. Binaural beats and calming meditation music are also popular.
- If you choose to have a playlist, we recommend downloading the music so that you may place your phone on airplane mode to limit interruptions during your session.
- A playlist is not required to have a positive session. Sitting back and relaxing to the sounds of nature videos or nothing at all will still produce a powerful experience for you.
Arrive Early, Give Yourself Some Time & Space
- The time leading up to your session is where the set and setting for your session begins. Arriving early allows for you to unwind, take some time to yourself and ease into your session in a calm and relaxed environment. This can be outside on a walk, in your home or car, or inside a Klarisana facility.
- During this time, you may close your eyes and focus on your breathing, taking deep breaths to activate your parasympathetic nervous system that triggers your body’s “rest and digest” response.
- “Rest and digest” is beneficial leading into your esketamine experience as it sets your mind and body in a calm and relaxed state.
Intention Setting
- Intention setting is the practice of clearly stating what you want to experience and achieve through your actions.
- Prior to your session, practice saying “Today, I intend to … “ with what you hope to achieve that day or during that session.
- This is an important step but try to not become hyper-focused on achieving your intention in your journey, your session will bring up whatever needs to be addressed that day, give yourself grace.
Comfort Items
- Many find bringing items that make them feel comfortable or at home help them have a positive experience and feel more comfortable in the space.
- Consider bringing stuffed animals, pillow/blanket, or an item that has important sentimental meaning to you. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, we welcome.
- Please bring headphones if you would like to listen to your music this way. Over the ear headphones are best for our patients. Losing an earbud during treatment can interrupt your journey.
DURING YOUR SESSIONS
Explore Within Yourself
- The ketamine experience is uniquely and universally weird. That is okay.
- The experience may not always be easy, but remember change does not come easy. You’ve made the first step towards healing and we are here to support you through it all.
- The ketamine experience is one that leaves you with yourself. It can be considered a very introspective experience.
- The altered state of consciousness may bring to the surface challenging memories, even if you are not intending to address these difficult experiences.
- If you are seeking to intentionally work through these traumatic experiences during your journey, or if they come up unintentionally, we recommend you address these aspects in collaboration with an established External Mental Health Provider or during an Integration or KAP Session with a Klarisana Behavioral Health Provider.
Remember You Are Safe
- Although in an altered state of consciousness, you still have the ability to self regulate.
- If you ever find yourself feeling uneasy or uncomfortable, remember that the experience is temporary and that you are safe.
- If you feel you need assistance or simply would like for someone to sit with you, press your call button and a Klarisana member will be with you immediately. No matter the reason, the Klarisana team is here for you.
Relax your Body and Mind
- Try to leave behind lingering or racing thoughts from the day. This is your time to relax and you deserve it.
- Resist the urge to check your phone or fall into other distractions while in session.
- 5-10 mins of meditation or silence before treatment can help you get into the right state of mind for your session.
- Make sure you have everything you need ie. headphones on, playlist setup, and comfort items in place before you are given your injections to limit the distraction or interruption of treatment.
- It is always a good idea to empty your bladder before treatment. Getting up to walk to the bathroom during treatment can cause you to come out of the ketamine experience more rapidly.
Comfort Items
- Many find bringing items that make them feel comfortable or at home help them have a positive experience and feel more comfortable in the space.
- Consider bringing stuffed animals, pillow/blanket, or an item that has important sentimental meaning to you. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, we welcome.
- Please bring headphones if you would like to listen to your music this way. Over the ear headphones are best for our patients. Losing an earbud during treatment can interrupt your journey.
AFTER YOUR SESSIONS
Do’s ✔️
- Do drink water! Hydrating can help avoid headaches and constipation from anti-nausea medicine
- Do be intentional with your technology use and media consumption. Avoid stimuli that may cause stress and anxiety.
- Do give yourself some space to process. Consider making post-treatment a “self-care” and worry-free day.
Don'ts 🚫
- Don’t Drive or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours after your session
- Don’t worry if you do not dissociate! There are many benefits to SPRAVATO, both biochemically and psychedelically. You may not dissociate each session, but that does not mean the treatment is not working
- Don’t be hard on yourself. It is a journey and every experience has a different lesson and purpose.
- Don’t give up! Klarisana is here to support you! Let us know how we can help you along your journey.
Things to Consider After Treatment
- Journaling! Research shows journaling can help reduce anxiety and depression, cultivate feelings of gratitude and help recover from trauma. You can journal daily, before your sessions or after your sessions. Any time is a good time to journal!
- Take mindful walks, watch the sunset or reflect on your session.
- Review your notes from journaling or re-listening to your playlist.
- Reflecting on aspects of the experience can be a way to help recall and process your sessions. Whether reflecting during a walk, while listening to your playlist or reading your journal, reflection between sessions can be a powerful tool to process your sessions when not in session.
- Work with a Mental Health Professional to discuss and process your experience. Integration outside of IM Ketamine Sessions can be very useful in bridging the gap between your SPRAVATO experience and real life application and can help create a plan for upcoming sessions.
MAINTENANCE SESSIONS
Things to Keep in Mind After Treatment
- Do continue to utilize your coping mechanisms. If you need any assistance with identifying coping strategies, consider scheduling a Coaching or Integration session with a Klarisana Behavioral Health Provider to discuss mechanisms that may be helpful for you.
- If you notice any changes in how you process things, such as not being triggered by something that would typically trigger you, make note of that and take time to acknowledge that achievement. Any step in the right direction is a reason to celebrate and applaud yourself!
- If you notice any new negative thought patterns, or find yourself being triggered by things that typically did not affect you or you are having thoughts you don’t typically have, please contact a Klarisana Provider to discuss these thoughts immediately.
Ketamine Therapy - Maintenance Information
- The effects of ketamine do last long term, however many patients benefit from Maintenance Sessions when symptoms begin to return.
- Maintenance Sessions can be scheduled no more than once every 3 weeks.
- Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is available for Klarisana clients weekly, but may not be scheduled on the same week as another ketamine-related session.
- Frequency of Maintenance Sessions is individualized. While some patients benefit monthly or bi monthly Maintenance Sessions, others may only find yearly or bi yearly sessions necessary.
- If you begin to feel symptoms return, call to schedule a Maintenance Session as soon as you can. If symptoms worsen to more severe levels, multiple Maintenance Sessions may be recommended.
Success Stories
Great experience and great company. I’m so glad that this treatment is available for anyone experiencing anxiety, depression or PTSD…these treatments helped me feel strong enough…
… ketamine is the only treatment that gives me true, real, and lasting relief.
I feel like an actual person again and like I can live my life.
FAQ
Why does Klarisana exist?
Klarisana is not just a clinic, it’s also the fruition of our belief that we can help people who are in a dark season of life realign themselves with the unique mission for which each of them was created. We believe that each person was created for a purpose and has an important mission to fulfill in this lifetime. Chronic pain, severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health conditions derail a person’s ability to carry out their mission. We offer ketamine therapy, which represents a totally different paradigm in treatment.
What does ketamine therapy feel like?
Ketamine elicits changes in the perception of sights, sounds, time, and space. The experience can be described as “psychedelic” but that term is clouded by various characterizations in popular culture which do not accurately describe the experience. Generally, patients do not see things that are not there but they may have dreamlike visions. Many patients use terms like feeling “more connected to the universe.” This gets back to our treatment principle that these alterations are what “show” patients a new way to look at their reality. It is what leads to our axiom that “if you could put the experience into words then talk therapy would have already helped.”
As far as the clinical environment, our rooms are decorated in order to convey sensations of relaxation, tranquility and peacefulness. Rooms have large screen TVs where patients can watch naturescape videos. Some patients choose to use an eye mask and turn off the TV.
Patients receive their IM treatments in privacy while under constant observation during the ketamine session. We use high resolution video monitoring to augment direct observation by our clinical staff. The provider performs an initial evaluation and physical exam and steps out of the room once the IM treatment has started. Most ketamine sessions last about one and a half hours.
Are there specific risks or side effects related to ketamine use that patients should be aware of?
While ketamine is generally safe when administered properly, it can have side
effects such as dissociation, increased blood pressure, or nausea. We educate
patients about potential effects and closely monitor them throughout treatment.
Additionally, if patients have a medical or behavioral health condition that may
impact treatment outcomes, we make contact with their external providers to better
understand if our treatment is the best option for them prior to proceeding.
What is the difference between Intramuscular Injection (IM) and Intravenous (IV)?
Ketamine can be administered by a variety of routes. The two that lead to the most predictable dosing and response are intravenous (IV) administration and intramuscular (IM) administration. The Klarisana model is based on intramuscular injections of ketamine. For the first several years of our company history we provided IV ketamine. In 2020 we did a reevaluation of our operations and switched to an IM model. There were several reasons for this.
First off, the goal of treatment with ketamine in our clinics is very different from how ketamine was used in emergency departments (ED) and operating rooms (OR) traditionally. We are using ketamine to facilitate a powerful transformational experience by leveraging a non-ordinary state of consciousness…commonly thought of as a “psychedelic experience.” The doses we use are much less than what would be used in an anesthesia context and the purpose is fundamentally different. In our setting, we refer to it broadly as Ketamine for Non-Anesthetic Indications (KNAI). This is totally different from using the medication as an anesthetic.
One of the first things we realized is that the process of starting an IV can be traumatic. Many of our patients have significant anxiety to start with. Even the best clinicians will miss IVs. Having one or two missed attempts at an IV can really put a patient in a bad mental space.
The other thing is the way in which the ketamine is delivered. With an IV, the pump starts delivering it at a set rate over an hour. The point of maximum intensity where the patient has a profound experience does not occur until well over half way through the session. When they finally have a powerful experience the session is almost over.
Our protocol is to give two IM injections spaced apart by 10-15 minutes. This allows our patients to achieve the desired effect in the first third of their session. They then have much longer to explore that space and have a more constructive experience. Additionally, they also have more time for the medication to wear off prior to being discharged from the clinic. This increases patient comfort and safety as they are in a much clearer mindset when they leave the clinic.
After the switch to an IM model we published a case series of 40 patients with major depressive disorder. The results are very much in line with (and actually better than) the published literature using an IV based model. In 2022 we performed close to 20,000 IM ketamine sessions with a great deal of success and an excellent safety record.
Is ketamine treatment at Klarisana covered by insurance?
Our commitment is to make ketamine therapy accessible and affordable to the largest number of patients possible and we are working hard to increase the number of Health Plans we are in network with. Visit our Insurance Page for updates on which new services are covered by our in-network insurance providers.
Does Klarisana provide primary mental health services?
Klarisana patients are welcome to continue to see our Licensed Mental Health providers for therapy outside of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. However, Klarisana does not manage medications nor do we prescribe them for our patients. We are a healthcare organization that works very hard to perfect the art of administering ketamine for mental health conditions and chronic pain, as well as providing quality mental health care access.
Although in certain locations we do provide mental health services outside of ketamine therapy, we still work closely with psychiatrists and psychologists in our communities to partner with them to offer a valuable treatment option to their patients. Patients without a psychiatrist or psychologist can still access our mental health providers.
The environment in which ketamine is administered and the experience that a patient has is absolutely vital to increasing a patient’s chance of success. This is not the kind of therapy that lends itself to just being an “add-on” revenue stream for a clinic that has an “extra office.” We do it right and we do it effectively. We feel that the role of the psychiatrist in a patient’s care is vital but there is nothing to be gained from having them present during the actual session. Far from trying to replace or compete with local psychiatrists, we strive to be an effective resource that they can have at their disposal to treat their patients.
