Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) at Samadhi Therapy Associates
By Annette Pinder
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) uses a safe, FDA-approved legal medicine called ketamine as an adjunct to psychotherapy that works to help clients heal from various mental health conditions. KAP works by gently bringing individuals into an altered state of consciousness in which processing difficult material can become easier, helping patients to experience a psychedelic-like journey into deeper parts of themselves.
Dr. Gregory Loewen DO FCCP, PATP says, “Ketamine is being used with success for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While there are many traditional medications available for these conditions, they must be taken daily, and they work by correcting neurochemical imbalances. In contrast, the use of ketamine in psychedelic-assisted therapy produces a short-lived but intense subjective experience that helps create lasting positive changes in insight, motivation, cognition, and behavior.
Ketamine works by blocking the activity of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a receptor in the brain involved in the processes of mood, cognition, and pain perception. Many patients report an improvement in symptoms within hours or days after treatment, which usually consists of a few in-clinic ketamine dosing sessions integrated with counseling.
Ketamine positively impacts the brain by targeting the neurotransmitter glutamate, which differs from neurotransmitters boosted by antidepressants. This also allows the brain to experience a period of openness known as neuroplasticity, where new healthier thoughts and beliefs are combined with therapeutic support. This leads to more positive outcomes not accomplished either with psychotherapy alone or with anti-depressant medication.
KAP is gaining popularity, and is available at Samadhi Therapy Associates in Buffalo, where patients are guided through sessions by a therapist with specific training in working with clients undergoing altered states of consciousness. During these sessions, the therapist acts as your supportive guide and provides psychotherapy while you are experiencing the medicine’s effects to maximize the treatment’s benefit. Your therapist will get to know you and guide you through each step of the process.
Along with Dr. Loewen, Samadhi Therapy Associates’ highly trained KAP therapists are Seaghan Coleman LCSW-R, Mindi Lobuzzetta, LMHC; Jenna Witkowski, LCSW-R; and Ofer Ziv, LCSW. Reflecting on the positions he has held over the years, Dr. Loewen says he was always interested in mental health. He has worked in Psychiatry at Cleveland Clinic, and completed a year-long fellowship in psychedelic therapy. Dr. Loewen previously headed the pulmonary department at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. He says, “I’ve always cared about the mental health of my patients. Even, when I worked as a pulmonologist, I often had to focus on patients addicted to cigarettes, at the end of their lives, or dealing with an existential crisis resulting in depression and anxiety. Mental health has always been a part of my work.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Loewen says his current mission is to help heal patients through consciousness and connection, and to honor the healing intelligence inside each of us through psychedelic medicine for experiential healing, respect, and safety.
Learn more about Dr. Loewen and Samadhi Therapy Associates at www.samadhitherapyassociates.com and at www.gregoryloewen.com. To make an appointment, call 509-844-9476.
