Format
Each series will include three preparation sessions, three dosing sessions, and four integration sessions. Preparation and integration sessions will run for 1 ½ hours each via Zoom or in-person. Dosing sessions will be 3 ½ hours each and take place in-person at a space in Franklin.
Preparation
During preparation, participants will get to know one another and discuss their goals and intentions for working with ketamine. They may choose to discuss their previous work with ketamine or other psychedelic substances or non-substance-induced altered states, either recreational or therapeutic (or both). We will invite conversation about expectations, desires, anxieties, and fears about the dosing session. As the facilitators, we will provide information about the ketamine experience and answer questions about the process.
Dosing
The dosing sessions will include a group discussion, mindfulness exercise, co-creating a sacred space, an inward-facing ketamine journey, group processing and a light snack. Participants will receive specific instructions on supplies to bring prior to this session.
Dosing sessions will be followed by integration sessions where participants can process insights from the journey, make meaning of their experience and –most importantly– strategize about how to build practices in their life that will support these insights. The group will serve as both a supportive community and provide a level of accountability to following through on commitments to integration.
As the group facilitators, our role is to cultivate a safe environment and encourage deeper intimacy in conversation, which will enhance the therapeutic component of the group. Each participant will be screened in advance for appropriateness for the group and goodness of fit within the group. We will provide supplemental materials and resources for psychoeducational purposes and to enhance contemplative practices, which will be useful during non-ordinary states of consciousness and integration.
Integration
Dosing sessions will be followed by integration sessions where participants can process insights from the journey, make meaning of their experience and –most importantly– strategize about how to build practices in their life that will support these insights. The group will serve as both a supportive community and provide a level of accountability to following through on commitments to integration.