Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy: A Gentle Doorway Into Healing

“This is the first time the food noise has been quiet,” Liv told me after her second ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) session. For years, she had lived with a nonstop inner dialogue about food, weight, and rules. From the moment she woke up until she went to bed, the chatter was there—loud, distracting, and exhausting.

Liv had tried many things over the years: therapy, nutrition counseling, mindfulness, medications. Everything helped a little, but nothing touched the relentless mental noise.

KAP changed that.

The medicine gave her a rare moment of quiet inside—a sense of calm and space she hadn’t felt in decades. And within that quiet, she began to hear something new: her own voice, her own desires, her own needs.

Stories like Liv’s are why ketamine has become such an important tool in modern healing. For many people, it’s a gentle doorway into the benefits of psychedelic medicine.

What Makes Ketamine Different?

Ketamine has been used safely in medical settings for over 50 years. More recently, it has gained recognition for its ability to quickly and effectively support people struggling with:

• Depression, including treatment-resistant depression

• Anxiety and chronic worry

• PTSD

• Eating disorders and obsessive food thoughts

• Feeling stuck, numb, or disconnected

Unlike classic psychedelics such as psilocybin or MDMA, ketamine creates a softer, more “floaty” experience. People often describe it as: gentle, soothing, emotionally spacious insightful without being overwhelming

This makes ketamine a wonderful option for people who are curious about psychedelic therapy—but want a slower, more supportive way in.

Ketamine Infusions vs. Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

These terms get used interchangeably, but they are not the same. It’s important to understand the difference so people can make informed choices.

Ketamine Infusions

Infusions involve receiving ketamine through an IV in a medical clinic. The focus is primarily on the biological effects—like lifting mood and reducing symptoms. Infusions can be very helpful, especially for depression, but they usually do not include therapy or emotional processing.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

KAP combines the medicine and a therapeutic relationship. It’s a process, not just a medical intervention.

With KAP you receive:

• Preparation and intention setting

• Supported journeys with a therapist present

• Integration sessions to apply your insights

• Emotional, psychological, and spiritual exploration

The medicine opens the door. Therapy helps you walk through it.

This combination tends to create deeper, longer-lasting change—especially for people working through trauma, eating disorders, body image issues, anxiety, depression, attachment wounds, or patterns rooted in the past.

Why Ketamine Helps with Eating Disorders and “Food Noise”

(And why it’s equally powerful for depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem)

One of ketamine’s most meaningful benefits is how quickly it can quiet obsessive thinking. For someone with an eating disorder, that can feel like turning the volume down on a radio that’s been blasting for years.

But this shift isn’t limited to eating disorders.

Ketamine also helps interrupt the repetitive loops that drive:

• Depressive thoughts

• Anxious rumination

• Harsh inner criticism

• Low self-worth

• Black-and-white thinking

Here’s why it works:

1. Ketamine interrupts repetitive thinking

Rumination, inner criticism, and fear-based thoughts soften. The mind loosens its grip across many conditions—not just food-related anxieties.

2. It boosts neuroplasticity

This creates a window where new thoughts, emotional patterns, and behaviors can form more easily.

3. It opens the door to self-compassion

Many clients describe an unexpected gentleness toward themselves during or after a session. For someone who has spent years battling their body, or feeling “not enough,” this can be life-changing. Self-compassion becomes something felt, not forced.

4. It allows access to deeper emotions

Instead of fighting behaviors, symptoms, or surface-level worries, clients can explore what’s underneath—fear, loneliness, grief, longing, or unmet needs.

5. It creates a sense of inner calm

For people with anxiety or eating-related worries, this is often a brand-new sensation. When paired with therapy, these shifts become the foundation sustainable healing.

Gentle on the Nervous System

This is one of the biggest reasons ketamine is so accessible. Unlike some psychedelics that create long, intense journeys, ketamine is:

• Shorter in duration (45–90 minutes)

• Less stimulating

• Calming and introspective

• Less likely to overwhelm the nervous system

For people who are anxious, hypervigilant, or trauma-sensitive, ketamine offers a spaciousness that feels manageable and supportive. It’s often described as “deep work with soft edges.”

Back to Liv: When the Noise Finally Quieted

By her third session, Liv reported that the food noise didn’t feel like the center of her world anymore. She still had thoughts—everyone does—but they no longer controlled her day. Most importantly, she began to trust herself—a key part of recovery that had felt impossible before.

KAP didn’t “fix” everything overnight, but it opened a new pathway. A doorway into a quieter mind, a gentler relationship with herself, and a future that finally felt possible.