Restorative Group Ketamine
for Healing Professionals

As healers and caregivers, we understand that community is a vital component to connection and healing. We also understand the importance of self-care in order to show up and provide support for others. In a time where there is so much opportunity to give to others asking for or needing help, we may find it difficult to balance the energy that we pour into others versus pour into ourselves. Often, we try our best to carve out the time and space to “self-care”, making it another task or item on our to-do list. And when we “fail” to fit it into our schedules or don’t experience a sense of calm as a result of our efforts, we may feel guilt or shame. We may tell ourselves that we are not doing right, we are too overwhelmed and so give up or shut down, or we may reach to external sources of relief such as numbing out with television, eating, ingesting psychoactive substances, etc. Alternatively, we may stay so active and engaged in stimulation- overworking, constantly doing something or distracting ourselves with activity, that we forget to slow down until our bodies force us to do so through exhaustion or illness.

 

This lack of balance for many caregivers is not due to character flaws, lack of intelligence, or willpower. It’s most often due to doing the best you can to adapt to an environment where there is a never-ending demand for healers and caregivers to give their limited energy away to others. Oftentimes, we operate from a place of values that revolve around consistency, trust, empathy, and providing. We also act through our unconscious, our nervous system responding to our environment, and the conditioned messaging we may have received and internalized from our family, peers, and the culture at large. As a result, many of us could benefit from taking time out to engage in self-care through an immersive, experiential, and professionally guided nervous system “reboot” or “reset” to get us back into balance. 

 

We invite you to join us for a restorative experience in a communal setting using ketamine assisted therapy in our rustic retreat space in nature. Group ketamine experiences can be powerful catalysts for nervous system regulation, deeper awareness, and connection. It is especially powerful when it is a group of individuals with shared backgrounds. There is robust evidence to support ketamine as a healing medicine for underlying feelings of stuckness and anxiety that many experience as a result of the demanding nature of our jobs and identities as caregivers and providers. 

 

Benefits of group ketamine assisted therapy include:

• Lower cost than individual therapy

• Moving out of our default mode network in the brain and gaining new perspective and nervous system regulation

• Creating and regenerating new neural pathways in the brain to help change thoughts and behaviors

• Improving balance between mind, body, and spirit

• Enhancing overall well-being and gaining insight regarding self, community, and clients

 

It may be difficult to determine whether or not group settings are appropriate and supportive  for you at this time. When we are brave enough to show up in a space with others, open to compassion, learning, and reflection, we have opportunities to grow. However, here are some guidelines to consider whether or not this feels like something that resonates with you.

 

Who will greatly benefit from Restorative Group KAP for Healing Professionals?

• Mental Health Professionals- therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers

• Health Care Professionals- EMTS, firefighters, nurses, and doctors

• Body Workers- massage therapists, yoga instructors, somatic practitioners and coaches, 

• Energy Healers- reiki practitioners, spiritual coaches, and acupuncturists

 

Who may not get the best benefits from Restorative Group KAP for Healing Professionals? 

• Individuals who have severe mental health issues or trauma who may require more specialized and intensive treatment

• Those who are currently taking benzodiazepines or narcotic pain medication 

• Individuals with uncontrolled hypertension, bladder problems or increased intracranial or ocular pressure

• Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant in the near future

• Individuals who experience heightened anxiety or over-activated nervous system responses in group settings. 

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What is the group structure and included in the cost?

• 30-minute health screening with medical professional in person or via Zoom

• 1-2 trained and experienced therapists and a licensed medical professional will be guiding and supporting participants through 7 hours of ketamine therapy, including:

  • 1.5 hours of preparation via Zoom call

  • 4 hours of medicine journey with ketamine administered intramuscularly (a shot)

  • 1.5 hours of integration via Zoom call  

• Incorporation of nature immersion, breathwork skills, and reflection prompts to deepen the restoration process.

• Post- medicine journey snacks and all necessary equipment for the journey is provided

 

Cost

• $100 for screening

• $350 for the group experience

 

Dates and times

• Preparation session via Zoom: 6/6/23 6:00-7:30 p.m.

• Group medicine journey at Asheville Integrative Psychiatry: 6/9/23 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• Integration session via Zoom: 6/12/23 6:00-7:30 p.m.

 

Requirements:

• Participants will need to  be able to attend all components of the experience- preparation, the medicine journey session, and integration session in order to create and sustain the necessary container of safety and intimacy for the group

• Participants will need a ride home from Asheville Integrative Psychiatry following your 4 hour medicine session on 6/9/23

• Participants  need to be agreeable to group terms supporting respect, honesty, open-mindedness, curiosity, and compassionate listening

• Ideally, participants have established healthy social and/or professional support systems and self care practices that they can utilize after the medicine journey to assist in ongoing integration.

 

How to connect with us and register:

Please use the contact us tab on our website at ashevilleintegrativepsychiatry.com specifying interest in group ketamine therapy. If you would like to speak with someone directly, please call (828)620-1695.

 

The last day to register for group ketamine assisted therapy is Friday May 26th at noon. There will be a $100 non refundable deposit paid by May 26th. The deposit will be applied to the total balance. The only time this deposit is refundable, is if we have to cancel the session for any reason or if there is an extenuating circumstance  (i.e. not enough participants, utility issue,  sickness, etc).