Preparation & Integration in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Therapy-Centered Support Before and After Ketamine Experiences

Preparation and integration are essential components of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP). Rather than focusing solely on the ketamine experience itself, this approach emphasizes emotional safety, meaning-making, and long-term integration. At Intima Couples and Sex Therapy, preparation and integration sessions are psychotherapy sessions designed to help you feel grounded, supported, and able to carry insight into daily life.

Preparation and integration sessions may be helpful whether or not you ultimately participate in ketamine dosing, and they form the therapeutic foundation of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.

Learn more about our overall approach to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP).

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What Is Preparation in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

Preparation Sessions

Preparation sessions focus on creating emotional and psychological safety before a ketamine experience. These psychotherapy sessions are a space to slow down, build trust, and explore what brings you to this work.

In preparation sessions, we may explore:

  • Your intentions and hopes for therapy

  • Current symptoms such as depression, anxiety, numbness, or emotional overwhelm

  • Past experiences with therapy or altered states

  • Nervous system responses and grounding tools

  • Emotional boundaries and pacing

Preparation helps clarify mindset and setting while supporting your ability to remain present, regulated, and oriented throughout the therapeutic process. Rather than “getting ready for an experience,” preparation is about building the internal safety that allows insight to emerge without overwhelm.

What Is Integration in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

Integration Sessions

Integration sessions are psychotherapy sessions that take place after ketamine experiences and are equally important to the healing process. These sessions provide space to reflect on what emerged, organize insight, and connect internal experiences to your life, relationships, and patterns.

Integration sessions may focus on:

  • Making meaning of emotional or symbolic experiences

  • Processing memories or insights that surfaced

  • Supporting emotional regulation after dosing

  • Translating awareness into daily life and relationships

  • Identifying gentle, sustainable changes

Integration helps ensure that insight does not remain abstract or fleeting, but becomes something you can carry forward with clarity and care.

Why Preparation and Integration Matter

Ketamine can temporarily increase neuroplasticity, creating a window of openness in the nervous system. Preparation and integration sessions help support this window by offering containment, reflection, and therapeutic guidance.

Without preparation and integration, ketamine experiences can feel confusing, overwhelming, or difficult to translate into meaningful change. With therapy, these experiences become part of a larger healing process grounded in safety, insight, and emotional understanding.

Preparation and Integration as Psychotherapy

Preparation and integration sessions are psychotherapy sessions and may be eligible for insurance coverage, depending on your plan and benefits. These sessions focus on emotional processing, insight development, and nervous system regulation, and can be beneficial even outside of ketamine dosing.

Ketamine dosing sessions follow a private-pay model and are structured separately from psychotherapy.

If you have questions about coverage or payment options, we’re happy to review these with you before getting started.

Who Preparation and Integration Are For

Preparation and integration sessions may be helpful for adults who:

  • Are considering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy

  • Have experienced ketamine dosing and want support making sense of it

  • Feel emotionally stuck, numb, or overwhelmed

  • Are navigating depression, anxiety, or relational pain

  • Want a therapy-centered approach rather than a medication-only model

You do not need to have already participated in ketamine dosing to benefit from preparation or integration work.

Preparation & Integration in Lakewood, CO and Across Colorado

Preparation and integration sessions are offered in person in Lakewood, Colorado, and virtually throughout the state. Sessions are designed to meet you where you are, with attention to pacing, consent, and emotional safety.

Get Started with Preparation & Integration

If you’re interested in preparation or integration as part of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, or if you’re seeking a therapy-centered space to explore what’s coming up before or after a ketamine experience, we invite you to reach out.

Appointments are easy to request using the button at the top of the page, through the contact form, or by email or phone.

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