Find Freedom and Meaning Through Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Specialized support for navigating life's most profound transitions — helping you soften resistance to what is and reconnect with what truly matters
Photo credit: Paul Kozal
Ketamine has a unique ability to loosen the grip of long-held patterns — the stories, defenses, and fears that keep people feeling stuck, shut down, or disconnected from meaning. I specialize in helping people navigate profound life experiences, particularly those facing terminal illness or living with the emotional weight of cancer.
These moments often bring a kind of existential stuckness — a feeling of being trapped between hope and despair, life and death, wanting to live fully while also preparing to let go. Ketamine, when used intentionally and with therapeutic support, can open space for healing and transformation.
A Sacred Approach to Healing and Transformation
What makes this work so sacred is the way ketamine can help you:
Glimpse yourself from a different vantage point — one not dominated by fear, pain, or the past
Feel more free, more yourself, and more at peace in whatever time and space you're in
Reconnect with beauty, meaning, love, and awe — even finding laughter or relief in the midst of grief
Soften resistance to what is and help you touch into what matters
Confront difficult feelings with greater self-compassion and clarity about meaning-making and values
This isn't about fixing or avoiding — it's about helping you feel more capable of getting unstuck and finding your own path forward.
Understanding Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to psychotherapy to help eligible patients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms. I provide the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical's medical team supports you on all medical aspects, including determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine, and monitoring outcomes.
About Ketamine
Ketamine is a legal, safe, and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin within 1-2 hours after treatment. Ketamine works by blocking the brain's NMDA receptors and stimulating AMPA receptors, helping form new synaptic connections and boosting neural circuits that regulate stress and mood.
What to Expect During Your Ketamine Journey
The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel 'far from' your body and facilitate shifts in perception that often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you'll be in a comfortable, reclining position during the experience.
I'll be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed. Once the effects subside, we'll spend time processing and discussing your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the journey, patients consistently report that the insights gained feel remarkably clear.
Your Journey:
A Collaborative 6-Step Process
Free Consult with
Dr. Caine
We'll meet to discuss your unique situation and explore whether KAP might be right for you. If we both feel this approach could serve you, we'll establish your therapy rate and I'll help connect you with Journey Clinical's medical team.
Initial Consult with Journey Clinical
1
You'll meet with Journey Clinical's medical team via Zoom for eligibility assessment, medical history review, and education about the treatment. If eligible, they'll develop a treatment plan, sending oral ketamine lozenges to your home for your first sessions.
KAP Dosing
Session
Preparation
Session
2
We'll meet for a preparation session to align on the process and set intentions for your KAP journey. These sessions help ensure you feel ready and supported before your dosing experience.
3
During our 3-hour dosing session, you'll self-administer your ketamine lozenge in your own home or virtually with my support. You'll be in a comfortable position with an eye mask and calming music while I hold space for your experience.
4
Integration
Sessions
5
We'll meet for one or more 50-minute integration sessions to review the memories, thoughts, and insights that arose during your dosing session, helping you process and integrate these experiences into your daily life.
Follow-up with
Journey Clinical
6
Journey Clinical's medical team schedules regular follow-ups to monitor outcomes and prescribe refills. If we decide to move forward with additional treatments, we'll schedule another dosing session and continue the preparation-dosing-integration cycle.
Therapy Sessions:
We'll discuss and agree upon an individualized hourly rate during your free consultation. The dosing day includes three hours of therapeutic support. Preparation and integration sessions are standard 50-minute appointments. Many clients can seek out-of-network reimbursement for therapy sessions.
Journey Clinical Medical Costs:
Initial Medical Consultation: $250
Medication (2 sessions): $88
Follow-up Medical Consultation: $150 (quarterly minimum)
Ongoing Medication (6 sessions): $148
Note: Some insurance plans may cover portions of the medical consultations. Journey Clinical can help determine your coverage.
Investment in Your Healing Journey
Is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Right for You?
KAP may be particularly helpful if you're:
Navigating a life-threatening illness or cancer diagnosis
Feeling stuck in patterns of fear, grief, or existential anxiety
Seeking deeper meaning and connection during difficult transitions
Looking for a way to feel more at peace with uncertainty
Ready to explore what truly matters to you
Open to approaching healing in a new way
This work is for those ready to move beyond just managing symptoms toward genuine transformation and meaning-making.
Meet Dr. Liz A. Caine
California Licensed Psychologist PSY27477
Dr. Liz A. Caine specializes in the sacred work of helping people navigate life's most profound and challenging transitions. With deep expertise in existential psychology and end-of-life care, Dr. Caine brings a rare combination of clinical skill and compassionate presence to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Dr. Caine's practice is rooted in Existential-Humanistic psychology, with particular focus on mortality and meaning-making—the very questions that become most pressing when facing terminal illness or cancer. They work directly with individuals confronting life-threatening illness, understanding intimately the emotional landscape of living between hope and despair, life and death.
Dr. Caine's approach is marked by an openness to confronting what's intense and uncomfortable—essential qualities for guiding you safely through ketamine journeys that may touch the deepest parts of your experience. Their practice emphasizes helping people move beyond just managing symptoms toward genuine transformation and meaning-making, exactly what ketamine-assisted therapy can facilitate.
When you're ready to explore what truly matters and find greater freedom in whatever time and space you're in, Dr. Caine offers the experienced, compassionate guidance you need for this sacred work.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, ketamine is a legal, safe, and effective medicine when used under proper medical supervision. Journey Clinical's medical team will thoroughly evaluate your medical history and monitor your treatment throughout the process. Ketamine has been used safely in medical settings for over 50 years.
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Eligibility is determined by Journey Clinical's medical team during your initial consultation. They'll review your medical and psychiatric history, current medications, and treatment goals. Generally, you must be over 18 and have no contraindications to ketamine use.
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Some insurance plans may cover portions of the Journey Clinical medical consultations. Many clients can also seek out-of-network reimbursement for the therapy sessions with Dr. Caine. Journey Clinical can help determine what your specific insurance plan may cover.
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Most patients find the effects pleasant. You may feel "far from" your body and experience shifts in perception that often feel expansive. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you'll be lying down comfortably during the 45-minute experience. Dr. Caine will be present the entire time to provide support.
In my practice, we explore these dimensions, helping you to understand and value your unique perspectives and how they contribute to a richer, more meaningful life. Whether you've always known you're gifted or are just beginning to connect the dots, our journey together can provide clarity and fulfillment.
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This varies by individual, but on average, 6-8 dosing sessions are prescribed. Each dosing session is preceded by preparation work and followed by integration sessions to help you process and incorporate insights from your experience.
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Yes, Dr. Caine offers both in-home visits and virtual sessions via telehealth. You'll self-administer the ketamine lozenge in the comfort of your own space while Dr. Caine provides support and guidance remotely.
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Journey Clinical's medical team will review all your current medications during the eligibility assessment. Some medications may need to be adjusted, but many people can safely do KAP while taking other psychiatric medications.
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Unlike ketamine infusion clinics that focus primarily on the medical aspects, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy integrates the medicine with dedicated therapy sessions. This approach emphasizes meaning-making, integration, and lasting psychological change rather than just symptom relief.
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No prior experience is necessary. Dr. Caine specializes in guiding people through these experiences safely, whether it's your first time or you have previous experience. The preparation sessions will help you feel ready and supported.
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Begin with a free consultation with Dr. Caine to discuss your situation and determine if KAP might be right for you. If you both feel it's a good fit, you'll establish your therapy rate and Dr. Caine will help connect you with Journey Clinical's medical team for the eligibility process.
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Dr. Caine specializes in exactly this type of profound transition work. KAP can be particularly powerful for those navigating terminal illness, helping to soften resistance to uncertainty and reconnect with what truly matters during this sacred time.
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Dr. Caine will be present throughout your entire experience to provide support and guidance. Difficult experiences can actually be therapeutically valuable when properly supported. The integration sessions afterwards help process whatever arises, whether challenging or beautiful.
