CUTTING-EDGE MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT IN NYC

Ketamine Therapy

Consciousness-expanding healing for wellbeing

“A weight was lifted, a door was opened.”

-J.L., Tech Executive & Father

Acheron Psychiatry uses Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) to treat patients in New York City. KAP is an effective, fast-acting treatment that combines the use of legally-prescribed ketamine with psychotherapy.

OUR THERAPY HELPS:

  • Depression

  • Anxiety or social anxiety

  • PTSD 

  • OCD

  • Addictive illnesses*

  • Chronic pain 

  • Psychosomatic symptoms (mental health conditions that affect or manifest in the body).

  • Change negative thought patterns

  • Enhance insightfulness and support personal growth

  • Increase connection to self and others

At low doses, ketamine can relax defenses, reduce anxiety, and make psychotherapy more focused and productive. At higher doses, ketamine can produce a psychedelic experience that acts as a rare window for long-term healing, self-exploration, and growth.

Research shows Ketamine Therapy can be particularly effective when other treatments have failed.

Why Acheron Ketamine Therapy?

  • Harvard Trained

    A Harvard-trained & board certified psychiatrist, Dr. Zimmerman supervises all patients and sessions at Acheron.

  • Psychotherapy + Ketamine

    Every KAP therapist at Acheron is a psychotherapist. We provide additional mental health support to explore the changes in consciousness that ketamine sessions facilitate.

  • Clinically Advanced

    Unlike clinics using only anesthesiologists, we are trained to explore the root causes beneath the symptoms to support holistic growth and development.

The Advantages of Psychedelic Medicine

for Mental Health with Legal Ketamine

Conventional Psychiatry

  • Treats symptoms only, by suppressing feelings

  • Does not transform/heal mental health conditions at their root

  • Daily medication required

  • Psychological dependency on medication is common

  • Troublesome side effects are common

Psychedelic Medicine

  • Treats symptoms, and can enhance personality, increasing openness, creativity, and spirituality

  • Transforms mental health conditions at their root, thus "reprogramming" the nervous system to help sufferers feel more comfortable in their own skin

  • Brief and/or intermittent use of medicine

  • Medically safe, and ongoing side effects are uncommon

  • No withdrawal symptoms/low addiction risk

  • "I feel my brain was rewired, my thoughts are clearer, I have more insight."

    - K.F., Environment Health Professional - Ketamine Therapy Patient

  • “I am always stressing about a million things but felt peaceful, able to let go, that everything is fine. It was exciting, an adventure.”

    - M.H., Finance Professional, - Ketamine Therapy Patient

  • "The journey was very positive, it made me feel good about being a mother. Before that I was scared. I had the revelation that pregnancy is a good thing that deep down I wanted."

    - N.Z., Law student with treatment-resistant depression & endometriosis undergoing IVF

Our ketamine services

  • Intravenous (IV) Ketamine provides our patients with continuous administration via a saline solution with the medication dosage tailored for each patient. IV administration allows for precise dosage which can be adjusted during the journey and can be extremely beneficial for those with co-morbid pain conditions.

  • Sublingual (SL) Ketamine allows for a gentle onset of your ketamine journey. This route of administration is via a pill (also known as a troche) that is dissolved under the tongue. Those who haven’t previously done ketamine may prefer this method as the ketamine is slowly absorbed orally and takes about 15-20 mins to feel the full psychedelic effect of the medication.

  • Intramuscular (IM) Ketamine is fast-acting and allows your journey to begin in a few minutes. This route of administration is via an injection in the shoulder. This method of ketamine may be beneficial for those looking to have a deeper psychedelic journey.

  • Psychedelic harm reduction focuses on those who have previously used or are considering using ketamine. This service can be helpful for those who are hesitant to try ketamine, have concerns about how psychiatric medication can affect their journey, or for those who would like to speak with a professional about their past experiences with psychedelics and learn how to integrate this new ketamine experience positively.

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The Acheron KAP Process 

1st

step

Schedule a free consultation call.

Your first step is to schedule a consultation call to ensure Ketamine Therapy is an appropriate treatment option. We’ll also answer any questions you may have.

2nd

step

Intake & preparation.

We want you to feel secure and confident prior to beginning treatment, so this provides an opportunity to go over what to expect, identify topics you wish to explore through Ketamine Therapy, and allows you to get familiar and comfortable with your therapist. See our Intention vs. Expectation worksheet here.

3rd

step

Ketamine treatment sessions.

We typically recommend a minimum of 3-6 ketamine sessions. Ketamine is administered via intramuscular injection or oral lozenge. A therapist, in the role of sitter or guide, is present, and can attend to any need for reassurance or answer questions, take notes if the patient wishes to report their experiences and have them recorded for later use in therapy, or simply be a soothing and helpful human presence.

4th

step

Integration sessions.

Integration begins immediately upon completion of the psychedelic experience and in subsequent sessions, with or without the use of ketamine, and comprises the psychotherapy part of the treatment that explores your experiences and insights.

Our Ketamine Therapists

  • "It's safe to stop hiding, you can come out and play ['felt truth' insight during KAP]" --

    - RD, Actor - Ketamine Therapy Patient

Acheron Ketamine Therapy

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Research shows that KAP is an effective treatment option for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and obsessive thought patterns. KAP is unique among treatment options for these conditions in that its effective use can be both fast-acting and time-limited.

    • Ketamine Assisted-Psychotherapy (KAP) may be the best option for patients who haven’t responded well to conventional psychiatric medication, including treatment-resistant depression (TRD) patients and those experiencing suicidal ideation. KAP is also used to treat anxiety conditions, including PTSD, OCD, and social anxiety; addictive illnesses; and chronic pain and psychosomatic symptoms (mental health conditions that affect or manifest in the body).

    • KAP also may be a particularly good treatment option for patients who had previous psychotherapy that did not go deep enough to work through, transform and resolve the experience of core, anxiety-provoking topics so that their best, authentic self could emerge and creatively engage with life. 

    • It may also be suitable for patients new to psychotherapy and feeling overwhelmed at the process of confronting deep and core issues, who would like the assistance of a medicine to make therapy more tolerable, as well as optimally productive for deeper and expanded conscious awareness and creative insight.

  • KAP is not appropriate for individuals with acute mania or psychosis, or with a recreational interest in ketamine. It is not for those with uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, increased intracranial pressure, cystitis, evidence of liver disease, or for those who are pregnant.

    It is also not recommended for those who only want medication management and are not interested in psychotherapy. One exception is severely depressed patients who initially may lack the ability to engage in therapy, yet may respond to ketamine.

  • We typically recommend 3-6 ketamine sessions over the course of several weeks or months. Low dose ketamine sessions typically last 45 minutes, whereas higher dose psychedelic sessions usually require a two hour time commitment.

  • We offer several pricing and packaging options, including cost-accessible options, given our belief that psychedelic medicine combined with skilled psychotherapy represents a real advance in mental health care and must be accessible to suffering, and curious, soul-searching humans. Please contact us for details.

  • We are in-network for some services. Please inquire for details.

 

Ketamine Therapy Consultations

Are you feeling unsure about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy? That’s completely normal.

The best way to find out if it’s a good fit is to schedule a consultation. It’s an opportunity to explore if KAP is the right path and for you to ask any questions. If you decide it’s right, we will then schedule our first session. 

All inquiries will receive an email response within 48 hours.
Together, we’ll figure out a time to chat by phone.