A Blueprint for Implementing Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Palliative Care: Design, Process, and Treatment Patterns of a Real-World Clinical Program.

Summary

A ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) program was developed and implemented in palliative care to address psychospiritual distress in patients with serious illness. Of the 59 patients referred for screening, 43 were eligible, and 30 participated, mostly with cancer or neurological diseases. Patients received a median of 1.5 sessions, with an average ketamine dose of 0.93 mg/kg and minor side effects reported. This program represents the largest published cohort of KAP in an academic palliative care setting.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Psychospiritual distress (PSD) causes profound suffering in people with serious illness, yet treatment options are few and evidence of their efficacy is modest. Although high-level evidence is limited, decades of preliminary research suggest that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), including ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), may alleviate the anxiety, depression, and existential distress associated with PSD. However, clinical examples and published implementation frameworks for integrating these interventions into palliative care are scarce. To help bridge this gap, we describe the development and delivery of a palliative care-embedded KAP program at an academic medical center. To describe the design, implementation, and clinical experience of Pal-KAP, a safety-centered and equitably accessible KAP program embedded in outpatient palliative care. We detail the program's origins, team composition and training, operational model, patient selection and consent process, session structure, safety protocols, and financial model. We summarize patient characteristics and treatment patterns and share illustrative clinical vignettes from the program's first 28 months. Between May 2023 and September 2025, 59 patients were referred for Pal-KAP screening; 43 met the eligibility criteria, and 30 elected to participate. Patients (age 19-76, mean 53) completed a median of 1.5 medicine sessions (range 1-5). Most had cancer (80%) or neurological disease (13.3%). Ketamine dose averaged 0.93 mg/kg intramuscularly, with minor adverse effects (anxiety, headache, nausea, insomnia, dizziness) and no serious adverse events. To our knowledge, this is the largest published cohort of KAP in an academic palliative care context. Our Pal-KAP experience suggests that KAP can be delivered safely and ethically, providing a practical blueprint for programs exploring innovative ways to address PSD.

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