Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Depression: A Survey of Current Practices, Rationales, and Future Directions.
Journal of psychoactive drugs June 10, 2026 Jack H Buchanan, Brandon Reynante, Michael T Dinh et al.
A cross-sectional survey of fifty licensed U.S. providers of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) for depression reveals wide variability in real-world practices. Ketamine was most often given intramuscularly (42%) or sublingually (40%) at psychedelic doses. Most providers (74%) conducted psychotherapy before, during, and after administration, commonly using Internal Family Systems (74%), humanistic/existential (62%), and supportive (58%) modalities, typically blending three to four approaches. The most endorsed treatment goals were fostering inner healing intelligence, leveraging neuroplastic effects, and facilitating a transformative experience. No significant association between psychotherapy modalities and treatment goals was found, indicating unclear logic for matching approaches to outcomes. The findings underscore the need for comparative clinical trials to establish evidence-based standards for KAP and other psychedelic-assisted therapies.