Set & Setting

Timothy Leary, the psychonaut and advocate for psychedelic medicine, said that the quality of the psychedelic experience is dependent on set, setting and dosage. 

Dosing ketamine is rather straight forward. As pharmaceutical product, it is accurately compounded and dosing strategies are well understood.  But what is set and setting and how does it relate to Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?

Set

Set refers to mindset, specifically the mindset of the client. What do they present with? How open to the experience are they? What is their intention? What are their expectations, hopes, fears? 

I work with clients to prepare them for the KAP sessions by discussing these and other factors. I establish a trusting therapeutic alliance in preparation for the KAP session. Clients are supported and attended to before, during and after each session. They are encouraged to gently surrender to the experience with guided meditations as they ingest the medicine. 

Setting

Setting refers to the physical setting, in this case, my office. Clients are invited to recline comfortably. Pillows and blankets are available. Eye shades are provided to facilitate an inward focus. Music is played that grounds and moves the process. It is a quiet, uninterrupted time. I “hold space” for clients by being physically, mentally and emotionally present without judgment.