MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Ketamine, Psychedelics, and Psychotherapy: Reframing, Redefining, Renaming Treatment Models

Summary

This paper addresses confusion about how ketamine and psychedelics are being used to treat mental health conditions like depression and PTSD. The authors propose new clear definitions to distinguish whether these drugs are used alone for their chemical effects, combined with established talk therapies, or used to create experiences that are then processed in therapy. Using these clearer definitions will help patients, doctors, and regulators better understand what treatments involve and make more informed decisions.

Background

There is renewed interest in psychedelic agents and ketamine for treating psychiatric conditions including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. However, there is considerable confusion regarding what constitutes psychotherapeutic interventions within psychedelic-based and ketamine-based treatments due to lack of standard definitions.

Objective

To address the confusing landscape of psychedelic-based and ketamine-based treatments by proposing clearer definitions and terminology that distinguish between different therapeutic models and their methodologies. The authors aim to facilitate clinical trials, regulatory pathways, and more informed patient care.

Results

The authors propose six distinct treatment models: Ketamine Pharmacotherapy (KP), Ketamine Combined with Psychotherapy (KCP), and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP); and Psychedelic Pharmacotherapy (PP), Psychedelics Combined with Psychotherapy (PCP), and Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP). These definitions clarify whether drugs are used as stand-alone treatments, to enhance psychotherapy through acute psychological effects, or in combination with established manualized therapies.

Conclusion

Adopting these proposed terminology and definitions will improve clarity in evaluating treatment effects, distinguish therapeutic roles of agents, facilitate study designs and regulatory pathways, and support more informed patient care and transparent reporting of risks and evidence-based information.
  • Published in:Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,
  • Study Type:Perspective/Review,
  • Source: PMID: 41148143, DOI: 10.1177/07067437251389090
Scroll to Top