Healing the Healers
Experiential Ketamine Therapy for Healing Professionals
Experiential Ketamine Therapy for Helping Professionals
We are proud to offer an experiential ketamine therapy program tailored for helping professionals—including mental and physical health care providers, energy workers, yoga practitioners, and caregivers. This unique program allows professionals to experience ketamine-assisted therapy firsthand, deepening their personal healing journey and supporting mental wellness.
What the Program Includes:
Orientation & Preparation Session: Get familiar with the process and prepare for your journey.
Medical Assessment & Prescription: Conducted by Asheville Integrative Psychiatry, including your ketamine prescription.
Two Dosing Sessions: Experience 6 hours of therapeutic and nursing support.
Integration Session: Helps you process and integrate your experiences.
Important Considerations
Professional Scope: This program does not provide qualifications for offering ketamine or psychedelic-assisted therapy to clients and is not formal training. We recommend seeking advanced training and consultation if you plan to integrate KAP into your practice.
Attendance Commitment: Please plan to attend all dosing sessions and, ideally, most preparation and integration sessions. Arrange a ride home for dosing days, as you’ll be unable to drive.
We look forward to supporting you in this transformative experience designed especially for those who support others.
Upcoming Group Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Sessions
Our group ketamine-assisted therapy sessions are held regularly to accommodate your healing journey. Check out the upcoming dates below, and secure your spot early to ensure availability.
Next Scheduled Sessions:
Registration closes 12/27/2024
One virtual orientation session
January 9th, 2025
12:30 pm (lasting approximately 1 hour)
One preparation session
January 13th, 2025
January 13th, 2025
12:00 pm (lasting approximately 90 minutes)
Two ketamine workshops
January 17th and 18th, 2025
9:00-11:30 am
One in person integration session
January 20th, 2025
9:30 am-10:30 am
How It Works
Pricing
Pricing Breakdown:
Go Inward: $500 (due at registration)
Medical Services: $300-340 (for the assessment and prescription due to Asheville Integration Psychiatry)
Refund Policy:
All fees, minus a $100 processing fee, are refundable if you do not qualify for group KAP after the assessment or if you withdraw prior to two weeks before the first dosing day.
No refunds are available if you withdraw within two weeks of the first dosing day.
Our Team
Lauren Vilar, LCSW, LCAS
Lauren is the founder of Go Inward and is passionate about healing PTSD. She is also the owner and therapist at LMV Counseling in Wilmington, NC. Lauren’s training for psychedelic assisted therapy include trainings by Fluence Certificate in Psychedelic Therapy & Integration, MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy, and Polaris Insight. She was selected as a “vibe patrol” volunteer for the 2023 Psychedelic Science Conference hosted by MAPS in Denver, CO. Her specialties includes trauma-informed care and mindfulness. Lauren’s area of special interest is MDMA for the treatment of PTSD.
Amy Sawyer
Psychedelic Integration Coach
Amy is passionate about holistic health and wellness. She is an integration guide for clients undergoing ketamine therapy. Amy pulls from her training as a trauma-informed yoga and Reiki practitioner to facilitate the healing process. Amy has two years of experience in guiding clients & integration coaching with ketamine. She holds space and offers support as clients prepare for, process and integrate their experience. Amy provides consultation calls and screening for Go Inward services.
Sara Gigliotti
Registered Nurse
Sara is a highly experienced registered nurse with decades of expertise in inpatient and acute care settings. She plays a vital role during ketamine-assisted therapy sessions, carefully monitoring clients' vitals before and after dosing. Sara is also prepared to provide emergency medical care if needed, ensuring a safe and supportive environment throughout the medicine session.
Safety, Considerations & Potential Risks
Our program for Healers is designed to introduce you to ketamine as a medicine and support your personal healing journey. However, if you are currently facing severe mental health challenges or going through a particularly difficult time, this may not be the best moment to explore this modality. Since the program involves two doses of ketamine, it can sometimes be destabilizing if life is especially overwhelming. Ketamine allows for deep reflection and inner work, but we want to ensure it doesn't add to your distress or push you beyond your capacity to cope.
Ketamine has a long-standing safety record, having been used at much higher doses for surgical anesthesia without causing respiratory depression. However, like any medication, it carries potential risks and side effects that you should be aware of. The most common physical side effects include a temporary increase in blood pressure, pulse, or heart rate, which may pose risks for individuals with heart disease and can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety. Other possible side effects include dizziness, sedation, impaired balance, slurred speech, confusion, excitability, altered sensory perception, headache, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and reduced awareness of bodily functions, all of which typically resolve within about four hours after the medication's effects wear off. We have a registered nurse present at our medicine sessions. The nurse monitors vitals and intervenes in case of a medical emergency.
Chronic, high-dose misuse of ketamine has been linked to urinary tract symptoms and, in some cases, permanent bladder dysfunction or cystitis.
Psychologically, ketamine can exacerbate psychotic symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia or other serious mental disorders.
Important Considerations and Eligibility Criteria
If you're going through a tough time and lack a support system or therapy, it might not be the best time to embark on this experiential therapy. This model is for self-care and professional training. The two-dose ketamine model can be destabilizing if your daily life is particularly challenging. Ketamine can lead to deep reflection, and we don't want to add to your distress.
To qualify for this treatment, you need to have had a physical exam within the last six months. Please also review the list below, as the following conditions will exclude you from office-based KAP with Go Inward:
Must be between 18-65 years old
Primary residence in a state other than NC
History of psychotic disorders
Current mania state
Active suicidal ideation
Active homicidal ideation
Ketamine use disorder
Obstructive or Central Sleep Apnea
Hypertension - Blood pressure greater than 140/90
History of Stroke
Heart Arrhythmia
Heart disease or history of cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, unstable angina)
Acute or chronic kidney disease
Cystitis or bladder issues
Acute or chronic liver disease
Glaucoma or increased intraocular pressure
Increased intracranial pressure
Pregnant or trying to become pregnant
Untreated thyroid disorder
Active alcohol use disorder or unable to abstain for 48 hours pre/post KAP
Unable to abstain from benzodiazepine use for 48 hours pre/post KAP
Polypharmacy (combination of Lamictal, atypical antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, sleep medicine, benzodiazepines, or stimulants)