Frequently Asked
Questions

You’ve got options when you seek ketamine treatment.

Here’s why you should choose us.

1. Safety of a physician-led practice (15+ years experience with ketamine)
2. Every session supported by a physician and an integration coach
3. Every journey is curated with careful attention to set and setting
4. Effective techniques help you make the most of your ketamine experience
5. We are with you every step of the way

Pala Medicine provides ketamine treatments that support your wellness goals and personal transformation. We are a woman and minority-owned small business.

Pala Medicine differs from the ‘ketamine-at-home’ programs in several key ways:

1. 1. Expert in-person attention of a physician and a certified integration coach

1. 1. Our preferred route of administration (IV or IM) has much better bioavailability and allows for better dose curve control than at-home sublingual

1. 1. We dial-in a customized dose based on your personal factors; at-home dosing is fixed and less bioavailable

1. 1. We offer skilled facilitation with the critical ‘human touch’ of working together in person

1. 1. Expertly curated experiences to increase effectiveness of your journey time

1. 1. Comfortable, distraction-free spaces custom designed for ketamine journey work

1. Spend your valuable post-journey integration time in the comfort of our office, without immediately re-emerging to the reality and needs of home

Our business model is quite different than at-home, which is why we can’t compete with their lower cost. Pala Medicine offers the highest quality care, providing safe and effective ketamine journeys for personal transformation. We hope you see the value of our approach!

Some people do have profoundly transformative experiences on their first journey, so it is possible, but not typical.

Psychedelic therapies, including those done with ketamine, are not a ‘silver bullet’. They don’t cure illnesses or treat diseases directly. The realizations, realignment to deep values, or any other transformative experience requires on-going work to integrate these insights into daily practice. We are here to support you in this way.

Most clients require 4-6 treatments to see substantial results. For some, these results are lasting, and for others they wane over time, sometimes requiring a ‘booster’ at some interval.

Working with a licensed therapist or psychiatrist is generally recommended, but is not always required, when receiving ketamine treatment. 

Our standard ketamine infusion sessions are fully supported by a certified psychedelic integration coach to hold space and help maximize the benefits of your journey work. Many find this support to be sufficient or preferable to working in a more formal psychotherapy framework.

We also wholeheartedly endorse ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) in many circumstances, so we can work with your current therapist, or we can help you select one from our network of psychedelically-aware and trained experts.

The choice is yours.

Dr. Rahman, a physician with 15+ years’ experience working with ketamine, will administer all intravenous (IV) and intra-muscular (IM) medicines. She will oversee sublingual administration done by the patient as well. 

Your journey is also supported by an integration coach and psychedelic practitioner with 15+ years of work with plant medicines and non-ordinary states of consciousness.

Someone will be with you throughout your journey, holding space and able to support immediately should any need arise.

Ketamine is a clinically applied, off-label treatment for various chronic treatment-resistant mental health conditions. It has also shown efficacy in the treatment of certain kinds of complex pain issues.

Off-label use by a physician is 100% legal and very common, constituting up to one-third of all prescriptions for common drugs in the United States overall. (Source: National Library of Medicine)

Ketamine is a very common Schedule III medication that has long been used safely as an anesthetic and analgesic agent, and now, often effectively for the treatment of depression, alcoholism, substance dependencies, PTSD and other mental health issues.

A typical session is 2 hours in total.

Our individual sessions use the following format:

1. Welcome & medical review with Dr. Rahman
2. Session intention and settling in
3. Ketamine administration (IV, IM, or sublingual)
4. Ketamine ‘journey’ (typically 45-50 minutes)
5. Calm re-entry
6. Integration discussion with a trained coach
7. Additional personal integration time — no rush
8. Safe ride home

Integration is highly personal, so we help you explore a variety of effective techniques.

1. Yoga & breathwork
2. Meditation & mindfulness
3. Gratitude & expansive thinking
4. Daily self-care rituals
5. Journaling & self-reflection
6. Deepening connection to family & loved ones
7. Walking & being outdoors

Our goal is to provide you with tools that support your ongoing wellbeing and growth, so the benefits of your healing journeys can be transformative, not transitory.

Our collaborative of integration experts offer ongoing integration opportunities, classes, and 1:1 services. Learn more on our Community Events page.

Yes, an integration coach will work with you after every ketamine infusion session, at no additional cost. However, if you want to take your journey even deeper, or want more on-going support, transformational life coaching is available.

From the chemical point of view, ketamine is not considered to be a ‘classical’ psychedelic substance, but it nevertheless produces powerful psychedelic effects for most people. Pala Medicine specializes in helping our clients harness the psychedelic benefits of ketamine journeys.

Ketamine is generally classified as a dissociative anesthetic. At the doses used for ketamine therapy, which are much lower than for anesthesia, dissociation means a sense of disconnecting from one’s ordinary reality and usual sense of self for a short time. This ‘non-ordinary’ state of consciousness is a critical part of how psychedelic medicine works.

Pala Medicine only works with ketamine, a legally available off-label psychedelic medicine. However, as the FDA approves additional psychedelic medicines in the future, we will be able to provide related services legally. There are several Phase 3 clinical trials that may result in legal, clinical access to other psychedelic medicines in the next few years.