Persistent Pain Ketamine Group
Los Angeles
Persistent pain can quietly narrow a life. It shapes how you move, how you work, how much you say yes to, and how much you push through.
This 17-week, in-person ketamine-assisted group is designed for adults living with persistent pain who want more than symptom management. We meet weekly in a small, closed cohort, alternating between structured group sessions and ketamine-assisted group work. Together, we work with the nervous system patterns that shape and amplify pain, building greater steadiness and safety in the body over time.
Program structure & investment
Duration: 17 weeks beginning spring 2026
Schedule: Thursdays, alternating weekly between:
• In-person group sessions (6:00–7:30pm PT)
• In-person ketamine-assisted group sessions (6:00–8:30pm PT)
Group size: Limited to 5 participants
Location: Los Angeles (Leimert Park)
Program fee: $5,400
Ketamine is prescribed separately; see FAQ for details.
Why this group exists
Many people with persistent pain spend years looking for a structural explanation that fully accounts for what they’re experiencing. Sometimes there is one. Often there isn’t.
Research suggests that a significant percentage of people with persistent pain are misdiagnosed or are experiencing pain maintained more by central nervous system patterns than by ongoing tissue damage. In other words, the central nervous system can become stuck in an activated state, changing how the body processes sensation and pain signals from the brain.
This doesn’t mean the pain is “in your head.” It means the system that interprets and regulates pain can become stuck in a high-alert pattern, especially after stress, illness, injury, or long periods of pushing through.
What we work on
Settling chronic bracing and hypervigilance in the nervous system
Restoring steadiness and safety in the body
Reducing isolation and shame that often accompany and magnify long-term pain
Shifting how pain is anticipated, fought, and endured
Why group work matters
Persistent pain is isolating. Many people become experts at masking, minimizing, and “staying functional,” which can quietly deepen shame and disconnection. Over time, that isolation can amplify the stress response that triggers pain. Research shows that group work can meaningfully improve outcomes when managing persistent pain.
A small, stable group offers:
A sense of shared experience
The stabilizing effect of steady, in-person connection
Accountability and continuity over time
Relief from the performance of “being fine”
The role of ketamine
Ketamine has shown promise in treating several chronic pain conditions, particularly when pain has become entrenched and resistant to other methods of care.
In this program, ketamine is used in a structured way to interrupt rigid patterns in the nervous system and support new ways for the body to process sensation. We don’t frame ketamine as a cure. We use it as a tool that supports a broader process.
Approach
In addition to over 15 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist, my work with persistent pain is informed by Hakomi, a mindfulness-based therapeutic method that works directly with present-moment experience in the body. My background in trauma, including work with the limbic system and its role in threat and stress responses, further shapes this approach.
Who this is for
This group is intended for adults living with persistent pain that has not fully resolved through appropriate medical care and who are medically stable enough for ketamine-assisted work in a structured group setting.
It may not be appropriate for those seeking short-term medical pain management after a recent injury or surgery, in a high-risk medical situation requiring close monitoring, or in active substance dependence that would make ketamine use unsafe.
Screening conversations are part of the intake process to ensure appropriate fit.