Ketamine Assisted Mindfulness (KAM)

Understanding Expanse MN’s Approach to Ketamine-Assisted Mindfulness

Ketamine-Assisted Mindfulness (KAM) at Expanse MN

Ketamine-Assisted Mindfulness is a 12-week program developed by Cliff Dahlberg for individuals experiencing treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, or deeply engrained patterns of coping that no longer support well-being.

• At Expanse MN, mindfulness skills—such as present-moment awareness, attentional focus, the ability to pause habitual reactions, and compassion toward one’s inner experience—are the primary tools for healing. Ketamine is not the treatment itself. Instead, a very low dose is used as a support to temporarily shift how the nervous system processes sensory information, especially signals coming from within the body (i.e., interoception). This shift, coupled with the practice of mindfulness-based skills, can increase the individual’s capacity for perceiving and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
• During a session, the low-dose ketamine creates a gentle, non-ordinary state of consciousness by disrupting a region of the brain that processes sensory signals. This can soften habitual stress responses by quieting automatic “alarm” signals in the nervous system, making it easier to notice how certain sensations, thoughts, or emotional loops trigger feelings of unsafety or physiological stress activation. With guidance, individuals learn to observe these established thought patterns with curiosity and non-judgment, rather than becoming overwhelmed or trying to control them.
• Ketamine-Assisted Mindfulness at Expanse MN is a guided, experiential process. The guide offers grounding, mindfulness cues, and a compassionate presence to help clients orient toward safety, compassion, and non-judgmental awareness within a carefully co-created environment. The goal is not insight alone, but the development of practical mindfulness skills that can be carried into everyday life—supporting greater nervous-system regulation over time.
• Individuals participating in KAM are supported by a structured workbook that includes clear explanations, guided exercises, and simple tracking sheets. The workbook is designed to help participants develop meditation and breathwork into consistent daily routines, while gradually turning mindfulness-based skills into habitual, adaptive responses to stress and emotional activation in everyday life.