Tapping in Together: A Pilot Study on Group Acupuncture for Ketamine Experience Integration

NCT06070090 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 23C.MN
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 15
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this pilot trial is to learn about using acupuncture for ketamine experience integration in adults aged 21-65 who are medically cleared for a ketamine prescription. The aim is to inform future controlled trials investigating efficacy by evaluating the success of:

• recruitment
• retention
• assessment procedures
• implementation of group acupuncture interventions performed just after a ketamine experience Participants will be given acupuncture in a group setting after a small-group ketamine experience. The following day, participants will be asked to complete a few brief surveys about their experience.

Conditions

Acupuncture

Keywords

Ketamine

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Experienced Integration Scale (EIS)

  The scale is intended to gain a sense of the status of a participant's integration process after a psychedelic experience. Participants are asked to rate their agreement to 12 statements using a five-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," "agree," and "strongly agree." The items are worded in a positive direction, so that higher scores indicating greater integration.

  One day after experience

• Experienced Integration Scale (EIS)

  The scale is intended to gain a sense of the status of a participant's integration process after a psychedelic experience. Participants are asked to rate their agreement to 12 statements using a five-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," "agree," and "strongly agree." The items are worded in a positive direction, so that higher scores indicating greater integration.

  Three months after experience

Study Arms (1)

Treatment Group

EXPERIMENTAL

This is the group of participants who will receive group acupuncture after a ketamine experience.

Procedure: Acupuncture

Interventions

Acupuncture PROCEDURE

The traditional East Asian methods of treating disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians.

Also known as: Acupuncture Therapy

Treatment Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• between ages 21-65
• participant in a group ketamine experience between October 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024

You may not qualify if:

• currently pregnant or breastfeeding
• has a terminal illness
• does not pass medical clearance for ketamine prescription

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin: lead

Study Sites (1)

Cardea Ketamine Space

New York, New York, 10013, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Acupuncture Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• William Morris, PhD, DAOM

  Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Licensed Acupuncturist

Model Details: An intention-to-treat approach will be used to approximate real-world conditions wherein results will be included even if a participant decides not to participate in the group acupuncture session.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2023
• First Posted: October 6, 2023
• Study Start: October 9, 2023
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2023
• Study Completion: March 1, 2024
• Last Updated: June 27, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)