Exclusive Services
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy
(KA-EMDR)
A gentler, nervous system-aware approach to trauma healing
Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Therapy™ combines EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with a low dose of sublingual ketamine during an EMDR reprocessing session. This approach is designed to support the adaptive resolution of traumatic memories in a way that can feel more emotionally accessible, grounded, and manageable.
Many individuals living with trauma, PTSD/CPTSD, anxiety, dissociation, or chronic nervous system activation understand their experiences intellectually, yet still feel caught in longstanding survival patterns. KA-EMDR can help create the conditions for deeper processing by supporting emotional safety, reducing fear responses, and increasing openness during EMDR therapy.
Why Combine Ketamine & EMDR?
Trauma can create deeply ingrained emotional responses, protective mechanisms, and patterns of relating that keep individuals feeling stuck, even when they have insight into their experiences.
In EMDR therapy, protective responses such as avoidance, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, or shutdown can sometimes interfere with processing. Ketamine may help quiet these defenses, allowing clients to access and process difficult experiences with greater ease and emotional safety.
By combining the focused bilateral stimulation of EMDR with the neurobiological and psychological effects of ketamine, clients may experience:
- reduced fear and self-judgment during trauma processing
- greater emotional flexibility and openness
- increased access to emotions without becoming flooded
- a stronger sense of grounding and self-compassion
- deeper insight into longstanding emotional and relational patterns
- greater capacity for adaptive resolution and healing
For many individuals, memories that once felt intolerable begin to feel more approachable, and emotional burdens that have been carried for years can begin to soften and release.
What is Ketamine-Assisted EMDR?
EMDR is a well-researched trauma therapy that helps the brain and nervous system process distressing experiences that may feel “stuck” or unresolved.
During a Ketamine-Assisted EMDR session, a small amount of sublingual ketamine is self-administered by the client while engaging in EMDR reprocessing. At a low dose, ketamine can have a calming effect that helps reduce fear, soften protective defenses, and support greater emotional flexibility during trauma processing.
Clients remain awake, aware, and engaged throughout the session. The intention is not to escape reality, but to help clients approach difficult memories with greater curiosity, compassion, and clarity rather than fear or self-judgment.
Ketamine is prescribed and medically managed by a licensed medical provider whom I collaborate with as part of your care team.
What the Process Looks Like
1. Consultation with a Medical Provider
You’ll first meet with the licensed medical provider who manages the ketamine component of treatment. They will review your medical and mental health history to determine whether ketamine is an appropriate and safe fit for you.
2. Preparation Sessions
Before beginning reprocessing work, we’ll spend time building safety, clarifying goals, and preparing your nervous system for the experience. Preparation is an essential part of the process and helps create a strong foundation for healing.
3. Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Session
During your session, you’ll self-administer a low prescribed dose of sublingual ketamine while engaging in EMDR therapy in a calm and supportive environment.
You remain awake, aware, and connected throughout the process. My role is to help guide the EMDR process while supporting you in feeling grounded, emotionally resourced, and supported throughout the session.
4. Integration
Integration sessions help process and make meaning of what emerged during the experience so that insights and emotional shifts can continue unfolding beyond the session itself.
Work Together
Interested in exploring whether Ketamine-Assisted EMDR may be a supportive fit for your healing journey?I offer consultation calls to discuss your goals, answer questions, and explore whether this approach feels aligned with your needs.