What is Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ (KA-EMDR)?
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ is an emerging, integrative approach to trauma therapy that combines the benefits of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) with the therapeutic effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with powerful potential in mental health treatment. When used together under professional guidance, these two modalities help clients safely and effectively process traumatic memories and adverse life experiences that are contributing to present day challenges. Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ was developed in 2024 by Danielle Ciccone and Michele Topel, experts in both EMDR therapy and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and co-founders of Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ Institute.
Understanding EMDR: A Brief Overview
EMDR is a well-researched psychotherapy that helps people process and integrate traumatic memories. It uses bilateral stimulation (often eye movements or tapping) to help reprocess distressing memories in a way that reduces emotional intensity and allows for adaptive resolution. EMDR is endorsed by the World Health Organization and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a frontline treatment for PTSD.
What is Ketamine Assisted Therapy?
Ketamine is an FDA-approved medication traditionally used as an anesthetic, but in sub-anesthetic doses, it has shown rapid-acting antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects. It is increasingly used in mental health care to support individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma. Ketamine’s ability to reduce defenses and enhance neuroplasticity makes it a useful tool for accessing and reprocessing difficult emotional material.
How Ketamine Enhances EMDR
EMDR therapy helps the brain reprocess traumatic or distressing memories that may be “stuck” and unintegrated. These unresolved memories often contribute to symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, avoidance behaviors, mood swings, and negative self-beliefs. EMDR activates the brain’s natural information processing system, allowing these memories to be integrated into healthier, more adaptive memory networks.
Ketamine offers an added layer of support. Research shows that ketamine enhances memory reconsolidation—the brain’s ability to revisit and revise emotional memories with new, more positive information. When used alongside EMDR, ketamine may open a unique window in which the brain becomes especially receptive to healing. This can accelerate transformation by softening fear-based responses and disrupting old, limiting patterns. Ketamine also helps many clients feel calmer, more emotionally open, and more engaged in the therapeutic process.
Key Benefits of KA-EMDR:
Softening of defenses: Ketamine can lower emotional barriers, making it easier to identify and target key traumatic memories.
Enhanced Neuroplasticity: Ketamine promotes the brain’s ability to form new neuronal connections, supporting the integrative aims of EMDR.
Heart Opening: Clients often report feeling more compassionate toward themselves during sessions.
Greater Tolerance for Distress: Ketamine may buffer the intensity of trauma processing, allowing clients to stay engaged longer and more safely.
What a KA-EMDR Session Looks Like
Prior to doing the first KA-EMDR session, ketamine is legally prescribed to each client after a medical evaluation by a licensed medical professional. A typical KA-EMDR session involves a client self administering a low-dose of sublingual (oral) ketamine just prior to beginning the memory reprocessing. A licensed therapist trained in Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ guides the process, ensuring safety and supporting integration before, during, and after the session. Preparation and integration sessions without ketamine are also key parts of the overall treatment plan.
Who Might Benefit from KA-EMDR?
KA-EMDR may be especially helpful for people who:
Have complex trauma or PTSD that hasn’t responded to other treatment approaches
Experience high anxiety or dissociation that makes EMDR difficult
Struggle with treatment-resistant depression or emotional numbness
Are seeking deeper emotional breakthroughs or clarity
Is KA-EMDR Safe?
When conducted by trained professionals, ketamine-assisted therapy is generally safe and well-tolerated. Candidates are carefully screened for medical and psychological contraindications, and the dosage is tailored to meet therapeutic goals.
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ offers new hope for those seeking profound healing from trauma.
If you're interested in Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ (KA-EMDR), I offer online sessions for adults in Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Massachusetts.
👉 Book a free consultation today to learn more about how this approach might support your healing.
