EMDR, briefly
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured trauma therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or sounds) while you hold specific memories in mind. The point is not to relive the memory; it is to let the nervous system finish processing what got stuck. Sessions are talk-based, awake, and in your control the entire time.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, briefly
Ketamine is a dissociative medication used, in low, monitored doses, to temporarily soften the grip of rigid trauma patterns. Paired with a trained therapist and an intentional integration process afterward, it can open space to see and update stories the ordinary mind has been defending for years. Without that integration, it is much less useful.
Where each one tends to fit
EMDR is often the first line for single-incident PTSD, discrete traumatic memories, and performance-anxiety patterns. It fits people who want to stay fully awake and in control, and who are willing to sit with real emotion during sessions.
Ketamine-assisted work is often considered when depression, PTSD, or CPTSD has been treatment-resistant — when talk therapy and medication have not moved the needle, and there is a stable person and plan around the client to hold the process well.
Real cautions on ketamine
- It is a medication with real cardiovascular, urinary, and psychological considerations.
- It is not appropriate for active psychosis, uncontrolled hypertension, or certain other conditions — screening matters.
- Chasing the experience without integration work tends to underwhelm at best, and cause harm at worst.
- It is a tool, not an identity, and not a shortcut around grief.
Using them together
For complex trauma, the most useful pattern is often EMDR as the primary reprocessing modality, with a short, careful course of ketamine-assisted sessions when a particular layer will not budge. The two are not rivals; they are different keys.
How we decide together
A consultation covers your history, current supports, medical picture, and what you are actually hoping to change. You’ll get an honest recommendation — sometimes that recommendation is neither of these yet.