What Learning About Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Made Me Think About Differently by Maria Luisa Molina, LCSW, Certified EMDR Therapist

Trauma & HealingTherapy Approaches
Written by Vida Wellness and Counseling Services

I’m an EMDR therapist. I’m also human.

When I entered my ketamine-assisted EMDR training, I brought months of studying, clinical experience, and curiosity. I also brought questions I couldn’t answer through coursework alone.

Will ketamine and EMDR really work together? Will I feel present? Will I be able to communicate what I need and have a say in how the session unfolds?

I was excited, but nervous. Understanding an approach professionally didn’t take away the vulnerability of experiencing it myself.

Earlier this fall, I participated in a supervised, virtual ketamine-assisted EMDR session during my training. I stepped into the client’s role and allowed another therapist to support me.

If you’ve ever wondered, β€œI’ve talked about this. I understand it. Why does it still affect me?” you may recognize something of yourself in my experience.

Before I share what happened, a little context may help.

What is ketamine-assisted EMDR?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) incorporates prescribed ketamine into a psychotherapy treatment plan. It can include preparation, therapeutic support during the experience, and integration afterwardβ€”making sense of what emerged and connecting it to everyday life.

Ketamine-assisted EMDR (KA-EMDR) is an emerging approach combining low-dose ketamine with EMDR memory reprocessing. The model I studied uses a psycholytic, or lower-dose, approach intended to allow continued engagement with the therapist (Topel & Ciccone, 2025). It can still produce noticeable effects and impairment.

EMDR involves more than bilateral stimulation. Its structured phases include assessment, preparation, processing, closure, and reevaluation (EMDR International Association [EMDRIA], n.d.).

Ketamine requires a prescribing medical professional. My role as a therapist is to provide psychotherapy.

Preparation and connection mattered

I had been studying ketamine-assisted therapy since the beginning of the year, including coursework through Fluence. Still, I had questions about how my body would respond.

I live with POTS, a condition affecting my autonomic nervous system. Before participating, I discussed my concerns with both the provider managing my POTS and the clinician prescribing the ketamine. Having time to ask questions helped me feel more prepared.

During the training, another therapist and I took turns providing and receiving the experience. Trainers checked in and remained available to support us.

The therapist working with me was kind, nonjudgmental, and fully present. Although I have provided telehealth therapy for about six years, I wondered how it would feel to receive this support virtually from someone I had just met.

In that supervised setting, I felt connected and cared for.

The memory I thought β€œwasn’t that bad”

I chose a memory from when I was about five or six years old. It was something I could discuss, something I thought would be manageable.

But knowing the story didn’t mean I had recognized all the feelings connected to it.

During reprocessing, strong emotions and bodily sensations emerged. I cried deeply. It felt like setting down heavy luggage I hadn’t realized I was carrying.

I noticed numbness, and speaking sometimes took more effort. Yet I remained aware of my surroundings and able to express my preferencesβ€”including asking for changes to the pace of the bilateral stimulation.

That mattered. I could receive support and still have a voice in my care. I felt in control of the session.

 During approximately an hour and a half of reprocessing, I experienced a sense of resolution that surprised me. Similar work had previously taken me several sessions. That was my experience, however, rather than evidence that adding ketamine makes EMDR faster. The medication, therapy, relationship, and work I had already done may all have contributed.

A reminder of my own humanity

When I describe the experience as spiritual, I mean that it brought me back to something deeply human.

I could be knowledgeable, self-aware, and committed to growthβ€”and still have pain that deserved care. There was relief in allowing myself to feel. There was hope in discovering that I could relate differently to something painful.

Afterward, I felt peaceful and relaxed. I also became lightheaded and needed to rest. With POTS and a full day of class, I couldn’t identify the cause. My medical experience is personal and cannot establish whether this treatment is appropriate for someone else.

Over the following weeks, I noticed something more meaningful than the immediate relief: situations connected to the memory felt different. I could respond with greater kindness and remain present. Instead of only feeling the old fear, I could picture my younger self smiling.

We’re here. We’re together. We’re safe now.

I hadn’t forgotten what happened. I felt a different relationship with it.

What does the research say?

The study shared in my training reviewed the records of eight clients with PTSD. After four KA-EMDR reprocessing sessions, the researchers reported reductions in PTSD symptoms and related difficulties in daily functioning (Topel & Ciccone, 2025).

These findings are preliminary. The study had no comparison group, so it cannot establish whether KA-EMDR is more effective than EMDR alone. Its authors also developed the approach and founded the training institute, which they disclose.

As they wrote:

β€œLarger randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.”
β€”Topel and Ciccone (2025, p. 1)

My experience gives me a personal reason to keep learning. Research helps clarify what we can responsibly say about treatment.

How does this connect with EMDR intensives?

The experience also made me reflect on having dedicated time for therapeutic work.

An EMDR intensive is a treatment format, involving longer or more concentrated appointments. KA-EMDR is a treatment approach combining ketamine and EMDR. An intensive does not have to involve medication.

What connects them in my thinking is thoughtful preparation, time for processing, breaks, closure, and follow-up. Longer sessions do not guarantee faster healing, and some people benefit more from a weekly pace.

The question is what fits the personβ€”their needs, circumstances, preferences, and readiness for the work.

Curiosity deserves clear answers

If you’re considering ketamine-assisted therapy, ask about medical screening, monitoring, preparation, alternatives, recovery, and follow-up.

Ketamine’s psychiatric use is off-label, and compounded oral or sublingual ketamine is not FDA-approved. Risks can include sedation, dissociation, increased blood pressure, breathing problems, and misuse. The FDA also identifies additional risks with at-home use when onsite medical monitoring is unavailable (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2023).

My positive experience does not replace an individualized medical and psychological assessment.

You can be strong and still need care

What I carry most from this experience is hope.

For those accustomed to helping, achieving, or carrying responsibility, receiving support can feel unfamiliar. But you don’t have to exhaust every coping skill before your needs deserve attention.

You can understand your past and still need help with how it feels. You can have made meaningful progress and still want comfort. You can be uncertain about treatment and deserve thoughtful answers.

Whether your next step is weekly therapy, exploring an intensive, or simply asking a question, you deserve care that respects your humanity.

At Vida Wellness and Counseling Services, we support adults navigating childhood trauma, painful family patterns, and first-generation and immigrant experiences. Learn more at vidawellnesscounseling.com.

References


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