EMDR Therapy and Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Therapy™
What is EMDR?
Many of our clients are thoughtful, insightful, and self-aware—yet still feel “stuck,” emotionally reactive, or held back by experiences they understand but haven’t been able to fully move through. Contact us to see if EMDR might be right for you.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a research-based psychotherapy approach that helps the brain process and integrate distressing memories that have not been fully resolved. Rather than focusing only on talking about the past, EMDR supports the nervous system in reprocessing experiences so they no longer feel as emotionally charged in the present.
EMDR has been extensively studied and shown to be effective in treating trauma and PTSD, as well as anxiety, depression, panic, and other stress-related difficulties. Clients often report feeling less reactive, more grounded, and better able to respond to current life situations with greater flexibility and choice.
If you’re curious whether EMDR might be a good fit for you, we’re happy to talk more about how it works and whether it aligns with your goals.
For those interested in learning more about the research and professional standards behind EMDR therapy, additional information is available through the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).
EMDR Therapy
Elizabeth Armstrong, Eliza Chamblin, and Tracey Summerville are all certified EMDR therapists, provide EMDR therapy to our clients, and offer adjunctive EMDR therapy for clients who wish to keep their own therapists.
Elizabeth Armstrong has presented on Combining Schema Therapy and EMDR at the Schema Therapy Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the 2023 EMDRIA Conference on Using Advanced EMDR Techniques to Confront Avoidance in Our Clients (and in Ourselves), the EMDRIA Conference 2025 on Common Pitfalls and Problems when using EMDR. Tracey Summerville provides facilitation for Dr. Zangwill’s EMDR Basic Training, where she teaches other clinicians EMDR therapy. Eliza Chamblin co-leads EMDR consultation groups for clinicians in EMDR training.
Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Therapy™
Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Therapy is an integrative approach that combines EMDR therapy with the careful, medically supervised use of low-dose ketamine. Elizabeth Armstrong is trained in this model and offers Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Therapy as part of her trauma-informed practice.
Ketamine is a synthetic medication that has been used safely in medical settings for decades, originally as an anesthetic and pain-management agent. In lower doses, ketamine has been shown to have rapid-acting antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and is increasingly used—under medical supervision—as an off-label treatment for conditions such as depression, PTSD, OCD, and chronic stress-related disorders.
At low doses, ketamine can temporarily quiet rigid thinking patterns, soften defensive responses, and increase emotional flexibility. Research suggests that ketamine enhances neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new neural connections—which may support more adaptive emotional processing and learning.
In the ketamine-assisted psychotherapy we provide, the medication is prescribed and managed by a licensed medical provider and is typically self-administered in a sublingual (under-the-tongue) form. The role of the psychotherapist is not to prescribe or administer ketamine, but to help clients prepare for, engage in, and integrate the therapeutic experience in a structured and supportive way.
What Is Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™?
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ (KA-EMDR) is an integrative therapeutic approach that combines Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with a carefully prescribed, low dose of ketamine to support trauma processing and memory reconsolidation.
KA-EMDR was developed in 2024 by Danielle Ciccone, LPCC, LMHC and Michele Topel, LPCC who designed the protocol to intentionally align the neurobiological effects of ketamine with the structured phases of EMDR therapy.
Unlike higher-dose or “psychedelic” ketamine experiences, KA-EMDR utilizes a low (psycholytic) dose of ketamine. This dosage allows clients to remain awake, oriented, and actively engaged in the EMDR process while experiencing increased emotional openness, reduced fear responses, and greater access to previously avoided or overwhelming material.
During KA-EMDR:
Ketamine is self-administered under the care of a licensed prescriber
EMDR therapy is conducted by a therapist trained in both EMDR and the KA-EMDR protocol
Clients remain able to communicate, track their experience, and participate fully in bilateral stimulation and reprocessing
The therapeutic focus remains on safety, collaboration, and titrated trauma processing
The KA-EMDR protocol is specifically designed to maximize memory reconsolidation, supporting the brain’s ability to update traumatic memories with new, adaptive information. This can allow distressing memories to be processed more efficiently and with less overwhelm, while strengthening more flexible, compassionate, and coherent self-states.
Research and Clinical Evidence
The Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy™ model is supported by emerging research. A peer-reviewed article examining KA-EMDR for PTSD was published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, highlighting its potential as a promising integrative treatment for trauma-related conditions.
Clients who are interested in learning more can review the published research by Danielle Ciccone, LPCC, LMHC and Michele Topel, LPCC here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008066.2025.2572861
