The Promise of Psychedelic Therapy: Processing and Resolving Trauma with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
To varying extents, all of us experience trauma. This can be a single event such as a car wreck, military PTSD, or natural disaster, or complex trauma which is highly relational in nature and usually stems from someone’s childhood family or close relationships. Regardless of the source or nature of the trauma, it can have long lasting effects on our minds and bodies. Those dealing with trauma may feel like they are navigating a complex maze filled with painful memories and intense emotions, along with the impacts these have on family, work, and relationships. This inner battle can result in persistent stress, anxiety, feelings of sadness and other mental health issues that fundamentally change how they experience life.
While traditional therapy approaches can have some benefit, and many of them have positive research, they may not always fully address the complexities of trauma. Standard options usually focus on managing symptoms rather than resolving the deep-seated issues that contribute to people’s struggle or discomfort. This is where psychedelic therapy steps in, offering a new and often more efficient pathway to healing. Psychedelic substances, such as ketamine, have shown great promise in assisting psychotherapy by allowing individuals to access and process traumatic memories in a controlled and supportive environment. Unlike conventional treatments, psychedelic therapy can facilitate profound breakthroughs, helping individuals achieve lasting recovery from the debilitating effects of trauma.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
At Elument, we’ve had wonderful success utilizing Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) to help clients resolve trauma and cultivate deeper well-being. KAP leverages the unique properties of ketamine to create a non-ordinary state of consciousness which when combined with its ability to distance or disconnect us from our body awareness and reactivity, allows patients to access and process traumatic memories in different ways than traditional therapies. This non-ordinary state of both consciousness and body (dis)connection can help client’s systems navigate around psychological barriers and defenses that often hinder the healing process. This provides our clients an environment where deep healing can happen both efficiently and rapidly.
This combination of ketamine and psychotherapy uses the body's inner-healing mechanisms, creating space for these processes to work effectively. In a system that is typically full of psychological blocks and protective measures designed to avoid pain, KAP offers a powerful alternative. It allows patients to confront and work through traumatic experiences in a supportive and controlled setting, facilitating deep emotional and psychological healing. The success we’ve observed at Elument underscores the potential of KAP to transform lives, offering hope and new pathways to recovery for those struggling with the lingering effects of trauma.
The Inner Healer
To speak more about our body’s inner-healing mechanism, with psychedelic therapy we, and generally the psychedelic community, believe our psyche has an innate ability to heal. This is the same as our body has an innate ability to heal a cut. We don’t think about healing a cut, our body just does it. But similar to when there’s some dirt in a wound and our body can’t heal the cut, we can get blocks or barriers internally to healing our trauma. Psychedelics, including ketamine, give us more and different access to this inner-healer and allow it to work around the barriers and blocks and innately heal our systems.
The Therapeutic Process
Given the often-sensitive nature of trauma processing, we have a regimented approach when working on trauma with KAP. We partner with our clients to walk with you in learning your internal system and how that shows up for you both internally and externally in your relationships and reactions to others. During preparation sessions we can talk through and learn about any specific trauma, personality parts, or habitual reactivity and patterns you are noticing and wanting to make progress with. During the ketamine sessions we support you in your exploration and healing of the unresolved trauma in a medically safe environment. Following the ketamine session, client participate in integration therapy. This phase involves discussing and making sense of the insights gained during the ketamine experience. Integration is crucial for translating the psychedelic experience into lasting therapeutic change.
Success Stories and Research Findings
The success of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is supported by a growing body of research and numerous anecdotal accounts. Studies have shown that KAP can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For instance, a 2021 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that KAP led to substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms in veterans, with many participants experiencing lasting improvements.
Patients who have undergone KAP often describe profound shifts in their mental and emotional states. They report feeling more connected to themselves and others, experiencing a greater sense of inner peace, and gaining new perspectives on their trauma. These positive outcomes underscore the potential of ketamine as a powerful tool in trauma therapy.
MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy: The Next Frontier
While ketamine-assisted psychotherapy has been impactful in the world of trauma therapy, there is another psychedelic option on the horizon: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. MDMA's unique properties make it particularly effective for treating trauma. By promoting feelings of safety, decreased anxiety and fear, a deep sense of well-being and connection, MDMA has been shown to be a powerful tool in healing trauma.
Current Research and Approval Status
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is currently in stage 3 clinical trials, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting it "Breakthrough Therapy" designation. This status by the FDA highlights the potential of MDMA to help those struggling with PTSD, and also notably treatment resistant PTSD. If approved, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy would roll-out to the general public over the next few years and give us a new and effective option for working with trauma in therapy.
Conclusion
Psychedelic therapy, particularly ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, offers a transformative approach to processing and resolving trauma. By enabling patients to access and integrate traumatic memories in a supportive setting, KAP has shown remarkable success in alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. With MDMA-assisted psychotherapy on the horizon, the future of trauma treatment looks promising.
As we continue to explore the potential of psychedelic therapy, it is essential to prioritize patient safety, ethical standards, and accessibility. By doing so, we can unlock new pathways to healing and provide hope for countless individuals struggling with the enduring impact of trauma. Psychedelic therapy represents not just a treatment, but a journey—a journey toward inner wisdom, resilience, and recovery.