What happens when two EMDR practitioners who trained together start comparing notes on ketamine? Amanda Baker, LCSW, a clinical social worker at Mindful Springs Counseling in Colorado Springs, joins the conversation to break down ketamine-assisted psychotherapy from the ground up. We explore the striking overlap in neural mechanisms between ketamine and EMDR, walk through the preparation and integration framework, and discuss the virtual group model Amanda ran to make CAP more accessible. She also addresses safety, contraindications, the prescriber relationship, what the training landscape looks like for therapists who want to get started, and why the answer to helping people is rarely about holding on to every client.

0:00 - Intro and Amanda's background

1:21 - Amanda's varied social work career and path to therapy

3:07 - Arrival at Mindful Springs and first exposure to ketamine

5:06 - EMDR training origins and how both modalities connect

9:28 - Moving past skepticism about psychedelics

12:24 - The neural mechanism behind ketamine and how it mirrors EMDR

14:13 - Types of ketamine delivery methods explained

18:00 - What preparation and integration look like in practice

24:21 - Building partnerships with prescribers

28:10 - The virtual ketamine group model

33:08 - The role of chaperones and reparative attachment

34:04 - Conditions the research supports treating with CAP

35:44 - Safety, contraindications, and the high-profile misuse case

40:37 - The history of psychedelics and ketamine's pharmaceutical origins

46:27 - Training resources and how to get started

49:51 - The social work mindset and connecting clients to the right provider

53:32 - Amanda's self-care and ethics-based consultation practice

Episode Highlights:

Ketamine and EMDR appear to share a neural mechanism, both promoting new neural development and activating overlapping brain regions associated with relaxation and healing.

The types of ketamine treatment range from IV infusion and intramuscular injection to oral lozenges and esketamine nasal spray, with differing levels of psychedelic intensity and varying degrees of therapist involvement.

Preparation and integration are not optional steps surrounding the dosing session. They are the therapeutic architecture that makes the experience meaningful and the outcomes lasting.

A 24 to 48 hour window after a dosing session is the most active period for neural growth and integration, making timely follow-up a clinical priority.

Low-dose psycholytic ketamine keeps clients alert and conversational, making it highly compatible with active therapeutic work during the session itself.

A prescriber who is willing to write a prescription without speaking with the treating therapist first is a significant red flag.

Contraindications include active psychosis or schizoaffective conditions, unregulated hypertension or thyroid disorders, significant cardiac irregularities, and pro

The Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly conversation with Lorain Moorehead, LCSW a therapist in private practice. With guests ranging from expert psychologists, therapists, researchers and authors, each episode offers a deep dive and keeps listeners from intern to advanced supervisor in mind while dropping gems and aha moments for everyone who loves to learn! If you love learning and want to keep track of some future learning opportunities, grab your personal curriculum here!

If you liked this episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us be a top mental health podcast and resource. See you next week!