In this episode of Loosening Up: The KA-EMDR® Podcast, Danielle Ciccone sits down with trauma therapist Cheryl Moore to discuss her experience integrating Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy into clinical practice.

Together they explore why Cheryl was drawn to this approach after training in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, how low-dose ketamine can help clients stay engaged during EMDR reprocessing, and why she believes KA-EMDR® offers a more targeted and tolerable way to treat complex trauma.

Cheryl also shares her own transformative experience during our live experiential training, discusses how KA-EMDR® is changing the way she works with clients, and tells the inspiring story of a client who experienced remarkable healing after years of feeling stuck.

Whether you're an EMDR therapist, a mental health professional interested in psychedelic-assisted therapy, or simply curious about innovative approaches to trauma treatment, this conversation offers valuable clinical insights and real-world perspectives on the potential of Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy.

Topics discussed include:
**Why experienced EMDR therapists are drawn to Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy
**The differences between traditional ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and KA-EMDR®
**Using low-dose ketamine to support trauma reprocessing
**Increasing the window of tolerance during EMDR
**Working with complex trauma and deeply held negative beliefs
**The role of experiential training in learning KA-EMDR®
**A powerful client transformation and clinical outcomes

More About Our Guest:
Cheryl Moore, LMHC
Licensed in Iowa
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 515-240-1910
https://www.moorelifecc.com/

Learn More About Us:

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

KA-EMDR® Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/training

KA-EMDR® Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

Email: [email protected]

This episode offers an inside look at what's next for KA-EMDR™.

Danielle Ciccone and Michele Topel reflect on two years of collaboration and a year and a half of training, consulting with, and learning alongside clinicians from around the world. Through hundreds of conversations, experiential trainings, and consultation sessions, they've gained valuable insight into where clinicians thrive, where they tend to get stuck, and what concepts deserve a deeper exploration. Those experiences ultimately inspired their newest course, Optimizing KA-EMDR™: Refining Case Conceptualization and Reprocessing.

They provide updates on the continued growth of the Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute, reflect on training nearly 500 clinicians, discuss preparations for their upcoming EMDRIA conference presentation, and share their vision for the future of KA-EMDR™.

Whether you're already practicing KA-EMDR™, have taken one of our trainings, or are simply curious about integrating low-dose ketamine with EMDR therapy, this episode offers a candid look at the ideas, experiences, and lessons that continue to shape our work and the future of the Institute.

Learn More: 

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute: 
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/training

KA-EMDR™ Consultation:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Loosening Up: The KA-EMDR™ Podcast, Danielle Ciccone and Michele Topel sit down with psychologist Dr. Dana Girard to discuss her journey from traditional psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to KA-EMDR™. After completing the Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute's introductory course, experiential training, and consultation group, Dana shares how low-dose ketamine combined with EMDR opened the door to a deeply meaningful personal healing experience that continues to shape her work today.

Together, they explore the differences between psychedelic and psycholytic ketamine experiences, the unique role of EMDR in facilitating transformational change, and why maintaining engagement, dual awareness, and therapist attunement can be so powerful.

Dana also shares a moving account of her own KA-EMDR™ experience, highlighting how unexpected insights, symbolic imagery, and emotional processing led to lasting shifts in her relationship with herself and her father.

Whether you're curious about KA-EMDR™, considering integrating it into your practice, or simply interested in the intersection of ketamine, EMDR, and personal transformation, this episode offers a thoughtful and inspiring perspective.

Key Topics:

• Psycholytic vs. psychedelic ketamine experiences
• The role of dual awareness in KA-EMDR™
• Why experiential learning matters for clinicians
• How low-dose ketamine can enhance EMDR processing
• Personal transformation, integration, and lasting change
• Bringing KA-EMDR™ into clinical practice

About Our Guest:

Dr. Dana Girard, PsyD

Licensed in California and Oregon

https://drdanagirard.com/

[email protected]

(650) 889-8765

Learn More: 

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute: 

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/training

KA-EMDR™ Consultation:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Loosening Up: The KA-EMDR™ Podcast, Danielle Ciccone interviews Ashley Hartman, a trauma therapist and yoga teacher specializing in complex trauma, attachment focused healing, EMDR, IFS, somatic therapies, and Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy.

Ashley shares her personal journey into psychedelic-assisted healing, what drew her to KA-EMDR™, and why she describes the experience as both gentle and powerful. Together, Danielle and Ashley explore how low-dose ketamine may help clients access difficult material without becoming overwhelmed, creating opportunities for deeper processing, increased self-compassion, and meaningful transformation.

They discuss attachment wounds, protective parts, witness consciousness, embodied healing, and the unique ways KA-EMDR™ can help clients who have felt stuck despite years of therapy. Ashley also shares what she has observed in her own clients, including increased access to emotional material, greater agency, and shifts that continue well beyond the therapy session.

Memorable themes from this conversation:

• "Gentle but powerful."
• Healing does not require losing control.
• Protective parts are not the problem. They are trying to help.
• Clients are not broken; their systems are working exactly as designed.
• Transformation occurs when emotional learning shifts, not just when insight is gained.
• The client is ultimately the medicine they have been waiting for.

Whether you're a therapist interested in integrating ketamine with EMDR therapy or someone curious about innovative approaches to trauma treatment, this conversation offers an inspiring look at what becomes possible when healing feels both gentle and powerful.

About Our Guest:

Ashley Hartman, LCSW, PMH-C

Licensed in Colorado and Illinois

https://www.the-sacred-becoming.com/

[email protected]

(708) 480-2016

Learn More: 

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute: 

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/training

KA-EMDR™ Consultation:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Danielle Ciccone and Michele Topel sit down with therapist and Army veteran Sasha Flores, LCSW to explore her experience integrating Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy into her work with complex trauma.

Sasha shares how her own healing journey led her to seek approaches beyond standard EMDR after discovering that parts of her system continued to block access to deeper processing. She discusses how low-dose ketamine combined with EMDR created a sense of safety and nervous system protection that finally allowed difficult material to be fully experienced and processed.

Together, they discuss:
*Why preparation and stabilization still matter in KA-EMDR™
*How low-dose ketamine may make overwhelming material more tolerable
*The importance of relational safety and co-regulation in trauma healing
*Working with military veterans, first responders, and complex PTSD
*Why therapists doing their own healing work matters
*The role of consultation and collaboration with medical providers
*How clients can begin accessing joy, playfulness, and connection after years of survival

This conversation offers an honest and deeply human look at the transformational potential of KA-EMDR™ when used thoughtfully, relationally, and with clinical intention.

About Our Guest:
Sasha Flores, LCSW, LCSW-S, SWICL
Licensed in Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado
https://www.thekindmindcounseling.com/
[email protected]
(361) 202-5238

Learn More:

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186...

KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/...

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/...

In this episode of Loosening Up: The KA-EMDR™ Podcast, Danielle Ciccone sits down with Jessica Chacon, an integrative therapist based in Colorado, to explore how Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy is helping clients get to the root of trauma more quickly and effectively.

Jessica shares how she integrates EMDR therapy with low-dose ketamine (psycholytic dosing) to support deeper processing, reduce defensiveness, and accelerate access to core emotional memories. Together, they discuss why this approach can create a powerful middle space between traditional talk therapy and psychedelic experiences—making healing both more effective and more accessible.

You’ll hear real-world clinical insights on how KA-EMDR™ can support clients struggling with trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, and substance use, as well as how this model may help clients move beyond feeling stuck in therapy.

They also explore:

• How low-dose ketamine enhances EMDR reprocessing
• Why clients can reach the root of issues in fewer sessions
• The role of preparation, pacing, and clinical judgment
• Why this approach may reduce long-term therapy dependence while increasing transformational outcomes

Whether you’re a therapist curious about integrating ketamine with EMDR, or someone exploring innovative trauma treatments for yourself, this conversation offers both practical guidance and a deeper understanding of how real change happens.

About Our Guest:
Jessica Chacon, LPC
Licensed in Colorado

https://www.sweetgrasstherapeutics.com/

[email protected]
(720) 695-1372


Learn More:

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/training

KA-EMDR™ Consultation:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Loosening Up: The KA-EMDR™ Podcast, we sit down with Lauren Battista, an EMDR therapist based in Colorado, to explore how Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy can help clients access deeper self-compassion and move through emotional blocks that often keep them stuck in traditional trauma work.

Lauren shares how integrating EMDR therapy with low-dose (psycholytic) ketamine has transformed her work with clients experiencing complex trauma, rigid defenses, and chronic self-criticism. Through powerful clinical examples, she describes how KA-EMDR™ supports adaptive information processing (AIP) and memory reconsolidation, allowing clients to access and reprocess experiences that previously felt unreachable.

Together, we explore:

• How KA-EMDR™ helps soften protective blocks and reduce emotional avoidance
• Why combining ketamine assisted psychotherapy with EMDR creates both structure and flexibility in trauma treatment
• The emergence of self-compassion, especially in clients with deep shame and self-judgment
• How “loosening” the system supports nervous system regulation and deeper trauma processing
• What it looks like when therapy shifts from feeling stuck to meaningful, accelerated healing

Lauren also reflects on how this modality has deepened her trust in the therapeutic process—and in her clients’ innate capacity for trauma healing when the right conditions are in place.

This conversation highlights a core principle of KA-EMDR™: when blocks soften, the system opens—and new learning becomes possible.

About Our Guest:
Lauren Battista
Licensed in Colorado
https://denvermetrocounseling.com/lauren-battista
[email protected]
(303) 809-3341 ext. 6

Learn More:
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12587818/

On-Demand Introductory KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/introcourse

Virtual KA-EMDR™ Experiential Training:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/experientialtraining

KA-EMDR™ Consultation Offerings:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

Email: [email protected]

This episode explores the transformative potential of KA-EMDR™, revealing how clinicians are helping clients access deep change like never before. Jennifer Taylor, a licensed clinical social worker practicing remotely across three states in the U.S., shares how integrating low-dose ketamine into EMDR sessions creates a gentle, profound shift in healing complex trauma.

In this episode, Jennifer shares:

• Her journey from traditional EMDR to incorporating KA-EMDR™
• How learning the scientific foundation and receiving experiential training built her confidence
• How ketamine facilitates deeper emotional access and memory reconsolidation
• Differences between psycholytic and psychedelic ketamine-assisted therapy sessions
• Real-life changes she is seeing with her clients

If you're a clinician eager to elevate your practice, or a client seeking new pathways to healing, this conversation offers inspiration and a new way to think about what’s possible. Discover how this innovative approach is enhancing client outcomes, shifting clinician perspectives, and expanding therapeutic possibilities.

About Our Guest:
Jennifer Taylor, LCSW
Licensed in Texas, Florida, and Kentucky
https://jennifertaylorcounseling.com/
[email protected]
(575) 201-3029

Learn More:
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

On-Demand Introductory KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/introcourse

Virtual KA-EMDR™ Experiential Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/experientialtraining

KA-EMDR™ Consultation Offerings:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

[email protected]

Unlock the transformative potential of combining EMDR with low-dose ketamine — a breakthrough that's changing trauma therapy. If you're a therapist feeling stuck with clients who can't access deep material or move past ingrained trauma patterns, this episode is for you. Discover how skilled practitioners are integrating Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy (KA-EMDR™) to unlock neuroplasticity, accelerate healing, and open pathways long blocked by trauma and the resulting adaptations.

Laura Bell, a certified EMDR clinician, consultant and facilitator with the Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy, shares her compelling journey from traditional EMDR to this powerful integration. She reveals how incorporating low-dose ketamine has expanded her clinical toolkit, supporting clients with complex PTSD in accessing, processing, and resolving trauma that previously felt unreachable.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How psycholytic ketamine enhances neuroplasticity, softens defenses and protective parts, facilitating trauma processing during EMDR
• The essential role of EMDR case conceptualization and preparation in safety and effectiveness
• The impact of receiving experiential training and consultation in navigating this new frontier
• How KA-EMDR™ can radically transform the lives of clients suffering from complex trauma

Why does this matter? Because in a field where many therapists feel limited by traditional methods, integrating ketamine opens doorways to healing that once felt impossible. It offers a way to facilitate deep, lasting change without overloading the client or the therapist. This is more than a protocol; it's a paradigm shift in trauma recovery, with ripple effects extending into families, communities, and beyond.

Perfect for EMDR-trained clinicians ready to innovate and accelerate healing in a safe, ethical way. If you're curious about expanding your practice or seeking a powerful adjunct to traditional trauma therapy, this episode provides the insight, support, and inspiration you need. 

About Our Guest:

Laura Bell, LPC

Licensed in Virginia & Vermont

www.pathwaysfcs.com

[email protected]

(703) 239-3268

Learn More:

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

On-Demand Introductory KA-EMDR™ Training:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/introcourse

Virtual KA-EMDR™ Experiential Training:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/experientialtraining

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

[email protected]

What is Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy (KA-EMDR™), and how did it begin?

In this inaugural episode, EMDRIA-Approved Consultants Danielle Ciccone and Michele Topel share the clinical and collaborative journey that led to the development of KA-EMDR™ — an innovative, integrative psychotherapy model designed to strategically combine low-dose ("psycholytic") ketamine with EMDR therapy to enhance reprocessing and support transformational trauma treatment.

As we worked with our own clients, we began noticing meaningful shifts as defenses softened, deeper material became available for processing, and adaptive information came online much easier. What began as curiosity in our respective therapy rooms evolved into a structured, research-informed approach grounded in the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, the science of memory reconsolidation, and responsible, trauma-informed care.

In this conversation, we discuss:
• The early clinical observations that shaped the KA-EMDR™ model

• How we met and began collaborating with incredible synergy
• How our research and training institute evolved from this work
• Why we felt called to launch this podcast, creating a platform for KA-EMDR™ trained therapists to share how this approach is impacting their clinical work and the clients they serve

Whether you are an EMDR therapist curious about the integration with ketamine assisted therapy, a clinician interested in innovative trauma treatment approaches, or someone exploring potential psychotherapy approaches for yourself, this episode lays the foundation for everything to come.

Welcome to the beginning of the conversation.

Our published, peer-reviewed research article:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186022/

Ketamine Assisted EMDR Therapy Institute:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com

On-Demand Introductory KA-EMDR™ Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/introcourse

Virtual KA-EMDR™ Experiential Training:
https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/experientialtraining

KA-EMDR™ Consultation Offerings:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/consultation

KA-EMDR™ Therapist Directory:

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/directory

To contact us, shoot us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!