Ketamine and Couples

Ketamine-Assisted Couples Therapy for Emotional Healing & Intimacy Recovery

You’ve done the therapy and talked it out. Tried to reconnect. And still—something’s missing. The same patterns return, the same wounds reopen. If you feel like you’ve hit an emotional ceiling in your relationship, it might be time for a different kind of breakthrough.

At Kaleidoscope Services, we offer Ketamine-Assisted Couples Therapy (KACT). This cutting-edge, science-informed therapeutic experience helps couples access more profound emotional healing, empathy, and intimacy when traditional talk therapy alone is insufficient.

What Is Ketamine-Assisted Couples Therapy?

KACT uses low-dose ketamine, administered safely under medical supervision, to support relational healing. The medicine softens defenses, disrupts rigid patterns, and enhances neuroplasticity, allowing your brain to become more open to new ways of seeing, feeling, and connecting.

When guided with intentional therapy techniques like EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) and EMDR-based resourcing, ketamine allows for more powerful emotional access and safer vulnerability. You don’t just talk about your pain, you can feel it, hold it with compassion, and move through it with support.

This isn’t about escaping reality. It’s about creating a state where emotional reconnection becomes truly possible.

Science You Can Trust

Want to learn more about how ketamine works in the brain and why it helps? Check out this detailed guide from Journey Clinical: What is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

Research shows:

• Neuroplasticity: Ketamine increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), encouraging new synaptic growth and more flexible thinking.
• Emotional Safety: Mild dissociation offers a buffer from emotional overwhelm, helping couples approach conflict and shame with reduced reactivity.
• Connection Repair: Studies on couples show increased empathy, improved communication, and long-lasting relational improvements 6–15 months post-treatment.

Ketamine is FDA-approved for depression and widely used off-label for emotional health. Our clinical protocols are designed for safety and grounded in both science and compassion.

For couples experiencing PTSD, complex trauma, or dissociation that shows up in the relationship, I also offer Ketamine-Assisted EMDR Resourcing to support nervous system regulation and healing from within the body. This pairing helps ease emotional avoidance and unlocks trauma held in both mind and body.

Tailored Treatment Options

Your journey with us is always tailored to you. We offer:

• Individual Dosing: One partner journeys while the other supports
• Dyadic Sessions: Both partners receive ketamine together for shared processing
• At-Home Options (for approved clients with virtual monitoring)
• In-Office Sessions in Chandler, AZ, with a driver or arranged transportation.
• Virtual Integration Sessions for Wisconsin residents

Clients located outside of Arizona will be matched with licensed medical providers through Journey Clinical, who provide virtual evaluations and medical oversight throughout the process. For clients in Arizona, I also collaborate closely with Dr. Eddie, a trusted prescriber based in Chandler, to ensure continuity of care and in-person support.

All ketamine journeys are integrated with trauma-informed therapy, using resourcing, enactments, and somatic tools based in EFT and EMDR.

Investment & Session Structure

This is not a one-and-done fix. Healing takes intention and structure. Most couples benefit from a 4–8 session arc:

1. Intake + Assessment (75 minutes) – We explore your needs, goals, and treatment fit

2. Medical Consult – Clients in Arizona will meet with Dr. Eddie in person. Clients in other states (including Wisconsin) will be referred to Journey Clinical for virtual evaluation and medical oversight.

3. Preparation Session – Resourcing, grounding, intention-setting

4. Ketamine Journey #1 (90–120 min) – With therapy support

5. Integration Session – We process what emerged and discuss its meaning.

6. Repeat Journey/Integration as needed – Typically 1–3 total journeys

Each journey is paired with EFT-based couple enactments, somatic grounding, or EMDR resourcing to create deeper emotional safety. You will feel held, guided, and witnessed throughout the process.

Collaboration With Your Therapist

Are you already working with a therapist you trust? Perfect. Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy can complement your existing therapy. I can collaborate with your therapist to help you move through stuck points, reconnect with suppressed emotions, and bring those insights back to your primary therapy work.

This can be a short-term boost to long-term healing, or a bridge when talk therapy needs support from the body and nervous system.

Is This Right for Us?

KACT is especially powerful for couples who:

• Are healing from betrayal, affairs, or deep emotional injury
• Feel emotionally or sexually disconnected.
• Have tried therapy, but feel stuck in repeating cycles
• Want to reconnect on a soul-deep level.
• Are dealing with trauma that feels “stuck in the body”
• Have caregivers’ fatigue or long-term emotional burnout.

Who This Isn’t For

While Ketamine-Assisted Couples Therapy is transformative, it’s not for everyone. This isn’t the right fit if:

• You’re actively in crisis or experiencing suicidal ideation (please seek immediate support)
• You’re looking for a quick fix without doing the deeper emotional work.
• You or your partner are not open to vulnerability, reflection, or change.
• There are untreated substance abuse issues, unmanaged psychosis, or active domestic violence.

Healing through ketamine requires emotional maturity, a willingness to be uncomfortable, and a commitment to the whole process, including integration. KAP experiences vary; what emerges for one couple may be subtle or profound for another. But the common thread is this: transformation is possible when you show up, together.

Your Commitment

This work asks for depth. It asks for intention. It asks that both of you are ready to go beyond the surface and sit with what comes up, not just in the ketamine space, but in the quiet moments after. You’ll need to commit to:

• Preparation, journey, and integration sessions
• Transparent communication and co-creating safety
• Holding space for each other’s process with care, not control

If that sounds like a “yes” in your bones, this might be your next right step.

Your Experience, Reimagined: AZ vs. Out-of-State Support

We make the logistics easy so that you can focus on healing:

Wherever you are, you’re covered—and cared for.

Ready to Go Deeper?

You’ve tried the surface-level fixes. Now it’s time to tap into something real.

If you’re craving connection, softness, and the kind of intimacy that sticks… If you want to wake up next to your person and feel safe in their arms again… If you’re ready to say yes to growth, pleasure, and emotional freedom, this is your invitation.

Book your consult. Ask the questions. Get your curiosity met. This could be the turning point you’ve been looking for.

FAQs

Is this safe?

Yes. Dr. Eddie medically supports clients inArizona. Clients outside of Arizona work with Journey Clinical for safe, licensed prescription and oversight services. You will be supported the entire time.

Will we be in control?

You remain aware. The goal is to soften, not lose control. Most describe it as dreamy, calming, and clarifying.

Do we both have to take ketamine?

No. Some couples benefit from one partner journeying at a time.

Can we do this virtually?

Preparation and integration can be done virtually. Wisconsin clients will receive medication by mail after medical approval. Arizona clients have the option for in-office sessions.

Can I continue with my therapist?

Absolutely. Many clients do KAP with me while staying with their primary therapist. I offer consultation and support to help your therapy deepen, not replace it.

How do we start?

Book a consult. We’ll see if this is the right path for your healing, build a safe plan, and move step-by-step together.

Renelle E. Nelson, LMFT, CST, IRC

Kaleidoscope Services | Chandler, AZ + Virtual WI

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist | Certified Sex Therapist Offering Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Couples

Schedule your consult at www.kaleidoscopeservicesllc.org