PTSD therapy in Santa Fe's unique landscape—where high desert meets mountain peaks, where ancient traditions intersect with modern life—mirrors the transformative terrain of trauma healing itself. The natural beauty and spiritual depth of this place create an ideal container for the inner work of recovery.
PTSD therapy requires more than conventional approaches, which is why I've chosen Santa Fe as one of my practice locations. As a licensed trauma therapist with twenty years of experience, I specialize in serving individuals at life crossroads who are ready for deep, transformative work—people seeking healing that honors both clinical excellence and spiritual depth.
PTSD therapy
Stop Surviving Your Trauma. Start Transforming It.
Specialized PTSD Treatment in Santa Fe
After twenty years as a therapist and seven years running an award-winning practice, I've learned that genuine trauma healing requires more than conventional talk therapy. At Canyon Passages, I offer specialized PTSD therapy that integrates evidence-based clinical approaches with expanded-state healing modalities—a combination rarely found in traditional Santa Fe therapy practices.
My approach centers on four core therapeutic modalities: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, and specialized couples work using Gottman Method and Internal Family Systems. This isn't a one-size-fits-all treatment model—each client receives a personalized healing journey designed for their unique history, nervous system, and aspirations for transformation.
Why Santa Fe Clients Choose Canyon Passages
Santa Fe attracts seekers, artists, high-achievers, and individuals drawn to both personal growth and spiritual exploration. Many of my Santa Fe clients have already tried traditional therapy or wellness approaches but are seeking something deeper—a transformative passage through trauma rather than simple symptom management.
What distinguishes my practice from other Santa Fe therapists is the integration of clinical credibility with soulful guidance. I'm both a licensed trauma therapist and EMDR consultant with extensive training in psychedelic-assisted therapy, and I've also trained in shamanic practices. This combination allows me to hold sessions that honor clinical safety protocols while creating space for the profound healing that can emerge through expanded states of consciousness.
Canyon Passages is intentionally boutique—not a large group practice or clinical mill. When you work with me, you receive deeply personalized, present, and invested care throughout your entire healing passage. My Santa Fe clients value this exclusivity and high-touch approach, understanding that transformative work requires a skilled guide who can be fully present to their unique journey.
EMDR Therapy for Trauma in Santa Fe
As an EMDR consultant, I've witnessed countless times how this powerful modality can rewire trauma responses that talk therapy alone couldn't touch. EMDR works by helping your brain reprocess traumatic memories the way it should have originally, allowing you to integrate experiences that have remained "frozen" in your nervous system.
What makes EMDR particularly valuable for my Santa Fe clients is that it doesn't require detailed narration of trauma. The healing happens at a neurological level deeper than narrative therapy can reach. Many clients describe it as finally "digesting" experiences that have been stuck, moving from the raw intensity of flashback memories into something that genuinely feels like the past.
I adapt EMDR protocols based on your unique readiness and nervous system. Some clients need extensive preparation to build emotional resources before trauma processing, while others move quickly into reprocessing work. The therapy is never formulaic—it's a personalized passage that meets you exactly where you are.
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Santa Fe
Santa Fe's openness to expanded consciousness and spiritual exploration makes it an ideal location for psychedelic-assisted therapy. I offer both ketamine-assisted and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for clients seeking profound healing that conventional approaches haven't provided.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine-assisted therapy creates rapid relief from PTSD symptoms while opening windows of neuroplasticity—states where your brain becomes more capable of forming new connections and releasing old trauma patterns. During ketamine sessions, clients often experience temporary distance from overwhelming trauma material, allowing them to observe and process experiences with more spaciousness and compassion.
I approach ketamine work as a carefully held passage, not a quick fix. Your journey includes thorough preparation sessions, the guided medicine experience itself, and intentional integration work afterward. This isn't a production-line approach—I'm present with you throughout the entire process as both clinical guide and compassionate witness.
Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
For clients ready for even deeper work, psilocybin-assisted therapy offers extraordinary healing potential. My background includes both clinical credentials and training in shamanic practices, allowing me to hold psilocybin sessions with therapeutic rigor and reverence for the sacred dimensions of the work.
Psilocybin sessions tend to facilitate profound existential and mystical experiences—insights about identity beyond trauma, interconnection, and meaning-making that directly counteract the isolation and fragmentation of PTSD. Like all my psychedelic work, psilocybin therapy follows a structured journey framework with extensive preparation, the medicine session itself, and multiple integration sessions.
All psychedelic-assisted therapy requires thorough screening, medical evaluation, and assessment of readiness. Your safety—both physical and psychological—is paramount. During our initial fit call, we can explore whether this approach aligns with your healing needs.
Couples Therapy for Trauma in Santa Fe
PTSD ripples through intimate relationships, creating patterns of disconnection that conventional couples therapy often can't shift. I work with Santa Fe couples using trauma-informed approaches that address both psychological dynamics and nervous system realities.
Some couples are navigating shared trauma—devastating loss, medical crises, or life-altering experiences that affected both partners. Others are working with one partner's historical trauma that predates the relationship. In both cases, I help couples understand how trauma lives in your relationship system and how to create new patterns of safety, connection, and co-regulation.
My Santa Fe PTSD Therapy Approach
My ideal clients are typically midlife or later, successful outwardly but carrying deep inner wounds. They've tried conventional approaches and are seeking genuine transformation. They're open to EMDR and psychedelic-assisted therapy, value privacy and boutique care, and see healing as their next great investment.
Your journey begins with a brief fit call to ensure alignment. If we're well-matched, you'll complete a comprehensive intake packet, and we'll meet for an extended first session to map your individualized treatment framework. Many clients follow a passage that includes preparation sessions, one or more medicine-assisted sessions (if appropriate), and integration work to anchor the healing.
I offer both in-person sessions at my Santa Fe location and online sessions for preparation and integration work. The flexibility allows us to structure your care in whatever way best supports your healing journey.
Serving Santa Fe and Beyond
While Santa Fe is one of my primary practice locations, I also serve clients in Sedona, Arizona and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, as well as offering online sessions. Many Santa Fe clients appreciate the option to do some work virtually, particularly for ongoing integration sessions between in-person trauma processing work.
Begin Your Healing Passage
If you're in Santa Fe and resonating with this approach to PTSD therapy, I invite you to reach out. We'll start with a fit call to explore whether Canyon Passages aligns with what you're seeking. During that call, we'll discuss your history, current challenges, and healing goals. I'll answer questions about my approach, session formats, and investment levels.
PTSD doesn't have to define your life. With skilled guidance and the right therapeutic approaches, genuine transformation is possible—not just management of symptoms, but true healing of the traumatic imprint itself.
The passage through trauma is challenging and profoundly meaningful. If you're ready to move beyond survival into genuine wholeness, I'd be honored to serve as your guide.
Contact Canyon Passages today to schedule your initial fit call and begin your healing journey in Santa Fe.
Located in:
Santa Fe, NM
Sedona, AZ
Pagosa Springs, CO
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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PTSD therapy at Canyon Passages goes beyond conventional talk therapy by addressing trauma where it actually lives: in your nervous system and body. While traditional therapy asks you to narrate your trauma repeatedly, my approach uses specialized modalities like EMDR and psychedelic-assisted therapy to access and rewire the deeper neurological patterns that keep you stuck in survival mode. The focus is on transformation, not just symptom management.
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Your first session is an extended 90-minute meeting where we begin building our therapeutic relationship and mapping your individualized treatment framework. We'll explore your trauma history, current challenges, and healing goals. I'll explain how different modalities might support your specific situation, and together we'll outline a personalized roadmap for your healing passage. This isn't a cookie-cutter approach; every treatment plan is designed specifically for you.
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The duration of PTSD therapy varies significantly based on your unique history, the complexity of your trauma, and which modalities we use. Some clients work with me for several months, while others engage in deeper year-long passages. Rather than promising a specific timeline, I focus on creating a holding container for however long your healing process requires. We'll regularly assess progress and adjust our approach as needed.
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Yes, I offer both in-person sessions at my Santa Fe location and online sessions. Many clients prefer a hybrid approach, doing intensive trauma processing work in person and using online sessions for preparation and integration work. The flexibility allows us to structure your care in whatever way best supports your healing journey and life circumstances.
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EMDR is highly effective for complex PTSD, which often involves multiple traumas over time rather than a single traumatic event. As an EMDR consultant with twenty years of experience, I've adapted the protocol specifically for complex trauma presentations. We take time to build the emotional resources and nervous system regulation needed before processing traumatic material, ensuring the work feels safe and manageable throughout.
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Good candidates for psychedelic-assisted PTSD therapy are individuals who have tried conventional approaches without achieving the depth of healing they seek, who are psychologically stable enough to navigate expanded states, and who have no medical contraindications. Your intake process includes specialized screening to assess readiness and safety. Not everyone is a candidate for this work, and that's perfectly okay. We'll determine together whether this approach aligns with your needs.
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Absolutely. I work with couples using trauma-informed approaches that recognize how PTSD affects attachment patterns, communication, and nervous system responses in relationships. Whether you're navigating shared trauma or one partner's historical trauma, I help you understand how trauma lives in your relationship system and create new patterns of safety and connection. The work addresses both psychological dynamics and the deeper neurological patterns that shape how you relate to each other.
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Canyon Passages is intentionally not a large group practice or treatment mill. When you work with me, you receive deeply personalized, present, and invested care throughout your entire healing passage. I limit my caseload to ensure I can be fully present with each client. You're not shuffled between different providers or treated according to rigid protocols. Every aspect of your care is tailored to your unique needs, history, and healing aspirations.
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The intake process begins with a brief fit call where we explore whether we're well-matched for this work. If we align, you'll complete a comprehensive digital intake packet that includes trauma history assessment, informed consent, and safety screening. For psychedelic-assisted therapy, there's additional specialized screening for medical contraindications. The process is designed to ensure your safety and help me understand exactly where you've been and where you want to go.
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You're likely ready for transformative PTSD therapy if you've already tried conventional approaches and still feel something essential is missing. If you're seeking more than coping strategies, if you're at a life crossroads and ready to face what's been unresolved, and if you're willing to invest deeply in your healing process, then transformative work may be right for you. During our fit call, we'll explore your readiness together and determine whether my approach aligns with what you need at this stage of your journey.
Canyon Passages provides specialized PTSD therapy, EMDR, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psilocybin-assisted therapy, and trauma-informed couples counseling in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Serving individuals and couples seeking transformative trauma healing. In-person and online sessions available.
Canyon Passages is a unique therapeutic practice that bridges the gap between clinical rigor and spiritual depth. Led by Kelly Chisholm, a trauma therapist with 20 years of experience, the practice serves clients in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado who are ready to move beyond standard coping mechanisms. Specializing in psychedelic-assisted therapy and EMDR, Canyon Passages guides individuals and couples through "passage work"—a transformative process designed to heal deep-seated trauma and reshape one's connection to themselves and the world.