Traditional couples therapy sometimes falls short when partners are too defensive, emotionally shut down, or trapped in rigid patterns to access genuine vulnerability. Ketamine-assisted couples therapy offers a unique solution: the medication temporarily reduces defensiveness while enhancing empathy and emotional openness, creating space for the kind of authentic communication that transforms relationships. It's not a magic fix, but rather a tool that helps couples access states of connection and understanding that may feel impossible in ordinary consciousness—especially when old wounds and defensive patterns are deeply entrenched.