You may have already done the work. Maybe you sat through months of therapy, tried more than one medication, or pushed through on your own for years. Some things got better. Some did not. The nightmares still come, or the edge never quite leaves, or the people closest to you feel farther away than they should.
At Valor Health Solutions, we are a veteran-owned practice, and our team includes veterans who understand that experience firsthand. We also know that headlines about new PTSD treatments can raise hope and questions at the same time.
This article walks through what PTSD treatment for veterans looks like now, what researchers are still studying, and how to think about a next step. It is not a way to diagnose yourself. It is a place to start a clearer conversation.
PTSD is common among veterans, and it is treatable
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is slightly more common among veterans than among civilians. According to the VA National Center for PTSD, about 7 out of every 100 veterans will have PTSD at some point in their lives, compared with about 6 out of 100 adults overall. Rates are higher among some groups. Among veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan (OIF and OEF), about 29% will have PTSD at some point (VA National Center for PTSD, n.d.).
Those numbers describe a population. They do not describe you. What they do show is that PTSD is not rare, it is not a personal failing, and it is something clinicians have studied closely for decades.
Trauma-focused therapy is still the starting point
The 2023 VA and Department of Defense guideline for PTSD recommends three trauma-focused therapies: prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). It also recommends these structured psychotherapies over medication (VA/DoD guideline synopsis (Schnurr et al., 2024)).
These therapies help many people. A review of randomized trials in military PTSD found that between 49% and 70% of participants in cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure trials reached clinically meaningful improvement (Steenkamp et al., 2015). The same review found that roughly two-thirds still met criteria for PTSD after treatment. The authors called for improving existing treatments and developing new ones.
That gap is not a reason to skip therapy. It is part of why many veterans keep looking after they have done the hard work, and why care often works best when it is built around the whole person. Our psychotherapy and coaching services offer a steady, trauma-informed place to do that work, virtually or in person.
Why some veterans keep looking
There is rarely one reason a treatment does not fully land. For veterans, the picture is often layered. It can include:
- Symptoms that improved but did not resolve
- Depression that sits alongside PTSD and has not responded to antidepressants
- A history of traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Moral injury, the lasting weight of actions taken or witnessed that conflict with your values
- Difficulty staying in weekly therapy because of work, distance, or the intensity of the material
- Sleep problems, chronic pain, or substance use that complicate recovery
None of this means you did treatment wrong. It means the next step should account for what you have already tried and what is still getting in the way.
Where ketamine fits, and where the evidence stops
Ketamine has drawn attention as a possible option for veterans with PTSD. The research is promising in some places and mixed in others, and it is worth understanding both.
In a small randomized trial of repeated ketamine infusions for chronic PTSD, 67% of participants who received six infusions over two weeks responded, compared with 20% of those who received an active placebo (Feder et al., 2021). The trial included 30 people, and the authors noted that further studies are needed.
A larger trial in veterans and active duty service members found a different result for PTSD itself. Among 158 participants whose symptoms had not responded to antidepressants, ketamine did not reduce PTSD symptoms more than placebo. The standard dose did reduce depression symptoms significantly more than placebo (Abdallah et al., 2022).
The 2023 VA/DoD guideline suggests against using ketamine as a treatment for PTSD (Schnurr et al., 2024). Ketamine’s stronger evidence is for depression, which can occur alongside PTSD. For a veteran whose PTSD comes with depression, especially depression that has not responded to standard antidepressants, ketamine-based care may be worth a careful conversation.
At Valor, those options include:
- IV ketamine infusions
- Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), which pairs ketamine sessions with preparation and integration work alongside a licensed clinician
- SPRAVATO® (esketamine) nasal spray, which is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression and given in-clinic under a federal safety program
IV ketamine and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy are used off-label for psychiatric conditions, and any conversation about them should be individualized and medically supervised. You can learn more about our advanced mental health treatments, or read our guide to your first ketamine infusion to prepare practical questions for a visit.
What’s coming: research, not yet treatment
You may have seen news about psychedelic-assisted therapies for PTSD. That research is active, and the VA is part of it.
In 2026, the VA announced a trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder, enrolling about 80 veterans. It also launched a psilocybin trial for veterans with treatment-resistant depression, with or without PTSD, and noted it is involved in 20 active clinical trials of psychedelic therapies (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2026).
Here is where things stand:
- None of these psychedelic drugs is FDA-approved for PTSD or any other mental health condition.
- In 2024, the FDA declined to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and asked for an additional study.
- The 2023 VA/DoD guideline found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against MDMA-assisted therapy or psilocybin for PTSD (Schnurr et al., 2024).
In September 2026, the FDA held a public hearing on how these treatments might be used safely in the future. We submitted a public comment focused on veterans, and you can read our recommendations in Ketamine Therapy for Veterans and the Future of Care: Our Public Comment to the FDA.
VA officials have cautioned that veterans should not self-medicate with unapproved substances or use them in place of medical treatment.
Getting started through VA Community Care
VA Community Care lets eligible veterans receive care from approved community providers. For IV ketamine, the VA’s referral criteria focus on treatment-resistant depression, not PTSD on its own (Veterans Health Administration, 2025). Veterans living with PTSD may also meet those criteria if they have co-occurring treatment-resistant depression.
The process usually starts with your VA primary care provider or psychiatrist. They submit a referral, a VA committee reviews it, and once it is approved, our team contacts you to schedule. The full process can take a few months. Our veterans page walks through each step and the criteria in more detail.
If you do not qualify through Community Care, you can still schedule a consultation with our team. Our pricing and treatment options page can help you prepare for that conversation.
When additional support matters
If PTSD symptoms are making it hard to work, sleep, stay connected to people, or get through the day, reaching out sooner can be an act of care. You do not have to wait until everything has stopped working.
If you are thinking about harming yourself, feel unable to stay safe, or are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Veterans can press 1 after dialing to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. If there is an immediate emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Frequently asked questions about new PTSD treatments for veterans
Is there a new treatment for PTSD in veterans?
Several are being studied, including MDMA-assisted therapy and psilocybin, but none is FDA-approved for PTSD. Trauma-focused therapies remain the recommended starting point. Some veterans also explore ketamine-based care, particularly when depression is part of the picture.
Does the VA cover ketamine for PTSD?
The VA’s Community Care criteria for IV ketamine focus on treatment-resistant depression rather than PTSD alone. Veterans with PTSD who also have treatment-resistant depression may qualify. Your VA provider can help you understand whether a referral makes sense.
Can veterans get psychedelic therapy for PTSD?
Not as an FDA-approved treatment. Within the VA, access currently comes through clinical trials. If you are interested in a trial, your VA care team is a good place to start the conversation.
Do I have to choose between therapy and medication?
No. Many people combine approaches. At Valor, we see medication as one part of a broader plan. Our medication management visits are one place to talk through what you have tried and what might help next. Medication opens the door. Therapy, coaching, and integration help you walk through it.
At Valor Health Solutions, we start with what you have already tried and what you want to be different. If you are ready to talk through your options, call us at 888-214-2144. You do not need to have every answer before you reach out.
Works Cited
- VA National Center for PTSD. How common is PTSD in veterans? https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp
- Schnurr PP, et al. The management of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder: Synopsis of the 2023 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense clinical practice guideline. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38408360/
- Steenkamp MM, et al. Psychotherapy for military-related PTSD: A review of randomized clinical trials. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.8370
- Feder A, et al. A randomized controlled trial of repeated ketamine administration for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33397139/
- Abdallah CG, et al. Dose-related effects of ketamine for antidepressant-resistant symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans and active duty military: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multi-center clinical trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35046508/
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA launches MDMA-assisted mental health therapy trial. https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-launches-mdma-assisted-mental-health-therapy-trial/
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA launches psilocybin trial for veterans with treatment-resistant depression. https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-launches-psilocybin-trial-for-veterans-with-treatment-resistant-depression/
- Psychiatric Times. FDA issues CRL to Lykos for MDMA-assisted therapy. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/fda-issues-crl-to-lykos-for-mdma-assisted-therapy
- Military Times. VA, HHS to increase psychedelic therapy research for PTSD, military-related mental health issues. https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2026/07/14/va-hhs-to-increase-psychedelic-therapy-research-for-ptsd-military-related-mental-health-issues/
- Veterans Health Administration, Office of Integrated Veteran Care. Intravenous ketamine for treatment resistant depression (CDI 00030). https://www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/docs/providers/CDI/IVC-CDI-00030.pdf
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional.