Absolutely, I have a partner who has had severe PTSD and went through a great month-long program, she's overcome many longstanding fears and triggers and has made huge strides in being able to feel that she is living her life once again.
I'm saying this as a huge fan of the positive impact of ketamine.
There are some symptoms that seem like they need more rewiring.
I’ve done 20 ketamine sessions over the past 2 years (the last one about 5 months ago). I agree with you that a lot of the immediate relief from an infusion can fade after not that long. However, combined with some of the other work I was doing there was a slow accumulation of benefits and new perspectives on life.
Overall, the infusions definitely helped… it hasn’t been easy going though, and I have been continuing to work on myself.
A few months ago, I finally found a therapist who I felt was actually helping me. I had tried a few different therapists in years past and it wasn’t that helpful. My current therapist uses a lot of “somatic therapy” in her work, which I think is really important. With trauma, talk alone won’t get you very far.
I’ve made a lot of progress since November when I started seeing her. I think the Ketamine and the work I had been doing on my on own “prepped” me in a certain sense.
Your friend might benefit from finding a good somatic therapist.