Patient stories in their own words
Dawn S.
Age: 36
Occupation: Pharmacy technician
When did you turn to ketamine therapy and why?
The classic anti-depressants just were not working for me. I had come to a point in my life that I was extremely depressed, and it was negatively impacting my life in personal, professional, and day-to-day life.
What differences have you noticed in your overall well-being?
I feel true joy and happiness in the simple, everyday moments. I have a positive outlook on my future, and no longer ruminate on my past. I’ve been able to become my true, authentic, real and happy kind self. My personal and professional relationships are now thriving….I feel like the old me, many years ago, before I became depressed.
- Greater sense of joy and emotional lightness
- Reduced anxiety and mental rumination
- Feeling more like herself again
- Improved focus and ability to engage in daily life
Andrew E.
Age: 54
Occupation: Musician
What was going through your mind most days before treatment?
There was a lot of negativity in my day-to-day, dwelling on negative things and feeling negative about myself and feeling negative from the perspective of people outside looking in at my situation.
What’s changed for you since starting ketamine therapy?
The absence of negativity — that is by far the biggest difference in your daily experience, not having that hanging over your head all day. I would be sitting reading a book and I couldn’t even get through a page because I had these thoughts about things that happened 20 years ago… Now I’m starting to look forward to things, putting things on my calendar – having things to look forward to. That’s a huge difference.
- Reduced rumination and dwelling on the past
- More hopefulness about the future
- Greater emotional relief from negativity
- Re-engaging with music, learning, and daily life
- Feeling accepted, comfortable, and supported
Richard S.
Age: 79
Occupation: Retired
How has ketamine therapy helped with long-standing mental health struggles?
I pretty much was raised thinking that everything that was wrong with me was my fault… The idea that there might be something physically off — it never came up as that. It was always my guilt, my problem. And I think ketamine really freed me from that.
Can you describe a moment when you noticed a real shift?
I was walking along the street, and I was whistling, and I wasn’t particularly going anywhere marvelous. And I was noticing the trees and stuff, and I said, ‘Oh… I think I’m happy.’ I didn’t have to feel bad about it. I didn’t have to have a purpose for it. I was just happy.
- Mind finally able to rest
- Released decades of self-blame
- Negative thoughts lost their grip
- Began experiencing genuine joy and emotional relief again
Ellen W.
Age: 71
Occupation: Retired
How did you first come to try ketamine therapy?
I have major depression, and it’s hard to treat. I felt haunted all the time, and I couldn’t work myself up to get out of the slumps. But then I found out about this, and when I found out that I could do it on insurance and it was covered, I was flipping out. I said, ‘I have to try it.’
How has ketamine therapy changed your outlook on life?
My mood would stay pretty negative, and the self-talk was always very negative… After one of my sessions, I actually thought, ‘But I can make it better.’ That would never have previously occurred to me, nor would I have said it out loud.
- Negative self-talk quieted
- Remembered feeling truly loved
- Able to speak positively out loud
- Something shifted after decades of medication