Curious about the evolving landscape of mental health treatments? Join us for an enlightening session with Crystal Myers, a licensed professional counselor, and Sarah, her courageous client who embraced the transformative power of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Together, we navigate Sarah’s decade-long journey through various therapeutic methods, including mindfulness, EMDR, CBT, and somatic therapy, culminating in her profound experience with ketamine. Discover how Sarah overcame her initial skepticism about ketamine’s reputation and found it to be a groundbreaking tool in her healing process.
In this candid discussion, Sarah shares the remarkable improvements in her sleep, mood, and emotional connections, attributing these positive changes to ketamine therapy. We celebrate her resilience and the newfound harmony between her mind and body, which has empowered her to navigate life’s challenges with grace. Crystal and I highlight the importance of self-love, setting healthy boundaries, and being open to different therapeutic approaches. This episode offers hope and practical insights for anyone exploring ketamine-assisted psychotherapy or seeking effective mental health support.
A personal message from Sarah (we are so grateful for her healing, the healers, and this innovative treatment option):
KAP has worked differently than EMDR or other treatments as it enables me to process forgotten trauma, missing memories, physical sensations, etc without having to remember the specific details. Over the years, these blocked memories and physical traumas have been the biggest obstacle to my treatment. I have survived the depression, anxiety, insomnia, and other cPTSD effects, through denying, minimizing, self harm (eating disorder + substance/alcohol abuse), over working, being over active, isolation, people pleasing, etc. Basically, my firefighters and critics have taken the wheel most of my life.
The antidepressant relief was felt immediately after the first session; the behavioral and mental changes have been more gradual over the last six months.
Some changes include: how seamlessly I can accomplish tasks, get out of bed, good posture and PT/yoga, keeping good habits, interviewing for over a dozen jobs, planning and showing up (I struggle with keeping plans or having energy) for friend adventures, reconnecting with positive people, less social anxiety, excitement to try new things, ability to maintain eye contact, genuinely interacting with strangers, to feel and be with an entire range of emotions (notably rage) without regression, to clearly express my emotions/needs, to express and uphold boundaries, and (the biggest one) disowning my life-long abuser and navigating the backlash/disregard of my complex traumatic experience.
I can feel my heart energy and want to love/help everyone feel better. I’m more connected to the left side of my body/right brain, than I can ever remember. I experience patience, grace, and respect for myself, my experience, emotions, struggles, etc instead of numbing out with marijuana and alcohol to push away the feelings that have been fighting to be expressed and felt.
I feel blessed to be part of something bigger than myself, transitioning from surviving to thriving. I can finally feel for/connect with my inner child, being on her own from a very early age (possibly birth), and believe that I had no control over the things that were done to me. My bad habits aren’t a reflection of my soul, it’s what I did/do to survive.
