After years of feeling stuck, I finally feel like I have all of the pieces I need to improve my mental health. I’m back into fitness and more open to exploring new things. I’ve learned a lot about intention setting and integration, and I’ve gotten back into reading for the first time in years.

Now, I honestly feel like a different person. I also have ADHD, so following through on things can sometimes be difficult. But now, I’m much more mindful of just getting things done. I feel more creative and I have motivation.

The best way I can describe the ketamine itself, at least for me, is as though I was picked up out of a traumatic experience. Before, I was clouded with so many emotions that I didn’t understand, but I was being told to manage them. After years of being invalidated it was a lot to make sense of. But through the ketamine-therapy it was as though I was lifted through all of that and finally had an objective view for the first time in years.

My mind was opened to the full experience of being human. I had been blocking myself off from some things because I was afraid of the emotions that were associated with them. Ketamine allowed me to explore those dead zones when I did the treatments in October 2021, and I’ve gotten even better since then. These treatments honestly set me up for success over time.

I feel as though I have the energy and permission to start again. When I look back at the friend I've lost, I can celebrate his life through my own. After five years together, my relationship with my partner has entered a reintroduction period, where we're getting to know each other again. Even my relationship with my service dog, Trevor, has changed because my symptomology is different.

By the time I completed my sessions, I felt equipped with two other big life lessons: lighten up and don’t take things too seriously. I don’t always have to look for order and think about the next steps in life. Sometimes, it is okay to live in the present moment.

After his sessions, Kris felt his “worry wheel” stop for the first time in a long time, and it felt amazing. Suddenly he felt a solid connection to nature, and he began drawing for the first time in his life. The ketamine-assisted therapy unlocked something for him, and now, when he puts his feet on the ground, he no longer feels a separation.

I can still recall one big "aha" moment from one. There was a tapestry in front of me comprised of stiff silver threads. But there was one gold thread within. I remember reaching in and pulling that gold thread and saying, "This is what I want." That made a lot of sense to me in my soul, and it sums up why I want to do this work: I want that gold thread.

During my sessions, I was able to come to some pretty big realizations about my life…I was finally able to tap into my own mental health and well-being. Yes, there were tears and big emotions, but I was finally facing my true self for the first time…Following my therapy, I could finally tell the difference between how I felt and how I should feel.

As I continued the sessions, they led to some life-changing realizations about myself, my thought patterns, and my coping mechanisms. It was also there that I learned I had been masking my own symptoms and that I had a compulsive need to make sure everyone around me was okay. The therapy allowed me to understand and manage my anxieties for the first time in years.

I have sought various treatments in the past for my PTSD, but none of them have helped me nearly as much as Ketamine Assisted Therapy. After six sessions my general anxiety and depression have subsided, and I’m much happier… These days I’m feeling positive and optimistic.

Field Trip Health stuck out to me for several reasons. The [clinic] didn’t feel clinical, and it had a retreat-like vibe to it that really resonated with me… The fact that the staff was so warm and professional definitely helped. They explained everything step-by-step, with full disclosure from the beginning. The process itself was inviting as well, thanks to items like weighted blankets, headphones, eyeshades, and a “state of the art” reclining chair.

"I felt like I was exploring my mind in a profound way. I experienced beauty, love and meaning. Ketamine offered me a key and a light to my mind and the world. Now, whenever I feel lost, I recall the feelings I had during my guided session and everything feels less stressful. Field Trip offered me a safe and cured space to have the best experience possible. I felt calm, relaxed and blissful. For me the whole experience was like a golden nirvana."

The effects from my journey lasted a long, long time and now I’m thinking about booking another session to continue my healing process. Knowing what I know now, I honestly believe that ketamine-assisted therapy can benefit a lot of people—not just veterans.

The experience I had at the clinic was profound. The treatment is medically supervised. You go into a room, relax in a recliner, and you are led through a guided meditation while you wait for the ketamine to take effect. The whole process is designed to put you in a good headspace before your exploration. Even though I was apprehensive and nervous going into the treatments, I felt incredibly relaxed, calm, and at peace when I came out of the treatments an hour or so later.

It was like I was born with a new brain after going through those sessions. I never thought I would feel this way in my lifetime, and that I would be able to so effortlessly think and feel the way I finally do about myself. Through the therapy I realized that I’ve always put everyone else ahead, caring first for those around me. But I had always been unable to care for myself in the same way. Until now.

Not all of my “trips” were that impactful. I did have one session where I went in and nothing happened at all—I woke up within a few minutes. But overall, the course of treatment was a great experience that taught me to go in with a question and come out with an answer. Now that I feel more confident about what to expect, I’m gearing up to do another session.

I cannot emphasize how significant it is that after nearly 20 years I am off the SSRIs. Yes, I still deal with my symptoms of depression and anxiety, but the fact that they are no longer overwhelming says a lot. There’s a good chance that at some point I may return to Field Trip for maintenance treatment, but for now, I finally feel unblocked. Unblocked in my art, unblocked in my creativity, and unblocked with my mental health.

I think the biggest breakthrough and most impactful thing is the integration 24 hours later with your psychotherapist while you’re still in the residual effect of the ketamine, which actually gets you to look at your trauma while you’re disassociated from it…I still go through good days and bad days, but now I just have more tools in my toolbox to be able to cope.