A Registered Nurse’s Path to Healing with Ketamine Therapy

We had a chance to speak with Mindbloom client Stephen, a husband and registered nurse to talk about his healing journey with Mindbloom. 

From making peace with his past, to tapering off of existing medications, to rediscovering his core confidence and spark for life, Stephen’s story is a tangible reminder of the power of ketamine therapy.

Some responses have been edited for clarity and flow.

Can you share what your life was like before starting with Mindbloom?

Looking back, I often refer to the ‘old Stephen’ and the ‘new Stephen’. I thought about changing my name, the transformation has been that drastic. 

I was staying afloat on a daily basis—trying to get by—but I was miserable underneath. It was like putting a coat of paint on a wall that's falling down, you can only keep it up for so long. 

I was stuck in a cycle. Take a pill. The pill doesn't work. Move on to a different pill. A supplement, a workshop, self-help, even therapy — nothing was truly working. I got to the point where if I hadn't done Mindbloom, I probably wouldn't be here. 

What was it like after your first session?

Honestly, there are no other words to describe it better — it was helpful, it was powerful, and it made me feel better. 

After my first session, I went to one of the integration circles and started going to the Facebook community. I realized there are so many more people that are just like me. Their stories are different, but it's almost the same experience underneath.

What was it like making the decision to start your Mindbloom program?

My background is as a registered nurse. I know what ketamine does. I've given it to patients in the ER. I know what it's traditionally used for and I've seen the effects.

Early on I didn’t think I was ready for it. When I got to my breaking point, I started reading more about it. I made the decision to go with Mindbloom because of what you get for the price. I went back and forth a lot. Eventually, I was running out of time and patience and I went for it. I was anxious from the very first clinician appointment.

One of the nicest things about Mindbloom is that it's a session-by-session treatment, instead of taking something every day. I didn’t want to take another pill. I used the “trust, let go, and be open” mantra a lot. I let myself go and went with it, and I came out of it a brand new person. 

I know that's not typical for a lot of people and I always tell people the results that you see here are not going to be the same for everyone. Even if you have one session and you only feel one small change, that's still 100 times better than your baseline. 

What were the rest of the sessions like for you?

The rest of the sessions went really well. Even the challenging sessions were good because the next day I thought to myself, “Wow, that was really what I needed.”

I've tried to do everything that Mindbloom puts out. That's why some people don't see the results that they want – they don't put in the work. You can't expect that the ketamine is going to do everything. It's a tool to help get you where you want to be. 

I have a better relationship with the world. I'm more open, I'm more free. It's nice because I feel like I finally deserve this for myself.

I tell people that it's like ten years of therapy in 60 minutes because it's everything that I've learned in therapy, but I was able to actually use it.

You’ve also chosen to continue with your treatment and begin a new program. Can you describe the decision to keep going?

I realized that if I never did Ketamine again, I think I would be perfectly fine. When I got closer to the end of my program, my husband and I talked about it and I said I want to continue because there are still things I want to work on.

At the end of the day, all the money that I spent on self-help books, workshops, pills, herbal supplements, and every other treatment therapy didn’t come close to the results I got here. In the grand scheme of things, this is way more cost-effective than taking another prescription.

And going into a clinic is a sterile environment. That was the beauty of Mindbloom – I'm doing this at home. I make it a ritual. My husband is my treatment monitor and checks on me every 15 minutes and then I get up and I'm home. I don't have to get into a car and I don't have to have someone drive me, it's completely different. 

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If you are considering ketamine therapy or Mindbloom’s programming, you can take our client eligibility survey to see if you are a candidate.