How Ketamine Helped One Patient Reclaim Their Life From PTSD

"Before ketamine um with the PTSD and whatever else you want to call it, you know, I couldn't go to a mall for longer than a little bit, you know, people around me just really just made me think there was always someone going to jump out or something going to jump out at all times. The thing is is the first ketamine treatment that I took that next day, I didn't even realize it. We went to the mall and I was able to sit there and chill which was the biggest thing in the mind opener that just one already started the process and started the healing which I would have never even you know from somebody that never did I've never done any drugs ever and then doing this it was just like wow like this is amazing you know unbelievable" Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects far more than memories, it changes the way people move through the world. For many, simple everyday experiences can trigger overwhelming fear, hypervigilance, or a sense of danger that never turns off. Crowded spaces like malls, grocery stores, or busy streets can feel impossible to navigate.

One patient at The Drake Center recently shared a powerful story about this struggle and how ketamine-assisted therapy helped spark a dramatic shift.

“I couldn’t be in a mall for longer than a few minutes.”

Before beginning treatment, this patient described living in a constant state of alertness:

“People around me really just made me think someone was going to jump out at all times.”

This level of hypervigilance is common with PTSD. Even when danger isn’t present, the nervous system remains on guard, scanning for threats, unable to relax. Everyday environments feel unpredictable and unsafe.

A Breakthrough After the First Ketamine Session. What happened next surprised them not because they forced it, but because it happened naturally, almost without realizing it.

“The first ketamine treatment I took… the next day we went to the mall and I was able to sit there and chill.” That moment — sitting in a place and feeling calm — was a turning point.

PTSD often convinces people that change is impossible. That their nervous system will always react the same way. That trauma will always dictate the rules. But this small experience carried a huge message: Healing is possible. Change is possible. Your brain can learn a new way to exist in the world.

It's moments like this are why The Drake Center exists. PTSD can be deeply isolating, and breakthroughs often come in small but life-changing steps. These are the moments that signal true healing, the kind that transforms everyday life. If You’re Living With PTSD, You’re Not Alone

PTSD doesn’t just affect the mind; it affects the body, relationships, routines, and sense of safety. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy offers a promising path forward for many individuals who feel stuck or disconnected from themselves.

At The Drake Center, our mission is to help patients experience real healing — the kind that gives life back, one breakthrough at a time.

If you’d like to learn more about whether ketamine therapy may be right for you, we’re here to support you.