THE DRAKE CENTER
For Transformative Healing

Depression and anxiety are nothing new to me. In early 2022, I became sick with what I though was a common flu-like illness. Months after the main symptoms were gone, I was in a very tired and lethargic state. My memory began to noticeably decline, and it felt like I had a sustained “brain fog” that I could not seem to break free of. I also found myself in a terrible state of depression that was unlike any other I had ever experienced in the past. Based on my doctor’s recommendation, I chose to focus on ketamine as a possible long-term solution to my depression. However, in my research to find a reputable ketamine clinic, I noticed that most clinics treat the patient’s mental health like it can be “quick fixed” - using just ketamine alone. Some clinics even presented a novelty-like atmosphere with a spa-like setup, or in some cases, leather recliners in a sports-bar setting (similar to what you’d see in a “man cave” or in someone’s private theatre). My gut told me that a gimmicky, public, “one size fits all” approach would not work for me, so I kept searching. A handful of clinics I came across presented a more serious, private and refined approach. These clinics offered ketamine medicinal therapy coupled with talk therapy. One such clinic is The Drake Center for Transformative Healing, and when I reached out to Dr. Drake and his wife Jacqueline for the first time, I began to understand why ketamine treatments should always include a talk therapy element. For starters, a comprehensive intake session involving talk therapy may reveal that ketamine may not be needed at all. Also, variables such as treatment frequency and potency need to be strongly considered. This can only be done through a strong patient-doctor relationship. Every person is different and a good therapist needs to learn as much about each individual patient as possible to craft a customized treatment plan.  Dr. Drake and Jacqueline certainly do this – it is a priority of theirs! Second, ketamine treatments will put you in a pleasant, yet slightly altered state of mind, which must be supervised by your doctor/therapist. The treatments “peel away” layers of mental rigidity and buried emotions that you may never have processed. This effect of ketamine is called "emotional unpacking", and it requires a trained professional to help you sort through your emotions and rebuild your now well-functioning mind and upgraded emotional processes. Each time I received a ketamine treatment, Dr. Drake and Jacqueline were literally at my side. This level of care is unparalleled in modern medicine. Third, by coupling a well though-out ketamine treatment plan with strategic (and caring) talk therapy sessions, your personal results can be measured from treatment number one, through your final treatment. Without a highly specialized doctor and therapist monitoring and measuring your progress along the way, important adjustments to your treatment plan would be impossible to determine. In my case, I needed slightly more treatments than an average patient, and Dr. Drake was able to realize this by continually measuring my progress. Lastly, extremely valuable coping mechanisms are taught through the Drakes' comprehensive therapy sessions. These coping mechanisms stay with you for life, and to me they’re just as valuable as the medicinal ketamine treatments were. What good would ketamine be if I reverted back to the state of mind that brought me to my knees in the first place? I now have coping skills that I can rely on if I were to ever go back into a major depressive episode or have a panic attack. This experience has been a miracle to me (and my family). The Drake Center for Transformative Healing was able to renew my mind and destroy the crippling depression I was suffering from. I simply would not be back to enjoying my life without them. The Drake Center for Transformative Healing is what the future of treating mental health related issues should look like.