The Revolutionary Ketamine - Chapter 2 excerpt

Olive's Story

The following is a story from Dr. Gerald Grass’ clinic about suicide and how ketamine can stop suicidal ideation. I wrote about this in Chapter 2 of The Revolutionary Ketamine and my SPEAK Event talk.

Case: Olive

“Olive is typical of many patients with severe depression and suicidal ideation history. By age 15, doctors diagnosed Olive with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. She went through all the traditional approaches with psychiatrists and psychologists to treat her psychiatric conditions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, counseling, meditation, mindfulness, and yoga. Taking several medications like Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor, and many others with little effect, she often felt hopeless and spent much of her time alone, crying and sad. For her, depression was cancer for her soul and hell for her spirit. By age 27, she had fought the severity of her illness, but residual depression and irritability lingered.

As time continued, Olive’s outlook darkened until she felt her life was not worth living. She decided that suicide was her only option. Unable to take her own life by conventional means, she planned to travel to the Netherlands for assisted suicide. She painted a picture of “Autumn Lake,” which depicted her thoughts of what heaven would look like. She wanted her mother to envision her in this lake after she was gone.

A doctor suggested Olive try ketamine. However, Olive had already arranged her assisted suicide. On the day she was leaving for the Netherlands, Olive decided to try the ketamine treatments. Under the direction of Dr. Gerald Grass, she underwent multiple ketamine infusions and was no longer suicidal. After three ketamine infusions over three days, Olive’s suicidal ideation and her depression and anxiety were gone.

After the ketamine treatments, she describes her depression as being replaced with joy and anxiety with tranquility. She describes her brain as calm and her heart filled with happiness and love. Olive’s renewed passion for life has given her a second chance. She describes moving forward with confidence, knowing that if her symptoms return, she can return to the ketamine treatments. In short, Olive got her life back thanks to ketamine.”

Olive’s painting of heaven was for her mother. It was to console her, that Olive was in a "better place", after her planned suicide...

Here’s Olives story as she writes it:

"For 12 years, I had suffered from serious mental illness: starting with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and PTSD at age 11; and Bipolar Disorder type 2 at 15.

For 12 years I fought tooth and nail against these invisible diseases that felt like cancer of the soul and hell for my spirit. Over time, my illnesses got much worse. These illnesses were draining me, and no other treatment was working for me. However, that was until a new doctor suggested Ketamine infusion. In mid-October, I received 3 infusions over 3 days at the Dr. Grass' clinic in Sarasota.

I can’t put into words how extraordinary and life-changing this treatment has been for me! Depression, anxiety and irritability were so normal for me. My depression is now joy, my anxiety is now tranquility, and my irritability is now patience. Now, my brain is calm, and my heart is filled with happiness and love.

I haven’t experienced any symptoms of my illnesses and I never thought I would see that day. I feel so much passion and joy for life again, which I haven’t seen in over a decade. My journey has given me so much understanding and compassion for others; you never know what silent struggle someone is living with.

I can see a great difference in my thoughts, mindset and actions; I remember how my actions used to come from a place of pain, anger and frustration. I have been given a second chance at life and I’m beyond grateful. I want to be a source of light, warmth and love in the lives that I touch. If my symptoms return, I know that Ketamine has my back and that means that there is no room for fear.

I would 1000% recommend anyone suffering like I used to trust Dr. Grass with their pain. He is so kind and there with you through the whole process. He gave me my life back!"

Please consider buying The Revolutionary Ketamine from my website or where ever books are sold.