Real journeys of healing, reconnection, and change. Each story below highlights a different path toward healing — told with care, anonymity, and the hope that it inspires others to believe that change is possible.

All identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of those featured in these case studies.

A. | From Burnout to Balance Through Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Background: A. was a high-performing professional in her late 30s working in finance. She came to us after years of chronic stress, insomnia, and emotional numbness. Despite career success, she described feeling “hollowed out,” moving through life in a state of exhaustion and detachment. Traditional therapy had helped her understand some of her patterns, but it hadn’t shifted the underlying emotional flatness or fatigue. She described feeling “on autopilot” and was no longer sure what she wanted from life.

Therapeutic Intervention: We began with a course of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Sessions were paired with weekly integration work focused on emotional re-engagement, stress recovery, and values clarification. In one early session, A. recalled a memory of drawing as a child and feeling completely absorbed in the process. This image sparked a series of insights around play, creativity, and the loss of personal joy.

Outcomes: A. began painting again, at first tentatively, then with growing confidence. She shifted her work schedule to allow for more space and reconnected with close friends she had drifted from. Her sleep and energy levels improved, and she described feeling “plugged back in” to life. Burnout had once felt like a permanent condition. But through the work, A. began to see it as a signal, not a sentence. Her transformation was not about becoming someone new, but returning to parts of herself she had forgotten.

B. | Building Trust in the Body After Trauma

Background: B. was a college student navigating the aftermath of a sexual assault. Although they had access to support, they often felt disconnected from their body and overwhelmed by waves of anxiety. Sleep was fragmented, social situations felt unsafe, and touch—even friendly—was difficult to tolerate. Previous therapy had helped them survive. They came to psychedelic-assisted therapy hoping to begin living again.

Therapeutic Intervention: B. completed three psilocybin sessions with careful preparation and integration. Somatic grounding was a central theme. In one session, B. experienced a profound image of their body as a tree—scarred, but still rooted. This became a central metaphor in their healing. With the support of their therapist, they began incorporating slow movement practices and restorative yoga. Sessions often included guided touch consent exercises and visual art as a means of reclaiming their physical and creative voice.

Outcomes: B. began sleeping through the night. Their flashbacks lessened, and they reported a greater ability to set boundaries with others while staying connected. Over time, B. was able to experience safe, consensual physical closeness again, first with friends and eventually in dating relationships. The work did not erase the trauma. But it reestablished the possibility of safety, agency, and self-trust in the body.

C. | A Veteran Finds Peace: Healing Moral Injury with MDMA

Background: C. was a combat veteran in his early 40s. He came to treatment with symptoms of PTSD, including hypervigilance, nightmares, and persistent guilt. More than fear, what haunted him most was moral injury—the sense that he had violated his own values during deployment. He had tried multiple therapies and medications. None had reached the deeper wound.

Therapeutic Intervention: Through MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, C. was able to revisit key memories from his time overseas with compassion rather than shame. In one powerful session, he saw himself not only as a soldier, but as a younger man trying to protect others. He spoke aloud the words he wished someone had said to him when he came home: “You did your best. You were human. You are still good.” Integration focused on building a new relationship with service—one rooted in mentorship, community, and forgiveness.

Outcomes: C. began volunteering with younger veterans, using his story not to relive the past but to help others find a way through. His nightmares became less frequent, and he no longer avoided the memories. He described himself as “still healing, but finally home.” The work helped him reconnect with a sense of dignity, purpose, and self-worth.

D. | Rediscovering Joy After Grief and Loss

Background: D. was a woman in her 60s who came to us after the sudden death of her adult daughter. Her grief was profound. She spoke of a world that had gone gray. Friends meant well, but she found it hard to connect. She no longer found meaning in the spiritual practices that once guided her. She did not want to “move on.” She wanted to feel her daughter’s presence and find a way to live with the loss.

Therapeutic Intervention: D. engaged in a single psilocybin journey supported by extensive preparation. During the session, she experienced a vivid encounter with her daughter—not as a ghost, but as a symbol of love and continuity. The experience was not about closure, but connection. In integration sessions, D. explored how to carry this connection forward through ritual, memory, and creativity. She began writing again, including a series of letters to her daughter that brought her comfort and clarity.

Outcomes: The pain of loss did not disappear. But D. no longer felt frozen inside it. She described her grief as “softer,” and spoke of moments of joy that felt earned rather than forced. She began hosting small gatherings to help other bereaved parents find language for their experience. In her words: “I will never be the same. But I am still alive. And I can still love.”