What Healing Can Look Like

Remembering, Reclaiming, Rising

Each story is a testament to what becomes possible when people return to themselves, reclaim their voice, and rise into new ways of being.

How Psychedelic Therapy Helped One Patient Reconnect With Life

Many people who reach out to us at AK Psychology Group have already tried everything. Therapy. Medications. Hospitalizations. Even electroconvulsive therapy. What they often have not felt in a long time is hope.

B. came to us in that place. Their struggles began around age 14, starting with anxiety and quickly spiraling into depression. By 15, they were in therapy and taking psychiatric medication. Over the next decade, B. attempted suicide multiple times. First on their 16th birthday, again at 19 while at college, and most severely at 23, during the isolation of COVID, when they combined psychiatric medications with hundreds of Benadryl pills. They were found unconscious, placed on a ventilator, and later hospitalized for nearly a month. Even with DBT programs and an extensive medication regimen, hope remained out of reach.

Eventually, B. underwent electroconvulsive therapy. The suicidal thoughts stopped, emotional regulation improved, and for a while they experienced temporary stability. But side effects followed, including memory loss, fatigue, and chronic migraines. Within 18 months, the benefits had faded and depression returned.

Still, B. was trying. They were on gabapentin, Wellbutrin, Lamictal, Zoloft, and Abilify. A second round of ECT had already been scheduled. Instead, they decided to try something different.

Creating Safety for the Work

At AK Psychology Group, we begin by listening. We meet each patient where they are and recognize that safety looks different for everyone. Some people may want a loved one nearby during early sessions. Others may feel more supported by working with a guide or sitter whose orientation, style, or gender feels aligned with their needs. We are flexible and collaborative in shaping the experience so that each person feels safe enough to fully engage in the work.

For B., that meant having their parent present in the room during the first few sessions. This arrangement helped reduce anxiety and allowed them to begin. By the third session, B. felt ready to continue on their own. What unfolded next had not been accessible through years of previous treatment.

A Turning Point in the Work

In their third session, B. returned to a traumatic memory that had long remained out of reach. The experience was painful, but for the first time, they were able to stay with it. Rather than shutting down or disconnecting, they remained present and engaged. They connected with a part of themselves that could offer care, protection, and compassion to the younger self who had once felt so alone.

“I never thought I could resolve something like that. It shaped so much, my relationships, my comfort with intimacy, how I felt in my own body.”

That session marked a turning point. What changed was not just biochemical. It was emotional. B. began to feel more connected, more embodied, and more able to imagine a life that was about more than just surviving.

What Happens in the Brain

Psychedelic therapy supports change through both emotional and biological processes.

Research from Dr. Gül Dölen and Dr. David Olson shows that psychedelics can reopen critical periods in the brain. These are windows of heightened plasticity typically found in early development. Dr. Olson’s team refers to psychedelics as psychoplastogens, meaning they stimulate structural and functional growth. They liken it to applying fertilizer to the brain. What grows depends on the environment and integration afterward.

In people with depression, the default mode network becomes overactive, reinforcing rumination and hopelessness. Psychedelics reduce this activity, creating space for new emotional and cognitive patterns to emerge.

How Client, Medicine, and Care Work Together

Because B. remained on several medications, including SSRIs, there was some uncertainty about how effective the psychedelic sessions would be. To support the process, we gradually increased the dosage over time, eventually reaching higher ranges. The experiences were intense, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, but proved essential.

“The medicine always knew what I needed. Even when it was physically difficult, it helped so much that I would do it again.”

We later adjusted the protocol by adding anti-nausea medication and using a gentler delivery method. The sessions remained emotionally intense but became more manageable.

“There’s nothing easy about this. But there’s never been something more worth the effort.”

The work began to shift how they related to themselves and the world. After just a few sessions, B. felt more stable, less exhausted, and more emotionally present. For the first time since early adolescence, they went more than eight months without suicidal thoughts.

What Healing Looked Like in Real Life

When B. began treatment, they were living at home, unable to work, and struggling to care for themselves or others. Daily functioning felt impossible.

The Changes

Within a few months, they moved back into their apartment, returned to work, and even stepped into a supervisory role. They regained the ability to manage their life and responsibilities. Most meaningfully, B. began dating again.

“I met someone. I never thought I could have a healthy, normal relationship. But now I am with someone I care deeply about. I am so grateful. I could not have found them without this work.”

Professional and Family Observations

Their longtime therapist and psychiatrist both noted significant changes. B. was more engaged in sessions, more emotionally accessible, and began to reduce the number and dosage of psychiatric medications under medical supervision. Their parents also observed a profound shift in daily functioning, mood, and emotional availability. Everyone in B.’s life described the change as meaningful and unmistakable.

Sustained Progress

Sessions that were once monthly began to space further apart. Their last session before returning for a recent booster was nine months ago. During that time, their mood held steady, they functioned well, and they remained free of suicidal ideation.

Final Reflections

If there is one thing B. wants others to know, it is this:

“I cannot recommend this enough. It was life altering. You have to trust the process and go in with an open mind. It is not like taking a pill. It is deep work. But it is the most important work I have ever done.”

At AK Psychology Group, we began by aligning care with B’s existing providers and family supports. We stayed in close contact throughout, working alongside B, their therapist, psychiatrist, and parents. This shared foundation created a steady and supportive environment that helped make the deeper work possible.

In the end, it was B who did that work. What made it possible was the combination of many elements coming together, including relational support, psychological safety, and neuroscience informed care. Stories like B’s remind us that healing does not happen in isolation. It takes courage, connection, and the right conditions for change to take root.