What Psychedelic Medicine Gave Me

From dysfunction and grief to fatherhood and purpose, how I found peace through psychedelic care.

‍

There’s no blueprint for how someone finds themselves doing the kind of work we do at Mystic Health. It’s not linear. I certainly didn’t see myself ending up here. But here I am and I think it’s important to share how I arrived here.

‍

Like many, I grew up in a household where mental illness wasn’t something you read about but truly something you saw on a daily basis. Addiction, depression, PTSD from sexual abuse, alcoholism, they were just part of my ecosystem upclose. For years I felt trapped in cycles I didn’t have language for, patterns I didn’t completely understand. I thought functioning meant I was fine.

‍

My shift began in late 2018. That’s when I first started really turning inward. I had known for a long time that I was living with addiction, that my relationships weren’t healthy, and that my mind was often a hostile place. I was a high-functioning addict on the surface, things looked ok. Again, underneath, not so much.

‍

My first ketamine session was in post-operative room in a pain management clinic in Florida. Not exactly where you expect to begin a spiritual reset. But that’s what it was. I’d read the research. I was aware of what psychedelic medicine *could* do. But it wasn’t until I experienced it in a clinical setting that I understood its actual potential. That session gave me something I hadn’t had in years…. space. Space to breathe, to reflect, to grieve. It gave me an opening that resulted in gratitude, valuing life and a shift in perspective that I desperately needed.

‍

Since then, I’ve done a fair share of sessions. Each one was different. Some brought clarity. Some didn’t. But the biggest shift was having the courage to act on what I knew needed to change. I ended a relationship that wasn’t serving either of us. I learned to spot the people and environments that were pulling me under. And I finally started therapy in a way that wasn’t just about surviving, but about actually healing the root cause of my addiction, depression and addressing my trauma.

‍

I want to be clear… this isn’t a miracle story. It’s not all light and breakthrough moments. Psychedelic therapy is powerful, but it’s also hard. It brings things to the surface you might not be ready to face. It can leave you raw, tired, overwhelmed. That part often doesn’t get talked about enough. One or two treatments can be profound but for many of us, they’re just the beginning. The work that follows is where the real transformation happens.
‍

I had one of the biggest breakthroughs of my life during a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session with Dr. Carolina Pataky. What surfaced in that session was something I had buried deep, a realization of how profoundly painful it was to be without my family during a traumatic event over a decade ago. I lost the safety of home, the stability of love and the feeling of being held. That fracture of family, of self was a wound I carried silently for years.I now understand that seeking relief from that pain is what fuelled my addiction. I wasn’t just numbing, I was searching for safety, for connection/community, for something to hold on to. And it wasn’t until I had the tools, the support, and the courage to process that trauma that I was able to feel free. That session didn’t just give me insight, it gave me space to grieve, to feel, to finally let go.

‍

Today, I’m in a healthy place. I get to show up as a husband, as a father, as a leader in my work and that still humbles me every day. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for this medicine, for the clinicians I’ve worked with, and for the opportunities I’ve had along the way. I’m no longer in therapy. I no longer struggle with addiction. I just feel… at peace. I know that if I ever need this work again, it’s there but for now, I’m taking a pause. Healing is a demanding process, and it requires space. So I’m giving myself that space, and choosing to simply enjoy this chapter of my life with my family, my colleagues, and my health. That, in itself, feels like a gift.That’s why I believe in this work. That’s why I am on this journey with Houman. That’s why Mystic Health exists. Because there needs to be a place where healing is taken seriously, where people can explore this terrain with support, structure, and care.I’m here today because this work gave me my life back. And now I get to be part of offering that same possibility to others.If you’re reading this and considering this path, I hope something in here resonates.
This isn’t about selling a treatment. It’s about sharing what’s possible when you decide to finally show up for yourself.Kabir