This is a poem I wrote about ketamine therapy and what the experience is like. The therapy has worked wonders for my depression and anxiety and is even inspiring some prose throughout my journey.

Ode to a Vision Quest with Ketamine Therapy

In times long past, in nature’s arms,

“Primitive” people knew magic charms.

Lost now today, to concrete sprawl,

 A way to heal, not known to all.

 How to find such wild medicine in the urban landscape,

Where knowledge of healing journeys has lost out to escape.

Mysteries of inner knowledge, trade places with distraction.

Escape from the world of life, through mental subtraction.

But hard to find as they can be, the city hides serenity.

In calm safe spaces, with friendly faces.

Tucked away, hidden in plain sight,

A small shaman’s hut, in broad daylight.

Into the depths to a waiting room,

With care to those who fight the gloom.

A friend in scrubs, to guide your quest,

In this place of comfort, safety, and rest.

There always is a trusty guide, to a psychedelic slip and slide.

The witch doctors know their craft so well, to mend the broken mortal shell.

Then back to earth one comes tumbling back,

A sideways journey slides still on the track,

The doors open up, and back to the world,

With a snack, and a pat on the back.

The healers see you off, less broken, more intact.

Michael S. is a patient at KWC Colorado