**Our stories matter, and it matters that we tell them.**

Friends of Lake View Psychotherapy

Shares From Our Patients

“After six sessions of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, the best way I can describe it is that it feels like “waking up”. I’d been depressed for so long, I didn’t realize just how bad it had gotten. KAP has taken me out of the fog enough to work on myself in other ways, which has compounded the benefits of the experience. Today, I’m able to look around me and see situations for what they truly are. I feel relaxed and enjoy my family, and when I feel sad, it is relevant to the situation and lifts as it naturally should. I cannot overstate how beneficial KAP has been, and look forward to continuing down this avenue of recovery at Lake View.” — Katie K.

I was mentally and physically exhausted from trying to live my life. Early on Sherry diagnosed my ADD, Anxiety and Codependency, which gave me the clarity I needed to begin a journey of recovery. I began to examine my whole life. Through individual therapy sessions and many hours of group therapy work I began to overcome the pain and dysfunction that came from having lived through overwhelmingly threatening experiences. The shame, guilt, and feelings of abandonment no longer had to hold a place in my life anymore. Sherry helped me believe in my ability to make good, authentic choices and helped me to eliminate many fears, doubts, and self-sabotaging that had controlled me for 50 years. She held me accountable, gave me the tools to take charge of myself, and the permission to love myself for the first time ever. I learned that I no longer had to be responsible for how others behaved, reacted, and felt. Because of Sherry I was able to truly open my heart, and allow a man to love me, care for me and share in a mutually loving relationship. What felt like the end, was actually the beginning of a fabulous new life for me. – Kelly V.

Since starting my treatment with Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, my life has completely changed. I have been in therapy for 22 years and struggled with medications. I come from a dysfunctional family riddled with alcohol and drug abuse. I’ve made more progress in the last 5 months with KAP than I did in the previous 22 years of therapy. I’ve been able to access things I’ve struggled with my entire life that I didn’t even know existed. KAP has transformed the way I see myself and helped me rewrite the narratives I’ve told myself my whole life. KAP has opened a new dimension in my spiritual life. My relationships are flourishing and I’m able to give as well as receive love that I never thought was possible for me. I can’t thank Sherry and Dr. Allen enough for their hard work and creating a safe place to share the most intimate details of my life .—Rob B.

“MY LIFE HAD CRASHED...and I had a lot of damage. My reputation was destroyed. My business was suffering. My relationships with my wife and kids hit rock bottom. I was in jail for Gods Sake! Intensive Outpatient Treatment at Lake View was the place I found to finally stop the madness and get my life and self-respect back. I had relapsed twice using 12 step programs. I needed feedback from professionals. I’m coming up on 5 years of recovery and couldn’t do it any other way. I literally owe my life to Lake View.” — Bobb D.

“I feel comfortable at Lake View. I am a work in progress but I am making a lot of progress! This is the longest I have ever been sober. I feel safe and encouraged in the groups— the Recovery Groups really make a difference. The other people in recovery here wanna do better and it’s real. It makes me wanna do better too. There’s no judgment and everyone is helped to stand in their truth. It feels like a fellowship of sobriety, where I always see a familiar face there who can give me a hug, support, and feedback.” — Nicky P.

photo of a silhouette of man standing, arms outstretched, in a field, open to a brilliant night sky.

“When I began working with Mrs. Sigafoos I was consumed by depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. I was crippled by my mental illness, and I had no hope of recovery. I had sought treatment for years prior to being introduced to Lake View and I had found no relief. I had lost all confidence in the mental healthcare system. From the very beginning, Ms. Sigafoos was extremely dedicated to helping me recover, and building a healthy, working relationship with me. She made sure I did not ever feel alone. I have undergone EMDR treatment for the last year and it has drastically changed my life. I have been able to heal from years of trauma. I am no longer incapacitated by depression and anxiety. I have found joy, and a life worth living. With the help of Ms. Sigafoos and EMDR I have been able to participate in my life again, to own my power, and to stand in my truth. I am now able to be a participating member of my family, a friend others can depend on, and have a loving and caring relationship with my life partner.” — Courtney R.

“I was early in recovery when it was suggested that I try Ear Acupuncture to help me with constant restlessness and difficulty sleeping. At first, I was a nonbeliever in acupuncture, but I tried it because I didn’t want to take a prescription medication if I didn’t have to. Sherry and Dr. Allen placed acupuncture needles in both of my ears and I relaxed while listening to a guided meditation. I was pleasantly surprised by how I was able to really relax! Over several acupuncture treatments, my overall anxiety was much much lower and I wasn’t restless any more. I am so grateful that I found a non-medication solution that brought me much needed relief. I’m a believer now.” — Mike L.

Minutes after taking the lozenge in my first Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy treatment, I began to notice that the pain in my hip and my headache started to disappear, followed soon by the sensation of falling down a hole. Not falling in a frightening way, but falling as if on a roller coaster, and instead of clutching the harness I raised my hands, let go and went with it. Think Neo in the matrix after taking the red pill. The music intertwined and weaved itself with my vision and I start to feel a sense of detachment from my physical existence. I felt every note, every instrument and every change of tempo.

I started to refer to my physical self as “it” rather than “I.” I thought, “It is in pain…It has a headache.” I began to scan “my” body to search for the pain and I could not find it. It seemed insignificant. As a matter of fact, all worry about the future or brooding over the past also left me. Familiar themes in my life were no longer there, no matter how hard I looked for them. I wasn’t worried about work, about my life, about my future or my past. I was in the moment, envisioning beautiful works of art folding upon one another in an explosion of colors and shapes. I was filled with the notion that my physical body was simply a vessel for something else. Maybe a vessel for some sort of grand consciousness and spirit that bound all humans together. I was not scared. I was in awe. I discovered I had the ability to turn down sounds that I could hear in the physical room. I had the ability to choose what I wanted to distract me and get my attention. I would find out later that this was something I could do in my day to day life. Not everything needed my attention. Not everything was important enough for me to worry about. This journey opened me up to that notion.

Over the next few sessions it would be more of the same. Some journeys would be more significant than others, but my anxiety and depression began to lessen. The psychotherapy after each session allowed me to frame my journey and unpack what it might mean to my daily life. I can only describe the experience as profound. People around me noticed not only a sense of peace, ease and comfort in my words and actions, but also in my face.

I initially had the intention of searching for the causes for my addiction, depression and anxiety. I thought K.A.P. would help me dig into the reasons why I felt certain ways or committed certain actions. Instead of finding the causes, it allowed me to see that I can overcome them (regardless of the cause), and in some ways, they are insignificant. In the days and weeks after my initial session I have ceased feeling the need to fight with others. I do not want or need to argue. I do not want or need to feel self-pity. I do not want or need to worry. It has been a life changing experience that I hope others can experience for themselves. — Larry W.