Olive’s painting of heaven was for her mother. It was to console her, that Olive was in a "better place", after her planned suicide.It's Hard To See Heaven When You Are Hopeless
It’s hard to picture heaven if you feel that every day is hell. And unless you have suffered from depression, it's very hard to appreciate the depth of pain and despair that it can cause.
Graciously, a young patient of ours has allowed us to publish some of her journey through this dark space to encourage others to have hope and continue to seek effective solutions.
Olive's View of Heaven -
Autumn Lake
Olive's letter of hope...
Olive is not alone...
Olive is in many ways very typical of the patients that we see. She is a young woman who began to suffer from depression and anxiety at an early age. At 15, she felt depressed and lost interest in things she liked to do and people she knew. She often felt hopeless and spent much of her time alone, crying and sad.
Olive tried all of the conventional approach’s recommended by several physicians and psychiatrists over the years including psychotherapy, CBT, counseling, meditation, mindfulness and yoga. She tried multiple medications – Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor and many others with little improvement.
As time progressed, things became worse and not long ago, she felt as though her life was not worth living and considered suicide as an alternative.
But here is her story as she writes it:
"For 12 years, I had suffered from serious mental illness: starting with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and PTSD at age 11; and Bipolar Disorder type 2 at 15.
For 12 years I fought tooth and nail against these invisible diseases that felt like cancer of the soul and hell for my spirit. Over time, my illnesses got much worse. These illnesses were draining me, and no other treatment was working for me. However, that was until a new doctor suggested Ketamine infusion. In mid-October, I received 3 infusions over 3 days at the Dr. Grass' clinic in Sarasota.
I can’t put into words how extraordinary and life-changing this treatment has been for me! Depression, anxiety and irritability were so normal for me. My depression is now joy, my anxiety is now tranquility, and my irritability is now patience. Now, my brain is calm, and my heart is filled with happiness and love.
I haven’t experienced any symptoms of my illnesses and I never thought I would see that day. I feel so much passion and joy for life again, which I haven’t seen in over a decade. My journey has given me so much understanding and compassion for others; you never know what silent struggle someone is living with.
I can see a great difference in my thoughts, mindset and actions; I remember how my actions used to come from a place of pain, anger and frustration. I have been given a second chance at life and I’m beyond grateful. I want to be a source of light, warmth and love in the lives that I touch. If my symptoms return, I know that Ketamine has my back and that means that there is no room for fear.
I would 1000% recommend anyone suffering like I used to trust Dr. Grass with their pain. He is so kind and there with you through the whole process. He gave me my life back!"
It's Time For Change...
All too often we have heard from our patients that they have been told by other well-meaning physicians that "we've tried everything, there is nothing more we can do" or "you'll just have to learn to live with it". To us, that is just not acceptable and we want to change that.
Our Commitment to You
"We are committed to what we do. We will use all of our knowledge, experience, training and expertise to help you. And while we cannot promise success in every case, we can promise and guarantee, that we will make every effort and take every step necessary to ensure that you have the best possible chances of recovery with RESTORE Infusion Therapy."