The Drake Center | Ketamine Therapy Michigan

"My experience with treatment at the Drake Center for Transformative Healing was incredible. It is difficult to put words to the experience. While I definitely had a transformation, it was actually more of a reformation or restoration. I was able to reconnect with my authentic self, from before life got in the way. Dr. Cassius Drake and Jaqueline Drake are truly special people - their care for me was without parallel. I am currently living a life that seemed impossible just a short time ago. It did not change me into something new, as much as it brought me back to who I have always been. I am immensely grateful - I am blessed to now know peace in a way I did not understand before."

"Depression and anxiety are nothing new to me. In early 2022, I became sick with what I though was a common flu-like illness. Months after the main symptoms were gone, I was in a very tired and lethargic state. My memory began to noticeably decline, and it felt like I had a sustained “brain fog” that I could not seem to break free of. I also found myself in a terrible state of depression that was unlike any other I had ever experienced in the past. Based on my doctor’s recommendation, I chose to focus on ketamine as a possible long-term solution to my depression. However, in my research to find a reputable ketamine clinic, I noticed that most clinics treat the patient’s mental health like it can be “quick fixed” - using just ketamine alone. Some clinics even presented a novelty-like atmosphere with a spa-like setup, or in some cases, leather recliners in a sports-bar setting (similar to what you’d see in a “man cave” or in someone’s private theatre). My gut told me that a gimmicky, public, “one size fits all” approach would not work for me, so I kept searching. A handful of clinics I came across presented a more serious, private and refined approach. These clinics offered ketamine medicinal therapy coupled with talk therapy. One such clinic is The Drake Center for Transformative Healing, and when I reached out to Dr. Drake and his wife Jacqueline for the first time, I began to understand why ketamine treatments should always include a talk therapy element. For starters, a comprehensive intake session involving talk therapy may reveal that ketamine may not be needed at all. Also, variables such as treatment frequency and potency need to be strongly considered. This can only be done through a strong patient-doctor relationship. Every person is different and a good therapist needs to learn as much about each individual patient as possible to craft a customized treatment plan. Dr. Drake and Jacqueline certainly do this – it is a priority of theirs! Second, ketamine treatments will put you in a pleasant, yet slightly altered state of mind, which must be supervised by your doctor/therapist. The treatments “peel away” layers of mental rigidity and buried emotions that you may never have processed. This effect of ketamine is called "emotional unpacking", and it requires a trained professional to help you sort through your emotions and rebuild your now well-functioning mind and upgraded emotional processes. Each time I received a ketamine treatment, Dr. Drake and Jacqueline were literally at my side. This level of care is unparalleled in modern medicine. Third, by coupling a well though-out ketamine treatment plan with strategic (and caring) talk therapy sessions, your personal results can be measured from treatment number one, through your final treatment. Without a highly specialized doctor and therapist monitoring and measuring your progress along the way, important adjustments to your treatment plan would be impossible to determine. In my case, I needed slightly more treatments than an average patient, and Dr. Drake was able to realize this by continually measuring my progress. Lastly, extremely valuable coping mechanisms are taught through the Drakes' comprehensive therapy sessions. These coping mechanisms stay with you for life, and to me they’re just as valuable as the medicinal ketamine treatments were. What good would ketamine be if I reverted back to the state of mind that brought me to my knees in the first place? I now have coping skills that I can rely on if I were to ever go back into a major depressive episode or have a panic attack. This experience has been a miracle to me (and my family). The Drake Center for Transformative Healing was able to renew my mind and destroy the crippling depression I was suffering from. I simply would not be back to enjoying my life without them. The Drake Center for Transformative Healing is what the future of treating mental health related issues should look like."

"I highly recommend The Drake Center as a place for healing and transformation from anxiety and depression. I have learned a lot about myself through the guidance of Cassius and Jacqueline Drake. They have given me new tools and ways of processing my emotions toward a more positive outlook in my life through the past 6 weeks that I’ve learned from them in a holistic approach of the medication itself (ketamine) through the assisted psychotherapy, the psycho-emotional exploration (filling within us the well of water) which opened my eyes of how important my own well-being and happiness is to me and that I can go to that place at any time, and the fulfilling experience I had with the guided meditative art therapy which I had a really fun time with exploring the creative and artistic side of my personality through creating my first painting in a space of my own artistic expression that was nurtured from a place of peace and calmness within myself through a guided meditation before painting the piece. I appreciate what the Drake Center has offered me in terms of starting a new, positive trajectory towards my path of success in life that will help foster my future growth in relationships with other people as well as more love and positivity towards myself and other people through the transformative healing Ive experienced at their warm, calm and peaceful environment - a safe haven for anyone looking to heal themselves but don’t know where to look for help, well this is definitely the place to go! Thank you so much The Drake Center for everything you have done for me."

"My experience at the Drake Center has been transformative, with measurable improvements in my quality of life. Their approach is supportive and takes the efficacy of the ketamine itself to another level. It’s given me a different perspective on anxiety, depression and ptsd and being able to have this new perspective has made forward progress more consistently attainable. It didn’t remove the work but it does feel that I have personalized tools, a clearer outlook and a support system to continue moving in the right direction."