Maria Ofélia shares experience with Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy on RTP
Maria Ofélia lived in Switzerland for over 30 years. Born in Alentejo, the nurse struggled with persistent depression all her life. It was psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy that helped her regain her zest for life.
Maria Ofélia shared with Tânia Ribas de Oliveira, on RTP's A Nossa Tarde program, her experience with the Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy treatment she underwent at the beginning of summer last year.
A life fighting sadness
The nurse confided that symptoms of depression accompanied her from a very youngage: "I was about 23," she explains. But she always tried to fight the sadness and anxiety she felt, thinking it was "even a little bit" normal. Without ever sharing it with anyone, Maria Ofélia continued her journey, carrying the weight of her sadness without any support.
Life at university, leaving her parents' home and even moving to Switzerland accentuated the cycle of depressive symptoms she had experienced for decades. "At these times, the body starts screaming (...) It's giving us a signal."
The worsening of her symptoms led her to seek help, but the diagnosis was eventually ruled out: Fibromyalgia, a disease that causes widespread chronic pain and is associated with extreme tiredness, fatigue and muscle stiffness.
The beginning of antidepressants
It was in conversation with the psychiatrist who was treating her at the time that she decided, as a preventative measure, to start taking Fluoxetine, an antidepressant that served to "prevent greater harm", she explains. The medication was part of Maria Ofélia's daily life for many years, but always without much improvement - "It always had a very slight effect. A few days I'd get better, I'd feel stronger, but then everything would go back to the same".
The Clinic of Change's discovery
It was on a summer afternoon, at her home in Monsaraz, that Maria Ofélia discovered The Clinic of Change and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy treatment during the broadcast of the program A Nossa Tarde. "I heard Tânia [Ribas de Oliveira] on television, precisely when she was introducing the subject (of depression)".
The nurse met Prof. Dr. Victor Amorim Rodrigues, clinical director of The Clinic of Change, first on the small screen and only a day later, in person - "I called the clinic right after watching the interview and had an appointment the next day".
It was the psychiatrist who carried out the Initial Medical Assessment and gave the green light for Maria Ofélia to have access to the treatment that changed her life.
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and how it works
To RTP, Prof. Dr. Victor Amorim Rodrigues explains that "in-depth psychotherapeutic work is carried out" in this type of treatment. The administration ofpsychedelicsbrings "a lot of often repressed psychic material to the surface" and allows the brain to be more receptive to changing neuronal circuits "making patients look at things differently".
Maria Ofélia confesses that she felt improvements from the very first session. That first week, it was very windy and that's when I started to enjoy the little things again.
"The sound of the flowers, the foliage. It gave me enormous joy and that's when I realized that I hadn't felt this for a long time."
The psychiatrist says that the "loss of pleasure is one of the heaviest things" in depressive processes and regaining this feeling is a very beautiful and inspiring moment for patients.
Watch the full interview and find out more about our treatments here.
A The Clinic of Change é um prestador de cuidados de saúde com o n.º E166508, sediado na Rua das Picoas, 12 R/C, 1050-173 Lisboa, com licença de funcionamento n.º 22863/2023, inscrito na ERS com o n.º 39467.
Diretor clínico: Professor Doutor Victor Amorim Rodrigues, Médico Psiquiatra com a cédula profissional n.º 31127, emitida pela Ordem dos Médicos.
