‘Things are a little bit brighter’: Ketamine therapy helps Idaho firefighter release trauma, past experiences [Video]

Rob Christensen’s six-week journey was filmed, and a short film was later published in the New York Times.

BOISE, Idaho — The job of a first responder sees disaster, grief and heartache on a daily basis. That kind of commitment and dedication can take a toll on a person.

“You might experience seven to 10 traumatic events in your life,” Rob Christensen, an Idaho firefighter, told KTVB. “It’s like 1,000 in my career.”

Christensen is a second-generation firefighter who has tried dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in various forms, including meditation and vocal therapy.

“I started getting counseling five years into it (the job),” he said. “My first counseling appointment… I was ashamed that I had to go there that I was weaker than everybody. But what I soon learned was that the clinician I chose, saw other first responders.”

She told him he was alone, he said.

A few years ago, Christensen wanted to add another tool to his toolbox – Ketamine therapy.

He had hoped it would …