Chaining the Mental Beast With Determination – Ketan’s Story of Healing with Therapy – YourDOST Blog

“I know man is capable of great deeds. But if he isn’t capable of great emotion, well he leaves me cold.” – Albert Camus

Human beings are emotional creatures. We are built to have emotions, laugh when we feel happy, cry when sad, shout when angry, and feel hundreds of other emotions that can’t be expressed. Emotions are a part of who we are, and sometimes, we may need help to regulate them because nobody comes with a manual to do so.

Ketan, a 22-year-old Analyst at HCL, is a person who has come back a warrior after fighting his battles alone.

Hailing from Nashik, a city in Maharashtra, Ketan was born and raised there and lived with his family. He had a pretty rough childhood as he lost his mother at a young age, and is now survived by his father, stepmother and step-brother.

“My relationship with the family has had its share of ups and downs, but regardless, I truly love them.”

Ketan plays chess in his leisure time and has recently turned his passion into a business model.

“I learnt about YourDOST through my company which collaborates with the organisation as its official mental health partner. Here, I met Ms Pranami Bordoloi who became my therapist.”

Ketan respects his therapist who he describes as the most polite and caring person ever. He recalls that he had tried seeking help before coming to YourDOSt, but somehow it didn’t work out, and going through the process once again was overwhelming for him.

“Pranami made me feel cared for and safe from the first session. I could almost feel her consideration towards me through her voice.”

Ketan remembers how Ms Pranami helped him out of her working hours and was genuinely interested in seeing him progress. He describes her to be a delightful and understanding person.

Ketan was recently diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder/BPD and was facing issues in stabilising his emotions. He suffered from depression and BPD for 2 years, which subsequently led the way to suicidal thoughts and uncontrollable emotions. He realised that it was high time he sought therapy.

“I was also going through an existential crisis and could not even recognise myself. I was mentally lost, did not like my job and had no idea who I wanted to be.”

Ketan wanted to do something to make him genuinely happy and validate his existence. These thoughts started recurring and he sought therapy not long after.

All of us deal with our demons in different ways, some can make something good out of it and react positively, while others may react negatively towards triggers that affect them mentally and physically in the long run. Ketan turned towards alcohol, which gradually went from weekly episodes to drinking daily. He started smoking as well and once couldn’t sleep for 5 days at a stretch. Therapy and medication profoundly helped him to get back on his feet.

“Pranami helped me journal my thoughts when they started spiralling out of control and writing down emotions, however confusing they may be.”

Journaling helps in releasing emotions and getting clarity on your thoughts and feelings. Along with journaling, Ketan’s therapist also emphasised the importance of physical well-being and persuaded him to participate in physical activities that would avoid negativity. All these techniques helped Ketan discover himself and slowly started showing results in his life.

“I started becoming more kind and considerate towards others’ feelings. Earlier I used to disregard others and did not think much about it.”

Ketan is glad that his empathy towards others significantly improved, and that even helped him set up his business idea.

He feels that people do not realise the actual weight of mental health issues, as it’s something that can just be felt and not seen, hence people don’t believe in it. However, the gravity of mental health concerns is huge and therapists have to struggle every day to fight with the stigma and help people handle their issues. 

“No amount of money or words is enough to thank Ms Pranami for helping me lift the weight off my shoulders.”

Ketan feels that there are no black-and-whites in the world and we are all just different shades of grey, and we couldn’t agree more. He rates himself a Golden 5 on 5 in terms of feeling better and looks forward to each session. Ketan believes improvement to be something that can’t be defined.

“I feel we all change in the process which is not an improvement. We mould ourselves to being the change, and improvement can’t be anything other than change.”

We at YourDOST are extremely proud of you Ketan and wish you all the happiness in the world!

Ketan’s Warrior Tips:
1.“As men, we are asked not to share our emotions in the open by the society. But is this fair? We are entitled to seek help when we want.”
2.“It’s just you and what you want to be that matters. Strive to become a better human being and do not let anyone dictate what to do.”