Tyler Baltierra is doing the work to improve his mental health. He has been quite open about his mental health struggles on reality TV for years, and how the sexual abuse he suffered from as a child impacts his life and decisions. He has also shared how wife wife Catelynn has stood by his side throughout it all, and now, she's supporting him in taking his next step in healing. During a recently aired episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Tyler underwent ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to process his abuse and how it led to the couple placing their daughter Carly for adoption.
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Tyler is examining how his trauma affected his relationship with Catelynn.
"Sexual abuse, I think created a hypersexual behavior which resulted in us being irresponsible and then that happened," he explained to Catelynn. "And I'm really, really sorry."
"Sorry for what?" she asked.
"We didn't get to parent her," he said, crying. "I just felt very guilty that behavior resulted with Carly and you had to go through so much s—."
Catelynn was incredibly sympathetic.
Catelynn cried, too, as she reassured him that he was worthy of her love.
"We were just two little kids that in the beginning were very much trauma-bonded," she said. "Yeah we made some dumb decisions that led to an unplanned pregnancy, but I truly feel like if it wasn't for that child, we probably wouldn't be as far as where we are today."
During a picnic, Tyler told his wife that he was glad she is the mother to their other daughters, Novalee, Vaeda, and Rya.
"I'm thankful you are the dad of my kids because there are a lot of losers out there," Catelynn said.
Tyler worked with a professional psychotherapist.
Tyler met with psychotherapist Dr. Mike Dow for a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session to address some of his childhood trauma. He put on a blindfold before a nurse injected the drug into his arm.
During their session, Tyler went back to being 4 years old and hiding from bounty hunters looking for his dad in a trailer.
"I'm sorry," he told his younger self. "Trust me."
He acknowledged the importance of his relationship with Catelynn.
Another thing that came up during the session was how grateful he is for Catelynn.
"She's saved me in so many ways," he said. "She's giving me everything and she's shown me more love than I ever thought I ever deserved."
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What exactly is ketamine therapy?
According to Psychology Today, ketamine is a drug that is used for pain relief, but also has psychedelic properties. In addition to decreasing pain sensitivity, ketamine can create "hypnotic, dream-like, or even fully dissociative trance states."
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a treatment for mental health that "involves using ketamineās trance-inducing and pain-relieving properties to help individuals work through various mental and emotional challenges," explained mental health professional Wendy Boring-Bray, DBH, LPCC.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
