Synopsis: Dr. Ko shares a personal update following a car bomb explosion that damaged their ketamine clinic, along with three practical resilience tools that are helping during this challenging time. Learn about the FMA mnemonic for focusing on what you can control, the Stoic philosophy of amor fati for accepting and finding meaning in difficult circumstances, and the shrimp shell metaphor for embracing growth through discomfort.
Reset Ketamine Clinic Update
Hey everyone, it's Dr. Ko here, and I wanted to give you a quick update on the clinic and what's been going on for me. Our clinic is currently closed as our clinic is damaged. There was a car bomb explosion that occurred roughly 150 feet away from our clinic on May 17th, 2025, at 10:48 AM. We actually know the exact time because we have security footage of one of our clinic doors exploding wide open.
It's been a challenging process throughout this time, and it's been stressful because there are many things outside of my control, there are situations I cannot predict, and I am still processing this unspeakable, at times incomprehensible act. I am grateful though that none of our team were in the office when it happened, and sometimes focusing on the good has been helpful.
But it's hard to sit in uncertainty. But in reality, everything is uncertain!
I give my patients a lot of advice and maybe even advice to you on our YouTube channel and blog. And thanks to this experience, I am getting a new opportunity to practice what I preach, so to speak.
So I wanted to share this update and more importantly share 3 tools that I use during times of challenge and times that require resilience and grit.
Table of Contents
The FMA framework - Focus, Meaning, Action - helps you regain control during crisis by directing your attention to what you can influence rather than what's outside your power.
FMA Mnemonic
This mnemonic is one that I continue to use daily, over and over in my brain. This mnemonic is FMA, which stands for focus, meaning, and action.
Those are the three things that we have control over: 1) What we focus on, 2) How we interpret the event or the meaning we give it, and 3) the actions we take after.
Those are really what we have power over. So for me, I am choosing to focus on the fact that none of my patients nor my staff were there during the explosion.
The meaning? Well, to be honest, I am still processing that. Some days the meaning I make from it is that I am meant to continue to help others since I was spared. Other days I interpret the event simply as I am grateful that I am alive and can help others.
The action I take is equally powerful as the focus and meaning. As I am still processing and focusing on rebuilding and eventually reopening, my actions are grounded in answering: "What can I personally do? What's within my direct sphere of influence that I can take action on?"
So how can you apply this?
When a tragic or unsettling event occurs for you, no matter how big or small, you can apply FMA. Therefore, ask yourself:
What can I focus on that will be healing, helpful, or empowering?
What is the meaning or interpretation I give this?
What action can I personally take?
Sometimes I am finding that I get myself into a headspace that is much more uplifting and empowering by answering the first two questions, and by the time I am thinking about action, I am feeling better.
Amor fati, the Stoic practice of "loving your fate," teaches us to find acceptance and even gratitude in our most difficult circumstances, transforming resistance into growth.
Amor Fati - Loving Your Fate
Another tool that I want to share with you is from Stoic philosophy: amor fati. Amor fati is Latin for "love" (amor) and "fate" (fati) - to love your fate.
How can I love this? They say that suffering is resistance to what is. The more I resist, the more suffering that I may have.
And so coming to terms with acceptance - not necessarily like giving up, but just accepting what is - it's a very subtle difference. But acceptance, and to love it, can be hard. Which I can attest to, especially with all that has happened in the wake of the explosion.
I've asked myself: What can I love about this explosion and all the fallout from it? I have discovered that I am grateful and love the personal and professional growth I am experiencing. I am now stronger in navigating insurance and advocating for myself and patients. This growth and confidence I am cultivating wouldn't have happened (or at least taken longer to occur) without this incident!
So how can you apply this?
When facing a challenge, a worry for the future, or a concern about something in the past, take a moment and ask yourself: "What can I love about this?" And if "love" is too strong or doesn't feel right, ask yourself: "What is good about this?"
Something I have noticed as I apply amor fati is trying to find the beauty or perfection in tough situations. Exploring what is good in any difficult situation forces me to take a step back and look at it from a bird's-eye view. A shift in perspective alone can be powerful in changing the way we feel.
Just like shrimp must shed their shells to grow, we sometimes need uncomfortable experiences to force us out of our comfort zones and expand who we're meant to become.
Shrimp Shell
The last thing I'll share with you is a tool or illustration, if you will, from my shrimp in the aquarium.
I have these really tiny little shrimp; they're called cherry shrimp. They're really cute. And what I noticed with these shrimp is that every few weeks, they'll molt their shell, and we'll see this empty ghost shell floating around.
Thinking about it from the perspective of a shrimp, it doesn't really want to let go of that shell because it becomes vulnerable. It has to grow a new shell. While growth is necessary and requires shedding their old exoskeleton, it's not necessarily desirable because they are more vulnerable to attacks. They have to hide until their shell hardens before they can go out again and go about their usual business.
Watching these little shrimp, I am humbled and reminded how I am no different - and perhaps you can relate to this. I can get very comfortable in my routines. So much so that changes that could be for my benefit are ignored or even rejected if they disturb my cozy norms.
But it is discomfort or an event outside of our control - an explosion in my case - that finally requires me to shed my shell and grow.
Seeing our damaged clinic and not being able to take care of our patients has been very painful, but I do appreciate that it's forcing me to grow. I do feel like I have learned so much these days about architects, contractors, structural engineering and environmental hazards. It's been a learning process that has required me to step outside of my comfort zone.
How can you apply this?
The next time you find yourself in a situation that requires you to painfully stretch - whether that is putting the pieces together after a tragic event or even navigating a frustrating inconvenience of modern life - take on the perspective that this is an opportunity for growth.
Similar to amor fati, which is a tool to shift your perspective on what is happening in the present, thinking about how your situation is like a shrimp shedding its shell is a tool that can help you look at this event as if it's in the past and see how you were able to expand and grow.
Conclusion & Thanks
So I do want to say thank you for your support, your contributions, your emails, your messages, your DMs - someone even sent a bottle of whiskey!
It was really heartwarming, and I know that without that support, this would be even much more difficult. So I truly appreciate you, and it means so much to me for everything and anything.
As of the writing of this blog, I don't know the exact date of our reopening. But I do know that our clinic and I will be stronger and more resilient.
I hope these tools - FMA, amor fati, and the shrimp shell reminder - can help you as they have been helping me navigate this challenging time.
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Dr. Ko shares a personal update following a car bomb explosion that damaged their ketamine clinic, along with three practical resilience tools that are helping during this challenging time. Learn about the FMA mnemonic for focusing on what you can control, the Stoic philosophy of amor fati for accepting and finding meaning in difficult circumstances, and the shrimp shell metaphor for embracing growth through discomfort.
