Real experiences deserve their own words.

In their own words

1. 01

   Melody W.

   I was diagnosed with lung COVID in June of 2022. My symptoms were extreme dizziness, unsteadiness on my feet and terrible fatigue. There would be days I couldn’t get out of bed. I had exercise intolerance, my eyesight began to change, my hearing changed. My body just was betraying me, shutting down all over. I had test after test done—blood tests, MRIs, EEGs—and was unable to get any answers. I went to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. They had a lung COVID clinic in 2023, and I was unable to get any real answers. I was diagnosed with some things—not vertigo, but vestibular damage, some different things to do with neurology. My left side was weak and tingling, and they weren’t able to really nail down any kind of diagnosis.

   So ever since 2022, I’ve just kind of been going it on my own. I’ve been very fastidious about certain vitamins that I take, and I’ve not been able to do much exercise because of the fatigue that hits me when I’m finished. When I can, I do yard work. I do some work out in my shed, some woodwork and guitar work. Other than that, I’m not able to do much. So with this in mind, my sister recommended that I come see Darcelle at SOZO Wellness Center. I was able to go. I spent 10 days where I was able to undergo the hyperbaric chamber treatment as well as other treatments that Darcelle put me through. It was very intense.

   But since then—I don’t know, today would be a week and a half maybe since I left The Villages—and I am doing great. I feel so much better. My stamina has increased so much. I can still hit a wall, but it’s not debilitating. I can just rest. I don’t have to go run or crawl to the bed. I can’t say enough.

   My cognitive issues—I was having trouble with memory and forming words and just getting confused very quickly, sometimes just losing where I was at the time. That happened quite a bit. I wasn’t able to drive. Of course, I had to quit working altogether. Since then, I can feel my mind coming back. I just feel very restored. My family’s amazed. They’re amazed at the recovery I’ve had. I don’t know what I would say is the main thing that has caused the improvement. I’m sure the hyperbaric chamber had a lot to do with it, as well as the other treatment that I was able to get with Darcelle. I wear the nicotine patch.

   I cannot recommend highly enough undergoing treatment there at SOZO. If nothing else, just go through the chamber. Allow them to set a schedule for you to go through the chamber. It will improve your life drastically.

2. 02

   Alexander K.

   I’ve been here now almost two weeks. My experience has been great! I can’t say that I could imagine a better place—honestly. I’ve really been enjoying myself as far as the experience with the therapists and the clinical directors, and then pain management on top of that, which has been absolutely fantastic.

   So I originally came in with a third-degree burn on my arm. I overdosed prior to this on fentanyl and had a complete lack of mobility, basically, in this arm prior to coming. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been working with hyperbaric chambers. I’ve been working with the H-Wave. I’m beginning to feel some more movement and less numbness in my fingers. It’s been fantastic, really. I’m all the way from Los Angeles, California… right down the road—super close by. But luckily enough, I came to my parents’ place in The Villages, which is just a quick five minutes, literally, down the road. It was the first place on the block. We gave it a call. I did a tour before I came here—a little different than most people—but after that, I loved what I saw, so I decided I would come the next day and start.

   Of the pain management treatments, I would say the shockwave, really—it was almost immediate improvement. I had some numbness here. I’m beginning to get more feeling, and immediately my rotation of my shoulder was phenomenal. It was actually really after the very first treatment. First treatment. That’s what makes this place a little different. I personally love it. I find it deeply relaxing with the BrainTap going as well. I really find myself getting into some deep relaxation states, and plus I’ve been noticing a lot quicker of a healing process with my burns, which is just great.

   The staff is fantastic! All the staff has been honestly great. I have not had a single complaint. Everyone was kind, open and very attentive to my needs. There’s nothing really else to say about it besides: I know that when you come into a facility or a situation like this, a lot of times you have questions, and I think it’s really important to get answers to those questions and not be put off. I was like, keep an open mind and be very receptive. But any time I had a question, someone was always immediately responsive and attentive to everything.

   I’ve been going to groups daily. It’s a little different every single day—you always get something new. And the therapists, they really know how to hit those specific little key points, coax them out of you! Groups are a wonderful thing. So if I were to rate this place from 1 to 10, I’d give this a full 10! The food is fantastic, the staff as well. The chef is just great. You don’t really have anything better. Every single meal is just fantastic.

   Yeah, I mean, really it’s the people here that make this place a lot more manageable, and all the extra services we receive. Every treatment that we have here is designed to be integrated in some way to ease your cravings, ease your addiction problems, stabilize you more and balance your brain chemistry. It makes your time here more beneficial, makes it more productive, and that’s good for me. This place has more of a scientific approach, more of a medical approach. And they actually care. I mean, this is really more of a homey feel as opposed to what the hospital may feel like.

   Yeah, like I said, everybody calls back here. Everybody here just knows us. They know me well. I know what I have to do. They understand me. They know what’s perfect. They know who I am. So, they’re good caregivers. It’s an all-inclusive center. This place wants to get you healthy. And they want to get you on the way so that you can get back to the level you want to be.

3. 03

   Tyler S.

   I’ve been to one facility prior to this one. This place has more of a scientific approach, more of a medical approach. And they actually care. I mean, this is really more of a homey feel as opposed to what the hospital may feel like. Everybody calls you back here. Everybody here just knows us. They know me well. I know what I have to do. They understand me. They know what’s needed—they know who I am. So, they are good caregivers.

   They put all of the treatment options in a package so that you’re not having to pay extra for it. So, it’s an all-inclusive center. And we all feel like you can assimilate your healing better and faster. You’re going to have better results. You’re going to be a lot more successful. All the information is here. They want to get you well. They want to get you healthy. And they want to get you on the way efficiently so that you can get back to the level you want to be.

   So yeah, those are the kind of things that make a difference. I was pretty interested in that. I don’t think people will necessarily realize how many people you can change with this kind of program. I know for a fact that when I’m in here in the hyperbaric chamber, my body feels better during and after. You can also see that in my brain mapping—which is such an eye-opener. This information on the brain and how they incorporate corrections is amazing. You can see that in my brain. My brain is running fine after everything like that. It’s all about the rate of improvement. And that’s what it’s all about.

   Some people are here because they felt at home. They understand the value of attention. At the end of the day, there’s value in being here in the first place. Honestly, though, one thing about being in this place: it’s really, really great. This place is the answer.

4. 04

   Logan G.

   I have been to ten different treatment centers, and this was by far the best one. I had a psychologist work with me on my brain, and they were able to help me understand what was going on. I went back weekly for treatments to help correct the imbalance. This helped me finally understand there was hope, and that hope took me through the 30-day stay and has helped me stay sober 30 days after treatment. I do not think I will ever have to go back into treatment.

   Between neuromapping telling me what I needed to work on and hyperbarics, my stay with them was fantastic. I found Treatment Centers of America through a family referral, and I can’t say enough good about it. In this place, if you ask for something, it is simply done, as long as it’s within reason and reasonably going to help you.

   The neuromapping, hyperbaric chamber and pain-related modalities helped me most while I was in. The staff here treat you like gold. 10/10—would recommend to anyone!

5. 05

   Logan’s Mom

   I would like to take this opportunity to talk about my son, who was part of the behavioral center. Prior to going there, he had been treated at 15 different facilities for alcoholism and schizophrenia, and all of them had failed. He had been in 30-day programs, 15-day programs and three-day programs, and we never found any of the programs to be of any lasting benefit. The doctors would give him medications, get rid of him, refer him, and that was the end of it. They didn’t care. They would say, “Good luck,” and off he’d go. He didn’t benefit from the treatment while he was there, and he didn’t benefit from the treatment after he was gone. So, two or three days after that would happen, he would spiral down into another hole, and we would be on another rollercoaster ride.

   So, we found this center, and it was completely different, completely different. They used hyperbaric oxygen. They used different modalities that I’d never even heard of before, like neuromapping. They used therapy in their daily treatment. They had a psychiatrist talking to my son and analyzing his results weekly with his brain, and even did brain training. It was completely different in so many ways. I don’t even know all the ways. To my son, the most impactful treatment was the hyperbaric treatment and the weekly neuro appointments. He said that he would get into what he called the tube and would have an hour-long treatment every day, and then get out and have therapy. He said it was life-changing.

   I can tell you, as a mother, to see your son go into a treatment center and, 30 days later, come out of a treatment center and be the son that you knew he was as a child is miraculous. After only 30 days, it is miraculous. And now, after he’s been out for a while, he’s still the same boy he was when he came out. He’s still on the medication. He still follows their treatment plan, and it’s incredible.

   I can’t say enough good about this treatment facility, their therapists, the people that work with the patients. If there’s any question or any doubt, please contact me, because I can give you a mother’s view of what happens. I am a physician myself, and I have told all my colleagues in Ocala about this facility. I even have the local psychiatrist visiting there with me next week because I wanted him to know about it.