Old Dominion Singer Beats Depression Through Ketamine Treatment

Matthew Ramsey, the main vocalist of Old Dominion, is sharing one of the darkest times in his life — a challenging time of continuous physical pain and deep depression, which caused him to feel broken. Between 2018 and 2023, Ramsey had injuries, including torn cartilage, a broken rib, and a fractured pelvis. "I felt like I was buried underground . . . and I couldn't get to the sunshine. I began to feel that I was a drag on everybody and maybe I shouldn't be around," he told People.

Fellow bandmate and bassist Geoff Sprung recalls the toll it took. "We were all seeing he was in chronic pain," Sprung said. "But it wasn't as clear that he was struggling emotionally. He turned inward."

Ramsey admits he experienced suicidal thoughts, though he never intended to act on them. In 2023, after reaching a breaking point, he began a six-session course of ketamine therapy, an increasingly accepted treatment for treatment-resistant depression. "It changed everything," he says, crediting the treatment with helping to rewire his brain and restore his outlook.

Coupled with a new fitness regimen and guidance from a nutritionist, Ramsey lost 15 pounds, gained muscle, and improved his sleep and endurance. At 47, he says he feels "really great" and "mentally strong," a shift noticeable to those around him. "We're getting off the plane, and normally, he's the last one… But I was walking to baggage claim and realized that he was past me," Sprung says. "I was like, 'Bro, you're back. You're back!'"

Despite the hardships, Ramsey continued to perform, at times seated on a guitar throne loaned to him by Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl. Now, as Old Dominion prepares for its 49-city How Good Is That world tour, beginning in June 2025, Ramsey is energized and ready.

While ketamine therapy is generally safe when professionally administered, it does come with risks, including potential dependency with frequent non-medical use. Still, for Ramsey, it helped illuminate a path out of the shadows — just in time to return to the stage.