ECT, America's Darkest Medical Scandal with ECT Warrior Sarah Price Hancock

Send us Fan MailElectricity doesn’t care about intent—and when it meets the human brain, biology, physics, and ethics collide. We sit down with Sarah Price Hancock, a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor and former professor who became an advocate after sustaining injuries from electroconvulsive shock treatment. Her story pulls back the curtain on how misdiagnosis, catatonia, and “maintenance ECT” can unfold in a system with scant dosing standards, limited specialty training, and a consent process that often breaks down when people are most vulnerable.Sarah explains electroporation in clear terms: high-frequency pulses can open cell membranes and barriers, allowing drugs, histamine, and pathogens to move into places they shouldn’t. We connect that mechanism to real-world physiology—massive, rapid changes in cerebral blood flow, seizure-driven oxygen and glucose demands, and periods of postictal brain and even cardiac silence. The result can be perfusion and reperfusion injury, hypoxic-ischemic damage, and a spectrum of cognitive, motor, cranial nerve, and autonomic problems that may appear immediately or emerge over time. This isn’t just “short-term memory loss”; it’s a bodywide electrical event.We also talk standards and accountability. The FDA’s 2018 reclassification required manufacturers to deliver dosing consensus protocols and safety data, yet court records suggest critical gaps remain. Meanwhile, reimbursement incentives fuel ongoing use, even as providers are privileged to deliver ECT without formal training in neuropathology, electrical injury histopathology, or biophysics. To ground the conversation in data, Sarah shares findings from the largest international survey of ECT recipients, families, and friends—over 1,100 responses across 44 countries—highlighting widespread reports of inadequate information and long-term harms that reshape quality of life.If you care about consent, patient safety, and science that respects natural laws, this conversation offers a rigorous, compassionate guide to what people should know before electricity touches the brain. Listen, share with someone weighing their options, and help push for transparency and standards worthy of the stakes. If the episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a policymaker or clinician who needs to hear it.We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate.  Email [email protected] to learn more.  Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. EUse promo code GASLIT at checkout! https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT 💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.Support the showAre you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you!  Message us your gaslit stories at [email protected] you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.  Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes! Thanks for listening!Follow Us individually atDr. Teralyn:Instagram @Dr_TeralynFacebook  @DrTeralynTik Tok @Dr_TeralynTherapist Jenn: Instagram @TherapistJenTikTok @Jenn.Schmitz