Months before his death, Presley Gerber shared a raw look at his battle with addiction and the treatment he hoped would help him find his way back to himself.
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him → share → himself
In March, the model — who died unexpectedly in a rehab facility on Sunday — posted a video of himself preparing to undergo an "ibogaine flood dose," a psychedelic treatment, at a wellness clinic in Cancún, Mexico.
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himself → die → Cancún
According to Stanford Medicine, ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychedelic derived from the root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga shrub.
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ibogaine → accord → shrub
It has "gained interest from the medical and scientific communities for its potential to treat opioid and cocaine addiction, and research has suggested that it increases signaling of several important molecules within the brain, some of which have been linked to drug addiction and depression."
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some → gain → addiction
"Quiet moment before everything changed," Gerber wrote in the Instagram caption.
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Gerber → change → caption
"I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this."
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I → know → this
Gerber said letting go of control was difficult, but he trusted "there was something bigger than me guiding it."
"
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he → say → it
I knew why I was there.
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I → know → ?
I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, I started finding my way back to myself," he wrote.
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he → face → myself
He also said he was "praying it’s the last time" he would need to return for treatment.
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he → say → treatment
The model shared a carousel of photos of himself wearing Vuori clothing.
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himself → share → clothing
In the images, Gerber smiled outdoors in a black T-shirt and backward cap, displaying his signature neck and arm tattoos.
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Gerber → smile → tattoos
He did not include a caption and instead tagged the Vuori brand's Instagram account.
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He → include → account
Gerber died Sept. 20 at age 27 while staying at a rehabilitation facility, according to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
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Gerber → die → Examiner
The model's cause of death was "deferred," according to online records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
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cause → defer → Examiner
The medical examiner told Fox News Digital that "the investigation is still ongoing and there is limited information available."
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investigation → tell → Digital
Santa Monica Police Department officials are investigating the death as "a suspected overdose," according to a release from the department.
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officials → investigate → department
A representative for the family told Fox News Digital, "The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time."
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family → tell → time
Gerber’s post was one of several instances in which he publicly documented his recovery journey.
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he → document → journey
In recent years, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber spoke candidly about depression, panic attacks, addiction and the challenges of seeking treatment.
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son → speak → treatment
During a 2023 episode of the "Studio 22" podcast, Gerber discussed his experiences with depression and other mental health challenges.
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Gerber → discuss → depression
It’s a 24/7 job, and there’s so much to it," he said.
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he → ’ → it
"That’s really what I want to do is help people, whether you’re depressed, you’re struggling with something that is having a negative effect on your body," he continued.
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he → ’ → body
"I mean it could be anything, and there’s no judgment."
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it → mean → ?
Gerber said he hoped his experiences could help other people avoid making similar mistakes.
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people → say → mistakes
"I’ve seen a lot of stuff, and I’ve learned a lot of things," he said.
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he → see → things
"What I hope I can do is have made the mistakes for some other people, so they don’t have to make the same mistakes that I made.
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I → hope → that
He also explained why he wanted to be open about his mental health journey.
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he → explain → journey
"Having struggled with mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that, I think that whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that’s all I need to do," Gerber said.
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Gerber → struggle → life
Gerber also used social media to encourage conversations about depression, addiction and men’s mental health.
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Gerber → use → depression
In 2024, he launched "Mental Health Mondays," a series focused on recovery and emotional well-being.
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he → launch → recovery
In a November 2025 Instagram post, Gerber said he had temporarily stepped away from social media to focus on his own mental health.
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he → say → health
"It’s been a minute since I’ve posted — I had to step back and take care of my own mental health for a bit," he wrote.
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he → post → bit
"But I’m coming back soon — stronger, clearer, more intentional than ever," he added.
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he → come → ?
Gerber said the goal of the series was to encourage people to discuss the issues they often kept hidden.
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they → say → issues
"When I started Mental Health Mondays, the goal was to spark real conversations about the stuff most people hide," he wrote.
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he → start → stuff
"It’s been incredible seeing how far that message has spread and how many people it’s helped."
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it → see → people
He added, "I’m proud that something I created has inspired others and started a bigger movement around openness and healing."
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I → add → openness
Gerber also spoke openly about the medications he was taking and the panic attacks he experienced.
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he → speak → medications
In a since-deleted Instagram video posted in December 2025, he said he had been taking several medications, including buprenorphine, Xanax and Valium, according to People.
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he → delete → People
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
