Are “mystical experiences” essential for antidepressant actions of ketamine and the classic psychedelics?
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience February 27, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01770-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ketamine Mysticism Esketamine Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Antidepressant Psychoanalysis Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 51 |
| Key findings | Dissociative symptoms from ketamine or esketamine are not directly linked to their antidepressant properties, while the role of mystical experiences in enhancing antidepressant efficacy remains debated. |
Abstract
Abstract The growing interest in the rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine and classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, is remarkable. However, both ketamine and psychedelics are known to induce acute mystical experiences; ketamine can cause dissociative symptoms such as out-of-body experience, while psychedelics typically bring about hallucinogenic experiences, like a profound sense of unity with the universe or nature. The role of these mystical experiences in enhancing the antidepressant outcomes for patients with depression is currently an area of ongoing investigation and debate. Clinical studies have shown that the dissociative symptoms following the administration of ketamine or ( S )-ketamine (esketamine) are not directly linked to their antidepressant properties. In contrast, the antidepressant potential of ( R )-ketamine (arketamine), thought to lack dissociative side effects, has yet to be conclusively proven in large-scale clinical trials. Moreover, although the activation of the serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor is crucial for the hallucinogenic effects of psychedelics in humans, its precise role in their antidepressant action is still under discussion. This article explores the importance of mystical experiences in enhancing the antidepressant efficacy of both ketamine and classic psychedelics.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. | 2018 | Review | |
| Peak experiences and the afterglow phenomenon: When and how do therapeutic effects of hallucinogens depend on psychedelic experiences? | 2015 | Review | |
| Psychedelic Mystical Experience: A New Agenda for Theology | 2022 | Review | |
| Predictors and potentiators of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences | 2022 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 38
- Ketamine and its two enantiomers in anesthesiology and psychiatry: A historical review and future directions Journal of Anesthesia and Translational Medicine July 11, 2024
- (R)-(-)-Ketamine: The Promise of a Novel Treatment for Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders. International Journal of Molecular Sciences June 20, 2024
- Role of oxidative phosphorylation in the antidepressant effects of arketamine via the vagus nerve-dependent spleen-brain axis. Neurobiology of Disease September 1, 2024
- Effects of arketamine on depression-like behaviors and demyelination in mice exposed to chronic restrain stress: A role of transforming growth factor-β1. Journal of Affective Disorders December 15, 2024
- Psychedelic therapy in depression and substance use disorders European Journal of Neuroscience May 21, 2024
and 33 more in the library
Cites 117
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- Recent advances in the phencyclidine model of schizophrenia American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1991
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020
and 112 more in the library