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Ketamine-Enhanced Psychotherapy: Preliminary Clinical Observations on its Effects in Treating Death Anxiety

Eli Kolp, M. Scott Young, Harris L. Friedman, Evgeny Krupitsky, Karl Jansen, Laurie-Ann O’connor

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2007 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2007.26.1.1 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review and case study Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size 2
Population Terminally-ill people suffering death anxiety
Intervention Ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy (KEP)
Topics Anxiety Ketamine Esketamine
Keywords Transpersonal Dissociative Psychotherapist Transformative learning Anesthetic
Citations 44
Key findings Ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy shows potential for treating death anxiety in terminally-ill individuals, warranting further formal research.

Abstract

Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic commonly used by US physicians, has recently been shown to be a powerful anti-depressant and is also capable of eliciting transpersonal experiences that can be transformative. Although currently approved in the US only for use as an anesthetic, physicians there can legally prescribe it off-label to treat various psychological/ psychiatric problems and it has been used for these non-anesthetic purposes in Argentina, Iran, Mexico, Russia, and the UK, as well as in the US. The literature on using ketamine psychotherapeutically is reviewed and two case studies using ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy (KEP) for treating death anxiety in terminally-ill people are reported. The potential importance of beginning formal research on using KEP during end-of-life for those suffering death anxiety is emphasized.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on ketamine for anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Treatment of a Complex Personality Disorder Using Repeated Doses of LSD—A Case Report on Significant Improvements in the Absence of Acute Drug Effects A 39-year-old female patient with severe, treatment-resistant depression and complex... 2020 Case study n = 1
Ketamine as Add-On Treatment in Psychotic Treatment-Resistant Depression Inpatients with treatment-resistant depression with psychotic features 2023 Case series n = 4
Short term ketamine treatment in patient with bipolar disorder with comorbidity with borderline personality disorder: Focus on impulsivity Female patient diagnosed with both bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder 2023 Case study n = 1
Suicide versus Accidental Death by Autoerotic Asphyxiation in a Patient Receiving Intravenous Ketamine for Depression 28-year-old man with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic... 2022 Case study n = 1
Case Report: Successful management of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures with intranasal esketamine. Patient with treatment-resistant depression and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures 2025 Case report n = 1

Related reading

Explore topics

Anxiety Ketamine Esketamine Depression End-of-life distress

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