Ketamine’s Role in Spirituality: How One Synthetic Drug Catalyzes a Natural Experience
Samiah Woods
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ketamine Psilocybin Esketamine |
| Keywords | Spirituality Psychotherapist Feeling Value mathematics Hallucinogen Alternative medicine |
| Key points | Argues that understanding the spiritual effects of ketamine can promote better communication between physicians and patients and foster more holistic healthcare approaches. |
Abstract
This article highlights the potential spiritual effects of a popular anesthetic, ketamine, and how these spiritual effects can be used to help promote the reconciliation of spiritual and physical health. Ketamine, like the prominent psychedelic, psilocybin, has reportedly caused feelings of spiritual revelation and “out of body experiences” that many physicians may not feel qualified to discuss with their patients. This reluctance to address ketamine-induced spiritual experiences may affect the health outcomes of the patient. The primary goal of this project is to bring academic validity to considerations of the spiritual health of patients. This paper (1) investigates the extent that ketamine-induced, non-ordinary experiences can help bring awareness to the compatibility of spiritual and physical health and (2) compares the mechanisms of ketamine and psilocybin, as well as their value to the medical community due to the spiritual experiences that they catalyze. Thus, this research seeks to demonstrate that understanding the spiritual value of ketamine may encourage better communication between the physician and patient and promote more holistic healthcare approaches.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| From PCP to MXE: a comprehensive review of the non-medical use of dissociative drugs. | 2014 | Historical analysis | |
| A Dendrite-Focused Framework for Understanding the Actions of Ketamine and Psychedelics | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins | 1990 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| A unified model of ketamine's dissociative and psychedelic properties. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| An Integrative Approach to Ketamine Therapy May Enhance Multiple Dimensions of Efficacy: Improving Therapeutic Outcomes With Treatment Resistant Depression. | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors Journal of Psychopharmacology October 11, 2017
- Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2019
- Ketamine Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Focus on its Pharmacology, Phenomenology, and Clinical Applications International Journal of Transpersonal Studies July 1, 2014
- Ketamine-Enhanced Psychotherapy: Preliminary Clinical Observations on its Effects in Treating Death Anxiety International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2007
and 3 more in the library