Psychedelic Experiential Pharmacology: Pioneering Clinical Explorations with Salvador Roquet (How I Came to All of This: Ketamine, Admixtures and Adjuvants, Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda Too): An Interview with Richard Yensen
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies July 1, 2014 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2014.33.2.160 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Experiential learning Psychoanalysis Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 20 |
| Key points | Argues that Richard Yensen's extensive experience in government-sanctioned psychedelic research led to the development of a non-drug shamanistic psychotherapy called Perceptual Affective Therapy, and that his career exemplifies the integration of psychedelic research into psychotherapeutic practice. |
Abstract
Richard Yensen was a research fellow at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center from 1972 to 1976. He studied psychedelic psychotherapy with Stanislav Grof, M.D. and other senior staff. During this time he treated patients with substance abuse disorders, cancer, neurosis, and other health professionals seeking a training experience. Dr. Yensen did his Ph.D. dissertation on the use of MDA in psychotherapy with neurotic outpatients and conducted his research at the MPRC. Through many years of experience in governmentsanctioned psychedelic research, he has evolved a non-drug shamanistic psychotherapy called Perceptual Affective Therapy. In the 1990’s Richard was co-holder of IND 3250, an investigational new drug permit issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to study LSD and psychotherapy until 2006. He is currently a licensed psychologist in California and director of the Orenda Institute in Vancouver and Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada and president of the Salvador Roquet Psychosynthesis Association. He has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore.
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
Cited by 9
- Ayahuasca: Uses, Phytochemical and Biological Activities Natural Products and Bioprospecting May 27, 2019
- Toward Synergies of Ketamine and Psychotherapy Frontiers in Psychology March 25, 2022
- Wolves Among Sheep: Sexual Violations in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. The American Journal of Bioethics January 13, 2025
- Disembodiment and Affective Resonances in Esketamine Treatment of Depersonalized Depression Subtype: Two Case Studies. Psychopathology 2024
- Rapid and sustained reduction of treatment-resistant PTSD symptoms after intravenous ketamine in a real-world, psychedelic paradigm. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2025
and 4 more in the library
Cites 13
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas Brain February 28, 2010
- The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy JAMA June 15, 1970
- LSD-Assisted Psychotherapy in Patients with Terminal Cancer International Pharmacopsychiatry 1973
- LSD in the Treatment of Alcoholics* Pharmacopsychiatry March 1, 1971
and 8 more in the library