Ethnographic Accounts of Ketamine Explorations in Psychedelic Culture
Kenneth Ring, Ralph Metzner, Philip E. Wolfson
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies July 1, 2014 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2014.33.2.175 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Counterculture Ethnography Aesthetics Anthropology Art history |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that ketamine's therapeutic effects were discovered through off-label use within psychedelic culture, not in laboratory settings. |
Abstract
Off-label use of ketamine as a mind-altering substance did not begin in the laboratory, but in the psychedelic culture that grew out of the 1960s counterculture movement. Whatever the risks and limitations of such experimentation, without them the remarkable therapeutic effects of the drug might well have gone unnoticed, and unresearched. The following personal accounts-both inspiring and cautionary-offer glimpses into the cultural contexts that found ketamine to be much more than a reliable anesthetic.