There are multiple psychedelics currently in late stage trials with the Federal Drug Administration
(FDA) and some of the country’s most prestigious medical research organizations for use in
psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. MDMA, commonly referred to as ecstasy or molly, is slated for
legal use with specially trained psychotherapists in 2024. Psilocybin will likely be ready for use with
similarly trained psychotherapies by 2025. They each offer unique benefits in aiding our efforts
toward and more fulfilling life.
Some folx eager to explore how these other psychedelics might help are simultaneously reluctant to
consider ketamine. As the ugly step-sister of the psychedelics, ketamine doesn’t have the mystical
allure of plant medicine nor the fond memories many have associated with MDMA. Each
psychedelic medicine offers unique properties that lend themselves well to specific functions.
Ketamine’s unique features make it a particularly excellent medicine to consider for use as a tool for
psychotherapy.
Upsides to Ketamine:
• Legal and Available for Use: It is currently legal and available for use in clinical settings, with the
medicine itself reasonably priced and accessible through a prescription.
• Particularly Safe Medicine: It has long been established as a particularly safe drug with minimal
risks and side effects.
• Unique Antidepressant Qualities: The molecule itself can help with mood disorders, much like
standard antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, but operating on a different system
(glutamate).
• Lingering Neuroplasticity: The medicine facilitates neuroplasticity for days after each treatment,
meaning it helps the mind to operate outside of our default-mode functioning, creating novel
opportunities for growth and change with our most entrenched thoughts and behaviors.
• Short Psychedelic Journey: The psychedelic experience itself only lasts 40 to 60 minutes, which
makes it ideal for first-time psychedelic users; allows the medicine session to be focused on a handful
of thoughts/feelings/experiences, making it easier to harness/capture them for processing; and also
lends itself well to having a therapist present during the shorter experience.
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Prepare YourSelf, Your Client, and Your Practice for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy: 1
A Step by Step Guide (c)2023, Karen L Smith MSS, LCSW
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