(TW: Suicide) Listener Angel describes working with ketamine after many devastating personal tragedies. For her, ketamine is a lifeline. 

After a lifetime of traumas, she describes feeling like "one of those people who couldn't be helped." Thankfully, ketamine - together with therapy, writing, and solid family support - has led her to feel lighter. Now, she says, she can coexist with her memories.

Like many of us, Angel has had spiritual experiences with ketamine, leaving her feeling divinely protected and loved. As someone trying to heal from grief, trauma, and serious mental illness, I learned a lot from this conversation. Angel's story encompasses the gravity, joy, and profound meaning that some of us experience once we start working with ketamine.

This conversation will come out in two parts. Part Two will drop next week. Subscribe to Ketamine Insights on any podcast platform to get the next episode (and future episodes) automatically. If you're new to podcasts, email us and we'll show you how. (Really!)

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If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, reach out. Get help. You are never all alone. In the US, you can dial 988. 

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Amber, a trained autopsy technician and Ketamine Insights listener, generously shares her story of doing research, finding a therapist, and finding beauty in the mundane. She and Molly discuss how ketamine journeys feel, the experience of "coming back" from trips, and the work of doing SO much introspection in a short period of time.

They also share practical tips about music, weighted blankets, mindfulness, support networks, and more.

Thanks so much to Amber for sharing her story.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. And remember, you are never all alone.

Please take a moment to share this podcast with a friend.

A transcript of this episode is available at ketamineinsights.com

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Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights

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or on Substack  https://mollydunn.substack.com

Remember to advocate for yourself, and never ration your joy!

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Molly and her partner Demond discuss his experience supporting someone with serious mental illness. Who can you look to for guidance? How should you treat someone who's coming down from a psychedelic  journey? We talk about the benefits of instructions, the dangers of advice, and what to do when your loved one is spiraling out.

Help us by subscribing at https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights or https://mollydunn.substack.com

Email us at [email protected]

Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights

You can also find all of our episodes on YouTube

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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Molly interviews a listener about his experiences with depression, bipolar, and therapeutic ketamine. We learn how George convinced his hesitant psychiatrist, found a therapist trained in psychedelics, and joined a ketamine support group. We discuss the spiritual element to psychedelic experiences, what a ketamine journey can actually feel like, and the wonderful insights he's gained along the way.

This is a gem of a conversation. We hope you enjoy it. If you do, please take a moment to share this podcast with a friend.

Help us keep the lights on at https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
Subscribe to our newsletter at https://mollydunn.substack.com
Email us at [email protected]
Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights
You can also find all of our episodes on YouTube

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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None of the many psychedelic conferences in 2023 have slots for patients to speak. The disability rights movement declares, "Nothing about us without us!" but instead of valuing patients' lived experiences or practicing trauma-informed medicine, the field of psychedelic medicine is excluding us from the rooms (and zooms) where policies are debated and best practices established.

In this episode, Molly gives an update on season two (coming soon!) and provides some perspective on the marginalization of patient voices. Spoiler: she argues that the field of psychedelic medicine is building structures of violence against the patients it hopes to serve. One swear word appears in this episode.

Tell us what to cover in season two by visiting https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
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If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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Molly is the guest storyteller for Tell Me What Happened's 50th episode. Host Jay Rehak listens as Molly remembers her Grandma making a shocking admission (proudly!) at a big family dinner.

Jay and Molly discuss how we often think that we already understand the people closest to us, when there is actually great wisdom and insight to be gained from asking them to... Tell Me What Happened.

Thanks to Mr. Rehak (my high school English teacher!) for having me on, and for letting me share this story and a poem titled Us, Together. Both are about my grandma, and I'm honored to share a tiny bit of her with you.

Please check out Tell Me What Happened, and take a moment to share Ketamine Insights too.

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You can also find us on YouTube

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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An exploration of "All or Nothing Thinking" and other mental habits that hold us back. Google "cognitive distortions," and you're sure to recognize a few patterns from your own internal monologue. Maybe you catastrophize or you tend to disqualify the positive things in your life. Another common cognitive distortion is "all or nothing thinking," which can wreak havoc on our ability to manage our expectations as we try different treatments.

Molly and Lynn discuss their own experiences with treatments that aren't cures, and Molly cautions against expecting therapeutic ketamine to end treatment resistant depression. They also share some thoughts on how distorting "all or nothing thinking" can be in the arenas of personal wellbeing and service to others. We take a moment of mourning for Dr. Paul Farmer, whose vision and moral clarity continue to instruct and inspire us.

We reference a wonderful Ezra Klein Show episode in which he interviews the incomparable Robert Sapolsky. That episode (called "Robert Sapolsky on the Toxic Relationship of Poverty and Stress") is here https://pod.link/voxconversations/episode/34b7e4b6820f3877279f47e0b38224c1 

If you enjoy Ketamine Insights, please take a moment to share it with a friend.

Our hosts are Lynn Schneider and Molly Dunn. 
All of our music is by Solid State Symphony.

Help us keep the lights on at https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
Email us at [email protected] with suggestions for Season Two!
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You can also find us on YouTube

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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Many people report feeling more creative and open during smaller doses of ketamine, making it an ideal time for a therapy session, journaling, or for bonding with a loved one. In this episode, Lynn and Molly discuss several ways to use ketamine lozenges (aka troches) to improve mental health. Within your prescriber's instructions, we encourage you to explore how lower-dose ketamine can be most helpful for you.

Also, if you've been wondering how our hosts feel about Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, then this is the episode for you :)

Please take a moment to share this podcast with a friend.

Help us cover costs by visiting https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
Email us at [email protected]
Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights
(Email or DM us with something you're proud of from the past week)
You can also find us on YouTube

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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Ketamine makes our brains more elastic, so how do we make the most of that flexibility? From ice cream to journaling to roller skating, Lynn & Molly discuss visceral pleasures to help people form new, more joyful neural pathways.

Of course, you don't need ketamine to plan a Day of Joy. Send this episode to a friend and make a date!

If you're enjoying this podcast, please help us keep the lights on by visiting https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights

Email us at [email protected] (Tell us what you're proud of from this past week!)

Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights
You can also find us on YouTube

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

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*No Medical Advice*   What is a ketamine infusion like? How do I dress? What do I bring? Should I be scared? Lynn and Molly explore common concerns and give some concrete tips (like how to pick and prune a ketamine playlist). Then Molly reads her poem "A Room in Chicago," which is a very personal description of the therapeutic ketamine experience. 

We also touch on why patient voices are so important, and the profound value of the disability justice movement.

In this episode we reference:
Reid My Mind podcast http://reidmymind.com/
Crip Camp movie https://cripcamp.com/

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

Please take a moment to share this podcast with a friend.

Help us keep the lights on at https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
Email us at [email protected]
Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights
You can also find us on YouTube

Support the show