Ketamine (Ketalar)
Does Ketamine Produce NDEs
Near Death Experiences
Tunnels, experiencing God, oneness, meeting others, out-of-body experiences, life changes, sometimes frightening experiences, seeing the future, experiencing a true reality, believing that you have died, and experiencing things that words can't describe are all common elements of Ketamine and NDE experiences.
The life changing aspects of Ketamine are so strong that research in Russia claims that it is very effective in curing alcoholism, phobias, depression, and neuroses.
Words from the Russian researcher Dr. Evgeny Krupitsky: A dose of 50 mg (.7 mg/kg) induces a motion picture of colored images when eyes are closed. When eyes are open, ordinary reality remains but assumes an unusual air. Orientation is resolved. On 100-150 mg (1.4-2.1 mg/kg) ordinary reality disappears even when eyes opened.
Perceptions of one's own body also disappear. The subject discovers himself as a point of consciousness which moves in very strange worlds yet the feeling of self remains. On doses higher than 150 mg (2.1 mg/kg) intramuscularly, the feeling of individual self dissolves.
The process of losing one's individuality can be horrifying and felt as a real death. If the subject can relax and let go, this process may be ecstatic. After the loss of the feeling of one's individual self, the experience is indescribable. There exists only That which is aware of Itself.
The changes in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) after Ketamine Psychedelic Therapy (KPT) session testified to positive personality changes.
Changes in the Color Test of Attitudes after KPT testified to a positive transformation of the unconscious emotional attitudes of our alcoholic patients towards themselves and their significant others.
Changes in our Spirituality Scale testified to a significant increase in the level of spiritual development after the ketamine session. All these psychological changes favored sober life.
As a rule, we also observed positive transformations in our patients' systems of life values, purpose and meaning, but these changes had not been previously measured quantitatively with psychological tests.
Clinical impressions and indirect evidence from the Spirituality Scale suggested these changes, but not a rigorous scientific proof.
Words from other Ketamine experiencers: These comments were taken out of context, but it gives you a sense of how similar the experiences can be. I complained to Dr. Karl Jansen (the only researcher I am aware of that is concerned specifically with Ketamine as it relates to NDEs) that the Ketamine experiences have similar qualities, but my overall impression is that they are not as profound and centered on love.
He replied that the setting of the experience makes a lot of difference. Taking a recreational drug in your house is much different from being in a hospital or other sudden situation where you may be in pain or afraid that you are about to die. I agree with Dr. Jansen on this point.
Here are the excerpts: Looooooovvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeee, Reeeaaaalllliiiiittttyyyyyyyy, Hoooommmmmeeeee. I was God, I saw light and warmth. This is Home. Sooo familiar, where we belong. Where we go. Everything is perfect, no words, just basic feeling. Love, Reality, Home.
This was about the only words that I could bring back. Really no words there, but strong feelings. I Knew I was God and that I wasn't a little while before, but didn't have any idea what I was before. I was completely calm and comfortable, it was Home. Perfect. I wasn't alone either.
(buzzing occurred) Most of the time I felt like a pure light that could flow like lava and make sweet guitar-distortion sounds, I was burning very bright. I could just be in this state, it felt beautiful. Other times I would have conscious thoughts, I would note that I felt godlike.
I would love myself, it was great. When I'd think of my friends I'd feel very warm, but the couple times I tried explaining to them how I was feeling (I had to get up and piss quite a few times, was still dizzy), I felt the words totally inadequate, and I'd lose the feeling. (Buzzing occurred)Tunnel vision and a feeling of 'being deep inside your own body' occurs.
. . .reality as we normally experience it had crumbled into a different form. It was as though the world broke up, revealing another dimension. The subject was there, and not there at the same time - there was no apparent boundary between the subject and object - the world and I became one. . . .
Although it was certainly an extreme experience, it was fundamentally unsatisfying. No real insight into the world, or even the experience were gained, Bubbles, bouncing babies and bubbles, she kept saying.
I can't feel my body anymore except this overriding general fuzziness. The lines on the ceiling become a tunnel and I am flying down it faster than sound approaching the speed of light..
Oh no, the tunnel takes a big dive downwards! I am facing straight down this big tunnel and I am falling. . . .
Now there are rules.
I can see them all. I am outside my room looking down at us and I know all the rules. There is so much going on outside of us. Other people, other rules, other things, that we are not allowed to see in the day to day. More knowledge. Who is next to me. What is next to me. I know it is something important. I say who is there.
One friend of mine who took it thought he had died, but he wasn't frightened or upset by this at all, which should give you some indication of just how weird things can get.
It sort of dissociates you from your live. I drifted trough worlds of other dimensions from inside the cosmos towards the outside of the circular thing which is called the universe.(Sounds strange, but that is what I felt) I also had the feeling that I have learned a lot of spiritual things. It is perhaps truth, there was not especially much fun. But I was satisfied and content as I would be after a long adventure holiday.
I realized then that I didn't travel between theses two worlds but only shifted my attention in a different direction. I always was and probably always will be in this world I found there, but living different lives I will enter different 'simulations'.
I floated back with a peaceful and content feeling. I felt that I had experienced something good, something special. I was slowly entering my body, like putting on a garment: legs first, then arms, chest, head. At the same time, my sight and hearing returned as I was shifting my attention to these senses. Everything felt a bit unreal at first, but this went away after a while.
This experience felt to me as real as anything I know from this world. Now, 3 Months later this hasn't changed. I consider this level possibly dangerous for unexperienced users, because of the strong impact it has on your life. In my case, experiencing reality as 'just a game' could have easily driven me into suicide, if I wasn't happy with this life.
They have been reported as spending a great deal of time analyzing conversations that they have held with the various Ketamine entities. These beings offer great insights into life, the universe and everything. In the words of one such traveller into the realm of the hyper-real, It is no great accomplishment to hear a voice in the head. The accomplishment is to make sure that it is telling you the truth.
How Dangerous is Ketamine?
Although most of the comments on this page about Ketamine are positive, and it is routinely used as an anaesthetic in much larger doses, Ketamine is not a safe drug. For example, you can pass out, vomit, and suffocate. Depending on your source, you may not know how large a dose your are taking.
If I understand some of the user's comments correctly, it seems that Ketamine may produce substantially negative and long-lasting psychological effects, bringing to mind fears of LSD trips that can ruin your life.
Here are some of the negative comments I was able to find about Ketamine:
People who have taken the drug report a range of effects from the unpleasant, to the downright dangerous. Reports from America offer numerous examples of users who get trapped in repeated, compulsive administration of the drug giving rise to incidents usually associated with bad acid trips, with people believing that they can fly or attempting to get out of moving vehicles.
Others have suffered paranoia or severe delusional states. In the last few months, it has been increasingly evident that such incidents are no longer limited to the USA. Having the Ketamine entities lie to us may be the least of our worries.
In fact, though I may be wrong on this, I would consider such an adventure to be a high risk one. Please be careful.
Not a bad idea to have a straight person around while you're doing it, especially if there are open flames nearby or anything like that. Like I said, you'll be very out of it.
After my experience with ketamine, I was advised, and agreed, to take a semester off from school. I was warned that I might experience flashbacks. I did not.
I awoke from the anaesthesia to the most petrifying, unpleasant experience of my life. I experienced hallucinations that were beyond description. I, also, experienced severe memory loss.
I was unable to recognize family and friends. I was, also, very anxious and restless. I said things that made no sense. According to the attending anesthesiologist, I was insane for five days. The attending, later, went to NIH to brief the doctors, there, of my reaction.
My family and I were later told that my reaction was worse than the norm, but certainly not atypical. I have always been surprised that this drug is still available, but I understand it does have positive pediatric and vet uses.
As a result of my experience, though, I would certainly wonder why anyone would wish to experiment with ketamine. That is only one persons opinion, though.
I consider this level possibly dangerous for unexperienced users, because of the strong impact it has on your life. In my case, experiencing reality as 'just a game' could have easily driven me into suicide, if I wasn't happy with this life.
It is significant that 30 percent of normal subjects given ketamine insisted that they had not been dreaming or hallucinating, but that the events had really happened.
Additional Notes
Discussion of this topic can occur in the newsgroup alt.consciousness.near-death-exp It is possible that Ketamine HCL (Ketalar, Vetalar, Ketaset) can induce NDEs. Dr. Karl Jansen has extensively researched this topic and links to his work can be found at the bottom of this page. The following is a summary of what I was able to find on the internet concerning Ketamine as related to NDEs.
Ketamine is an anaesthetic that is available only to physicians and is scheduled in several states. Since anesthetizing levels of Ketamine knock you out, the dose required to have an experience is 6 to 10 times smaller than what is given by veterinarians and physicians.
Ketamine is a prescription only medicine and so is not covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act. This means that possession of ketamine is not a criminal offence. However, under the Medicines Act, unauthorized supply is illegal.
Books Ketamine: Dreams and Realities
The author of this 300+ page book, Dr. Karl Jansen, is donating 100% of the profits to ketamine research. Profits are not the motive of his writing the book, understanding is.
Plenty of information about the history, applications, chemistry, benefits, risks, use, misuse, death/birth experiences, the future of this mysterious drug and more.
The accounts of his experiences are well worded and easy to understand. You don't have to be a scientist to understand the book, but even if you are the contents will be of value.
Ketamine: Dreams and Realities The Little Book of Ketamine
Used worldwide as both an anesthetic and a recreational psychedelic drug, ketamine has recently attracted the attention of medical researchers, law enforcement officers, and people interested in exploring alternative spirituality and consciousness.
The book describes the drug's history, its use in the underground party scene, and its sought-after effects as well as its dangers and how to reduce them.
The Little Book of Ketamine
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