Introduction to Therapeutic Ketamine (or God in a Bottle)

Ketamine is medicine that is primarily used as a surgical anesthetic, but which also has rapid-acting antidepressant effects and visionary properties. Dr. Bennett will describe different ways of working with therapeutic ketamine, including low-dose infusions (biological approach), ketamine-facilitated psychotherapy (psychological approach), and psychedelic ketamine journeys (shamanic approach). Her talk will also include information about the mechanisms of action of ketamine, patient selection, patient preparation, what happens during the ketamine treatment session, working with material that emerges (integration), safety considerations, and adverse reactions. She will end by discussing some of the current controversies and challenges in this burgeoning field, including the recent FDA approval of esketamine for refractory depression.

Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. is a psychologist and a ketamine specialist from Berkeley, CA. She primarily works with people who are living with severe depression, bipolar disorder, and/or suicidal ideation. Dr. Bennett has been studying the antidepressant effects of ketamine since 2002, and she lectures frequently on this topic. Dr. Bennett is the founder of KRIYA Institute (http://www.kriyainstitute.com/) and the organizer of KRIYA Conference, which is an annual and international meeting devoted to the use of ketamine in psychiatry and psychotherapy. She has a long-standing interest in the relationship between psychedelic experience and mood modulation.