What ketamine does to the human brain

(theatlantic.com)

67 points | by aagha 9 hours ago ago

20 comments

  • lordfrito 8 hours ago ago

    I take ketamine 2 to 3 times a year through a clinic. The altered state it puts me in is contemplative and gives me perspective-- I explain to people it's like getting a massage for my mind. I don't feel any pull or draw to abuse it or use it more frequently. YMMV of course.

    That said, the article title is very misleading. It's essentially a (very) thinly veiled hit piece on Musk. As if we need more of those on HN. A better title would be "What Ketamine could be doing to Musk's brain, which would explain explain why he's so crazy/evil/nazi -- and why you should continued to be scared/panic/etc"

    I can imagine frequent use of any psychedelic (or any drug) being correlated with all sorts of other mental and inhibition issues. That's not new/news.

    • techno_tsar 7 hours ago ago

      I agree. You don't need someone's ketamine use to explain why they're a Nazi.

      You know who else uses a lot of ketamine? The rave scene, the queer scene, and people treating PTSD. And those are some of the most un-Nazi folks out there.

      It's a dissociative drug. It can be used recreationally, it can be used therapeutically, and of course, for medical purposes.

      Let's be real. Why is Musk a megalomaniac? Because he is a megalomaniac. The end.

      • swatcoder 7 hours ago ago

        The public impression of him radically changed in recent years, and -- like old friends and family trying to make sense of the person who "became someone else" after getting involved in a dark scene -- people are naturally looking for an understanding that can make sense to them.

        I think many of us see the the through line in Musk's story the same way we can see how our friends who spiraled into chaos and self-destruction had always been fragile or angry or hurt or whatever, but for others who were never perceptive or open enough to have seen the already-troubled side of these people, a drug abuse narrative (which often can have truth to it) can help it all become less bewildering.

      • dzhiurgis 2 hours ago ago

        Because he was abused as a child. Read his bio, it’s pretty sad.

    • throwawaymaroon 8 hours ago ago

      [dead]

  • ketamine 8 hours ago ago

    Readers might also enjoy "The Ketamine Secrets of ‘Ecco the Dolphin’"

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-ketamine-secrets-of-sega...

    More anecdotes from Mr. Lilly https://www.intuition.org/txt/lilly.htm

    MISHLOVE: Perhaps this is a necessary part of everybody's journey, is to go through the epitome of terror.

    LILLY: Right. For instance, there's an Iranian psychiatrist, an American psychiatrist, that put a hundred patients in a mental hospital in Iran through what they feared most, on Ketamine, and they all left the hospital. Now, I tried the same thing, after I read that. That evening I took 150 milligrams of Ketamine, and suddenly the Earth Coincidence Control Office removed my penis and handed it to me. I screamed in terror. My wife Toni came running in from the bedroom, and she said, "It's still attached." So I shouted at the ceiling, "Who's in charge up there? A bunch of crazy kids?" The answer came back, "Well, you had an unconscious fear, so we put you through it, just the way the Iranian psychiatrist did."

    MISHLOVE: In the realm of the mind, the province of the mind, we can face all our fears.

    LILLY: Well, you may not be able to live with it, but you should try it.

    • soupfordummies 7 hours ago ago

      Wild ride of an article reminding me why I read the comments more than TFAs.

      Oh and nice username lol

  • ketamine 8 hours ago ago
  • FjordWarden 8 hours ago ago

    It can have devastating effect on your bladder as well, some people need to go the the toilet every hour or even have it removed.

  • valtism 7 hours ago ago

    Funnily enough, PCP is a drug that is very similar to Ketamine, but has a very different reputation.

    Whenever someone sees someone in full-blown psychosis walking stark naked on the side of the road, PCP immediately gets the blame. In reality, both drugs have the same psychosis potential.

    It's not an immediate thing. Heavy users will just start feeling confident and motivated. Little need for sleep and a spring in their step like they are light as a feather. As the heavy use continues, this can spiral into mania, delusions of grandeur, detachment from reality and paranoia.

    I have no way of knowing how much Elon uses, but it would not surprise me if he is treating himself with consistent low doses of ketamine. I wonder how his memory is, that would be a pretty good tell.

  • 8 hours ago ago
    [deleted]
  • underseacables 8 hours ago ago

    I had severe depression and did the ketamine nasal spray at a clinic. I didn't feel like it really helped me, but according to my therapist, my mood did markedly improved. Unfortunately, the process is anything but pleasant. The greatest thing I ever did was to say yes to doing shrooms.

  • immibis 8 hours ago ago

    Can make anyone feel like they rule the world... Musk does rule the world, so, he's correct to take it?

  • kelseyfrog 8 hours ago ago

    [flagged]

    • steveBK123 8 hours ago ago

      Big, if true (it is)

    • immibis 8 hours ago ago

      Is it a delusion when he really does rule the world?

    • Jerrrrrry 8 hours ago ago

      Less than 60 seconds, impressive.