Ketamine-Occasioned Mystical Experience in Veterans with Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Retrospective Exploratory Analysis.
Kush V Bhatt, Jason N Compton, Em Ellerman, Jyoti Mishra, Dimitri Perivoliotis, James Pittman, Dhakshin Ramanathan, Andrew Bismark
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) August 1, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1089/psymed.2024.0040 via PubMed
Summary
Ketamine treatments can induce mystical experiences in veterans with treatment-resistant depression. In a study of 60 veterans, complete mystical experiences occurred in 17.02% of esketamine treatments and 18.19% of racemic ketamine treatments. A greater number of treatment sessions led to higher mystical experience scores in the esketamine group, while higher doses resulted in increased scores in the racemic ketamine group. These findings indicate that the mystical effects of ketamine may contribute to its therapeutic benefits.
Study at a glance
| Design | observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | veterans with treatment-resistant depression |
| Key finding | Ketamine can occasion mystical experiences in veterans with treatment-resistant depression. |
Abstract
Mystical experiences are powerful experiences that may have therapeutic value. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has shown potential to induce mystical experiences. However, little research has explored this phenomenon, particularly in treatment-resistant depression. We analyzed clinical data from 60 veterans with treatment-resistant depression receiving a total of 189 ketamine treatments. Veterans either received intranasal esketamine or racemic parenteral ketamine (intravenous or intramuscular). The Revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) was administered following ketamine treatments to assess the occurrence of mystical experience. A linear mixed model was used to examine the association between MEQ-30 scores and several treatment-related variables including gender, age, treatment number, dose, comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder, and pretreatment depression rating scores (PHQ-9). Complete mystical experience was reported in 17.02% of esketamine treatments and 18.19% of racemic ketamine treatments. In the esketamine group, a greater number of treatment sessions was associated with higher MEQ-30 scores (p = 0.05). In the racemic ketamine group, higher doses were associated with higher MEQ-30 scores (p = 0.002). These findings suggest that ketamine can occasion mystical experiences in veterans with treatment-resistant depression. Future studies should further explore the mystical-type effects of ketamine as a potential contributor to its therapeutic effect in treatment-resistant depression.