Drug and Alcohol Dependence
January 7, 1999
Karl Jansen
127 citations
MDMA is usually considered non-addictive, but three cases show that dependence criteria can be met in rare instances. Recognizing that MDMA can be addictive in exceptional cases is important because very heavy use may cause lasting neuronal changes. Effective identification and treatment of dependent individuals could reduce this risk. In one case, dependence was linked to self-medication of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Medical Hypotheses
January 1, 1990
Karl Jansen
96 citations
The near-death experience (NDE) is a dissociative mental state with characteristic features that can be reproduced by ketamine, which acts at sigma sites and blocks NMDA-linked PCP receptors to reduce ischemic damage. Endogenous ligands, alpha and beta-endopsychosin, have been detected for these receptors, suggesting an explanation for some NDEs: the endopsychosins may be released in abnormal quantity to protect neurons from ischemic and other excitotoxic damage, and the NDE is a side effect on consciousness with important psychological functions.
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies
July 1, 2014
Eli Kolp, Harris L. Friedman, Evgeny Krupitsky et al.
53 citations
Ketamine psychedelic psychotherapy (KPP) is a treatment approach that combines the dissociative anesthetic ketamine with psychotherapy. Ketamine produces a range of effects including analgesic, sedative, anxiolytic, antidepressant, and hallucinogenic properties. The paper reviews clinical applications of KPP, offers practical guidance, and examines the pharmacology and phenomenology of ketamine-induced experiences, including their potential for transpersonal healing and risks of misuse. It aims to serve as an authoritative resource for psychiatrists and others interested in understanding and applying KPP.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 1, 2006
Karl Jansen, Lynn Theron
49 citations
The traditional 'date rape drug' label applies to sedatives like GHB and Rohypnol that cause unconsciousness and amnesia. However, some law enforcement and prosecutors have extended the term to MDMA and methamphetamine, arguing that their empathy-generating, disinhibiting, or sensual effects can remove a person's ability to give reasoned consent, making them appear cooperative in sexual activity they would not have consented to without the drug. This interpretation is supported by toxicological data showing these drugs in sexual assault victims, leading to reliance on expert testimony from toxicologists and police rather than psychologists. Psychologists and psychiatrists often dismiss MDMA as an aphrodisiac or date rape drug as media myths. The article examines the strengths and weaknesses of these competing arguments.
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies
January 1, 2007
Eli Kolp, M. Scott Young, Harris L. Friedman et al.
44 citations
Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has antidepressant effects and can induce transformative transpersonal experiences. Although only approved as an anesthetic in the US, it is prescribed off-label for psychological problems and used similarly in Argentina, Iran, Mexico, Russia, and the UK. The literature on ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy (KEP) is reviewed, and two case studies treating death anxiety in terminally-ill people are reported. The authors emphasize the need for formal research on KEP for end-of-life death anxiety.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1997
Karl Jansen
3 citations
The author responds to commentators on their earlier paper about ketamine and near-death experiences (NDEs). Set and setting influence both drug effects and NDEs. Some NDEs are anxiety-generating, like some ketamine experiences, but frightening NDEs are often ignored by researchers. High-frequency compulsive ketamine use is rare. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) can induce NDEs but this is not typical, whereas NDE-like effects are typical of ketamine. The speed of drug onset does not relate to its capacity to induce NDEs. The existence of endopsychosins is doubtful, but NMDA receptor blocking mechanisms are real. NDEs and dream sleep may involve similar mechanisms. Altered states do not require a normally functioning brain. The author discusses the possible evolutionary advantage of the NDE mechanism.