Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a CNN Original six-part docuseries going around the world, as well as a podcast covering a range of topics.
On Tuesday, November 8 on season five, episode eight of the podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and CNN commentator dove into the world of psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental conditions.
Gupta will be exploring the role of psychedelics in medicine for the whole season: “This season on Chasing Life, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes listeners beyond the basics of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to explore unique sensory experiences,” the summary reads. “Discover why psychedelics might change your worldview, how animals perceive differently than humans, and how biases in taste might impact the future of food production.” A previous episode last week explored a synthetic version of psilocybin.
The psychedelic renaissance taking place in the world of medicine is impossible to ignore. Gupta invited “Nick” and “Janet” on the show—two people who had just experienced a ketamine-assisted therapy session at a retreat. The two people attempted to describe the experience and dissociation.
“They are part of a growing number of people who are taking so-called psychedelics,” Gupta said after they spoke. “You know them as ketamine, psilocybin, LSD, MDMA. The goal is to treat a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD. Now, most of the compounds are still tightly regulated by the US DEA, so the legal use of them is limited to research studies usually done at academic or medical centers. The anesthetic ketamine, though, at the moment is the only exception.”
The FDA’s approval of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression in 2019 is one example of how it’s being embraced at the federal level.
“Ketamine is a FDA-approved medication. It has a wide …
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Author: Benjamin M. Adams / High Times
