Dan Piepenbring, co-author of CHAOS, discusses the history and benefits of ketamine, challenging misconceptions and exploring its therapeutic potential. The podcast delves into the mystical and existential aspects of ketamine use, shedding light on its unique effects on consciousness and societal norms. It also touches on historical conflicts, climate disruptions, and varied responses to caring in human existence.
Ketamine has a historical link to consciousness exploration through anesthesia since the 19th century.
Individual responses to ketamine dosage range from catatonia to euphoric dance experiences.
Describing ketamine experiences is challenging due to their complex and multifaceted nature.
Ketamine can facilitate personal growth and community bonding through shared perceptions and introspection.
Deep dives
Ketamine's Historical Roots in Self-Anesthetization
Ketamine's origins trace back to a historical desire for anesthetization dating back to the 19th century, challenging misconceptions that it's a uniquely modern phenomenon. Benjamin Paul Blood, an obscure figure, sought revelations through ether and nitrous oxide, linking anesthesia to profound knowledge and consciousness expansion.
Diverse Experiences and Dangers of Ketamine Use
Ketamine's effects vary from inducing catatonia to enabling danceable experiences, dependent on dosage and individual responses. While some find its dissociative nature transformative and enlightening, misuse can lead to extreme addiction or concoction of elaborate conspiracy theories, emphasizing the drug's complexity and potential risks.
Challenges in Describing Ketamine's Effects and Ethical Concerns
Describing ketamine experiences is challenging due to their ineffable and multifaceted nature, blurring lines between realizations and paranoia. Ketamine's dissociative effects prompt reflections on societal normalcy, inspiring skepticism about the accepted reality and the profound impact of drug-induced insights.
Ketamine's Potential for Community Building and Personal Growth
Ketamine's use can foster bonding experiences, driving personal growth and community building in shared queerness perceptions. Despite concerns about escapism, the drug's ability to unveil the world's oddities can lead to introspection and a deeper understanding of reality's complexities, promoting unity and deeper connections among users.
Why Care - Diverse Perspectives
Numerous responses were provided to the question of 'Why do you care?' including answers reflecting personal responsibility like 'I don't, but I have to pay rent,' statements of habit such as 'It's a habit. I need to find a replacement habit,' and expressions of unique experiences like 'Because as a former child soldier in the Cola wars of the 1980s, I don't want my kid to be conscripted into a real war over a diminishing global supply of portable water.'
Solidarity with Palestinian Doctors - Kavitha Chakrul
Journalist Kavitha Chakrul will discuss the disappearance of hundreds of Palestinian doctors held in Israeli detention centers, highlighting the complexities and injustices faced by Palestinian healers, as detailed in her article 'Gaza's Stolen Healers.'
Insulin Costs and Profiteering - Edward Anguesso Jr. and Athena Sofides
Writer Edward Anguesso Jr. and researcher Athena Sofides shed light on the exploitative practices surrounding insulin pricing and availability in their examination of 'The Insulin Empire: How Profiteers Pushed a Lifesaving Drug Out of Reach,' a critical look at the financial obstacles hindering access to vital healthcare for millions.
Dan Piepenbring on his Baffler article, "K-Pop: Our forefathers did dissociatives." Dan is the New Books columnist for Harper’s and the co-author, with Tom O’Neill, of CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties. He’s currently working on a book about ketamine. "Rotten History" and "The Moment of Truth" follow the interview.
Check out Dan's article here: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/k-pop-piepenbring
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
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