Smarter Not Harder How Veronika Gold Uses Ketamine to Unlock Inner Healing | SNH Podcast #149
Nov 12, 2025
Veronika Gold, a psychotherapist and founder of Polaris Insight, specializes in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and has studied under luminary Stanislav Grof. In this discussion, she reveals how ketamine uniquely aids in trauma healing, anxiety, and depression. Veronika emphasizes the importance of integrating therapy with psychedelics for lasting change, while sharing insights from Indigenous healing practices. She highlights ketamine's rapid effects and warns about potential risks in the psychedelic movement. A fascinating exploration of mind, healing, and personal growth!
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Early Meeting With Stanislav Grof
- Veronika first met Stanislav Grof at 16 at a transpersonal psychology conference in Prague.
- That early encounter and holotropic breathwork inspired her move to the U.S. to study at CIIS and shaped her career.
Ketamine Bridges Medicine And Transpersonal Work
- Ketamine acts both as an anesthetic and as a gateway to non-ordinary states that can access trauma and transpersonal material.
- It fits medical, psychotherapeutic, and transpersonal paradigms depending on treatment goals.
Screen For Contraindications First
- Screen for psychological and medical contraindications before using ketamine, including psychosis or unstable bipolar states.
- Check heart, kidney, and liver health and flag family history of psychosis for cautious use.
