Talking Ketamine Podcast
Claim This Podcastby Talking Ketamine
Podcast Authority
Beta
Podcast Overview
<p>Explore the cutting-edge science and therapeutic potential of ketamine. Talking Ketamine offers evidence-based discussions to demystify its role in mental health and beyond, providing informed insights into this powerful compound.</p><p>Each episode explores a recent scientific study that explores an interesting aspect of ketamine treatment, ketamine therapy, and ketamine use in mental health. </p><p>The podcast has covered topics ranging from ketamine and music to ketamine's surprising help in battling some cancers.</p><p>Most of the papers covered are cutting edge science so you may not want to make medical decisions from them. But, each piece of evidence, good or bad, big or small, guides us to a better understanding of this miraculous medicine.</p><p>If you are interested in ketamine research because you suffer from MDD or are having thoughts of suicide, please dial 988 or visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://988lifeline.org">https://988lifeline.org</a> in the US or go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://findahelpline.com/">https://findahelpline.com/</a> to find help in your location.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
11/19/2024
Unlock The Full Podcast Authority Score Report
See how your podcast performs across key metrics
Podcast Authority
BetaRecommendations available
Unlock the full report to see detailed tips
Recommendations available
Unlock the full report to see detailed tips
Unlock comprehensive insights including:
- • YouTube presence analysis
- • Social media reach metrics
- • RSS compliance scoring
- • Podcast 2.0 features
- • Technical standards
Detailed Analytics
- Complete breakdown of all 19 authority metrics
- Personalized recommendations for each metric
- Industry benchmarks and comparisons
- Technical RSS feed analysis and compliance scoring
Growth Strategies
- Step-by-step action plans for improvement
- Quick wins to boost your score immediately
- Pro tips from successful podcasters
See how your show performs across every key metric
High authority scores make your podcast more attractive to industry leaders and influencers who want to appear on credible shows.
Sponsors look for podcasts with proven authority and engagement. Your score demonstrates your podcast's value to potential partners.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you make data-driven decisions to expand your listener base effectively.
3 verified contact emails on file for Talking Ketamine Podcast
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
June 29, 2026
Navigating K-Land
<p>Can a dissociative drug create the mental breathing room needed to break a decade-long cycle of severe methamphetamine addiction? In this episode of the Talking Ketamine podcast, we explore the groundbreaking KAPPA pilot trial detailed in the qualitative study, 'Navigating ‘k-land’: a qualitative exploration of participants’ experiences of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder' by Fletcher et al. The study follows 14 individuals struggling with severe methamphetamine use disorder (MAUD)—many of whom had faced years of chronic treatment failure and deep societal stigma—as they undergo a novel clinical intervention combining subanesthetic ketamine infusions with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).</p><p>For individuals with a history of chronic methamphetamine use, everyday life feels like being stuck on a broken treadmill with the incline and speed maxed out. Over time, chronic use hijacks the brain's reward center, building a rigid 'glutamate superhighway' that turns triggers into automatic, compulsive drug seeking. In this state, standard therapies bounce right off, like planting a seed in frozen, rock-hard winter soil. Ketamine acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist, temporarily placing a roadblock on this superhighway. This thaws the soil and acts as a remote control, allowing patients to hit a crucial 'pause button' to observe triggers without being consumed by cravings. It is a critical 'foot in the door' that dampens emotional volatility and provides transient 'psychological space.'</p><p>However, this pause button is only temporary, and the wet concrete of the brain will eventually solidify again. This is why psychotherapy and integration are vital. By delivering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) within the 24 to 48 hours following a ketamine session—when a surge of BDNF acts like 'miracle grow' for the brain—patients can actively absorb the therapeutic tools and 'nail down' long-term behavioral changes. Ultimately, the KAPPA trial highlights that ketamine is not a magic wand, but a facilitative tool. While behavioral outcomes remain variable and dependent on ongoing commitment, this combined treatment offers a hopeful, dignified path forward for those seeking to reclaim agency over their lives.</p><p>Reference:</p><p>Fletcher, K., Ezard, N., Siefried, K. J., van der Helder, S., Freestone, J., Brett, J., May, R., Acheson, L., & Clifford, B. (2026). Navigating ‘k-land’: A qualitative exploration of participants’ experiences of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 17, Article 1873497. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1873497">https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1873497</a></p>
June 19, 2026
Ketamine and Sleep
<p>For years, the bone-deep exhaustion of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) was dismissed as a secondary symptom of a mood disorder. However, a landmark placebo-controlled clinical trial from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has revealed a biological reality: depressed brains suffer from a corrupted sleep engine. Using a two-process model of sleep, the researchers focused on "Process S"—the homeostatic sleep drive that builds up chemical pressure (via adenosine) throughout the day. Under normal conditions, this pressure triggers "synaptic downscaling" during deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which behaves like clearing a computer's cache or turning down the background volume on waking connections. In TRD patients, the internal thermostat for this process is broken, leading to a severe deficit in slow-wave activity (SWA), particularly during the crucial first 90-minute cycle of the night (NREM1). This leaves patients waking up feeling like they ran a marathon in their sleep—analogous to a smartphone with corrupted battery software that only ever charges to 10% while background apps drain the system.</p><p>The NIH study monitored 91 unmedicated TRD patients and 42 healthy volunteers in a specialized sleep lab using polysomnography. To ensure the validity of Process S, patients were kept awake all day playing board games to prevent them from "bleeding off" sleep pressure through daytime naps. The results were dramatic: a single IV infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) acted as a hard operating system reboot on the very first night. In patients who responded clinically to ketamine (defined by a 50% or greater drop in depression scores on the MADRS scale), sleep efficiency rose past 87%, total sleep time surpassed 400 minutes, and sleep latency dropped from 30 minutes to under 20. In contrast, healthy volunteers showed no changes due to a "ceiling effect" (their systems were already running optimally), while non-responders' sleep architecture remained broken. Unlike traditional sleep aids that act as chemical off-switches creating "junk sleep" while suppressing deep waves, ketamine functions as a biological system administrator that clears the cache and executes the brain's natural restorative maintenance.</p><p>However, the study also revealed a crucial limitation: the sleep-reboot effect diminished with age, especially in older non-responders. Mechanistically, ketamine triggers a glutamate burst that releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). While pop science describes BDNF as "fertilizer for the brain," it is more akin to an aggressive biological construction crew deploying jackhammers to break down rigid, depressed neural pathways and build new dendritic branches. To succeed, this crew needs "plasticity reserve"—the concrete and steel raw materials that naturally decline with age and decades of chronic depression. When the brain has been immobilized in a cast of depressive rigidity for decades, a single infusion is not enough. Rebuilding this reserve requires a sustained protocol resembling physical therapy, such as stacked dosing and behavioral therapies. Ultimately, this breakthrough suggests that consumer sleep wearables could soon replace subjective psychiatric questionnaires by tracking overnight slow-wave recovery, providing doctors with objective biological data confirming if a patient's physical hardware is actively healing by breakfast.</p><p>Reference:</p><p>Hejazi, N., Kheirkhah, M., Riedner, B., Yuan, Q., Chholak, R., Momenan, R., Jones, G., Goldman, D., & Zarate, C. A., Jr. (2026). Modulation of early non-rapid eye movement slow wave activity by ketamine in treatment-resistant depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. Advance online publication. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-026-02465-4">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-026-02465-4</a></p>
June 12, 2026
Ketamine for Prolonged Grief
<p>For the estimated seven to ten percent of bereaved adults struggling with Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), mourning isn’t a slow march forward; it is a state of total paralysis. While typical grief allows the internal clock to keep ticking as the world spins, PGD jams the gears of recovery, trapping individuals in a closed loop of loss-oriented rumination and profound identity disruption. Standard psychiatric treatments like SSRIs frequently fail because PGD is not merely depression, and specialized, multi-session psychotherapies remain difficult for most people to access.</p><p>This episode dives into a retrospective analysis of 503 adults who underwent Mindbloom's guided, at-home telehealth ketamine therapy. By acting as an NMDA receptor antagonist, ketamine decreases functional connectivity within the hyperactive default mode network (DMN)—the brain's self-referencing storytelling engine that holds onto stubborn expectations, or "high-level neural priors." Using the analogy of deeply rutted dirt roads, the constant agonizing loop of grief digs tracks so deep that the mind's tires cannot steer out of them. Ketamine essentially smooths out the dirt, filling these ruts and providing the cognitive flexibility needed for the tires to find traction. This biological window aligns with the dual process model of bereavement, allowing patients to shift from paralyzing loss to active life restoration, and ultimately reprogram their internal GPS.</p><p>The clinical findings are striking: among the 121 participants who completed the six-session protocol, grief scores declined consistently, leading to a 31% average reduction in symptoms and a 76% clinical response rate. Crucially, the single largest improvement—standing at nearly 36%—occurred not in general sadness, but in identity and role confusion. While the study faces limitations like high attrition (completer bias) and the lack of a placebo control, worst-case sensitivity analysis still confirms a robust diagnostic remission rate of 18-19%. These results suggest that healing from profound loss is not a passive waiting game, but an active process of rebuilding who we are.</p><p>Reference:</p><p>Carter, D., Reardon, I., Swain, J., & Vando, L. (2026). Prolonged grief symptom outcomes during at-home ketamine-assisted therapy: A real-world retrospective analysis of 503 adults. Research Square. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9839240/v1">https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9839240/v1</a></p>
71 total episodes available
Similar Podcasts
Discover related shows you might enjoy
Ketamine Connections
Anna Krishtal
Ketamine Therapy: Explained
Inception Point AI
Ketamine Insights
Molly Dunn & Lynn Schneider
The Mel Robbins Podcast
Mel Robbins
Huberman Lab
Scicomm Media
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
Esther Perel Global Media
Modern Wisdom
Chris Williamson
The Daily
The New York Times
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Pivot
New York Magazine
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Armchair Umbrella
Dr. Death
Audible
Casefile True Crime
Casefile Presents
The TMZ Podcast
TMZ
The Megyn Kelly Show
SiriusXM
Deep-dive analytics for Talking Ketamine Podcast
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Talking Ketamine Podcast?
<p>Explore the cutting-edge science and therapeutic potential of ketamine. Talking Ketamine offers evidence-based discussions to demystify its role in mental health and beyond, providing informed insights into this powerful compound.</p><p>Each episode explores a recent scientific study that explores an interesting aspect of ketamine treatment, ketamine therapy, and ketamine use in mental health. </p><p>The podcast has covered topics ranging from ketamine and music to ketamine's surprising help in battling some cancers.</p><p>Most of the papers covered are cutting edge science so you may not want to make medical decisions from them. But, each piece of evidence, good or bad, big or small, guides us to a better understanding of this miraculous medicine.</p><p>If you are interested in ketamine research because you suffer from MDD or are having thoughts of suicide, please dial 988 or visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://988lifeline.org">https://988lifeline.org</a> in the US or go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://findahelpline.com/">https://findahelpline.com/</a> to find help in your location.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 7 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.