Psycholytic Ketamine Therapy: A Conversation with Sharon Niv

Dr Sharon Niv, is the cofounder of Joyous, a platform for providing Psycholytic, or very low dose, Ketamine Therapy. The promise here is an affordable, effective mode of treatment that is effective and possible at scale. Sharon takes us through what a psycholytic dose is; how ketamine at this level affects people; the neuroplastic action of ketamine and how this is integrated into therapeutic practice; the safety of the protocol; and details of the actual process. Central to this discussion is memory reconsolidation to resolve trauma and other debilitating psychological patterns that repeat on a kind of psychic loop. In essence, it appears that repeated doses in conjunction with intentional inquiry and/or therapeutic assistance helps separate the memory part of trauma or habitual distress from the full-brain-activated dysregulation that generates a whole system of distress: somatic, episodic memory, nervous system activation, emotional memory processing, and narrative stories. It was a delightful and stimulating discussion.