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0 pointsempath756y ago0 comments

Rubbing ‘medical’ on something doesn’t magically change how it works. And it’s pretty much impossible to take mdma and not engage in talk therapy. I had conversations that went from favorite djs to the time they were raped in middle school with complete strangers. And then you go out and dance. I don’t think a hospital is going to improve the situation much. It’s just a loophole people have to go through to make it socially acceptable.

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7 comments · 3 top-level

kaikai6y ago· 2 in thread

What? Talking about hard or traumatizing experiences is NOT the same as working through trauma with a trained therapist. It’s great, and it can be helpful, but just talking about something is the first step.

Also, I don’t why y’all are acting like folks who use things like mdma and ketamine in a medical/therapeutic context haven’t also used them recreationally. It’s different, because the environment, intention, and often the dosage are all different. You taking drugs at a party is not the same, and using absolutist language to say otherwise when there’s actual medical research that contradicts you is an odd choice.

scarejunba6y ago

Do therapists actually contribute? I'm sceptical. For me, I got so much of the value from taking MDMA and just knowing my friends were around and actually loved me. Ended so much anxiety. Between Molly and Acid and these folks, I think I'm pretty much safe for the rest of my life.

mistermann6y ago

> Also, I don’t why y’all are acting like folks who use things like mdma and ketamine in a medical/therapeutic context haven’t also used them recreationally.

I think questions like this are underappreciated.

I propose that the potential underlying mechanisms of why people behave the way they do are described here, at least in part:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow

I think it's useful to observe how people, particularly intelligent people, interact with these ideas, and the inherent uncertainty involved.

Are people curious about how nature plays out, or are they tied in some way to nature being a particular way? Are they willing to discuss these ideas, and defend their beliefs, or is there something subconsciously repulsive about certain beliefs that renders them unable to discuss it rationally, but instead forces them to revert to defensive techniques like appeal to authority or popular tribal axioms.

Is uncertainty acceptable?

trevordixon6y ago· 2 in thread

Certain placebos only work when administered by a doctor in a clinic (heard it on some podcast once). Seems like ketamine could have different effects in different environments.

empath75OP6y ago

Ketamine is probably the one drug where the environment doesn’t make a lick of difference because once you drop into the hole, you are on another planet. The outside world may as well not exist.

kaikai6y ago

Only if you take very large doses. Maintenance doses for medical use are tiny; barely enough to feel any effect at all.

wtracy6y ago

My understanding is that the ketamine dosages used for treating depression are much, much lower than the dosages used recreationally. (I could be remembering wrong.)

Otherwise, the big advantage of getting a nurse to do it is that they are in a position to treat you if one of the rare but potentially fatal side effects pops up.

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