Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40933205›Full record

ArticlePsychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)2025

Ketamine-Occasioned Mystical Experience in Veterans with Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Retrospective Exploratory Analysis.

Kush V Bhatt, Jason N Compton, Em Ellerman, Jyoti Mishra, Dimitri Perivoliotis, James Pittman, Dhakshin Ramanathan, Andrew Bismark

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kush V BhattDepartment of Mental Health, Mental Health Care Line, VA San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2697-3594
Jason N ComptonDepartment of Mental Health, Mental Health Care Line, VA San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.
Em EllermanDepartment of Mental Health, Mental Health Care Line, VA San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.
Jyoti MishraDepartment of Psychiatry, UC San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA.
Dimitri PerivoliotisDepartment of Mental Health, Mental Health Care Line, VA San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.
James Pittman
Dhakshin Ramanathan
Andrew BismarkDepartment of Mental Health, Mental Health Care Line, VA San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introductions: Mystical experiences are powerful experiences that may have therapeutic value. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has shown potential to induce mystical experiences. However, little research has explored this phenomenon, particularly in treatment-resistant depression. Methods: We analyzed clinical data from 60 veterans with treatment-resistant depression receiving a total of 189 ketamine treatments. Veterans either received intranasal esketamine or racemic parenteral ketamine (intravenous or intramuscular). The Revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) was administered following ketamine treatments to assess the occurrence of mystical experience. A linear mixed model was used to examine the association between MEQ-30 scores and several treatment-related variables including gender, age, treatment number, dose, comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder, and pretreatment depression rating scores (PHQ-9). Results: Complete mystical experience was reported in 17.02% of esketamine treatments and 18.19% of racemic ketamine treatments. In the esketamine group, a greater number of treatment sessions was associated with higher MEQ-30 scores ( Discussion: These findings suggest that ketamine can occasion mystical experiences in veterans with treatment-resistant depression. Future studies should further explore the mystical-type effects of ketamine as a potential contributor to its therapeutic effect in treatment-resistant depression.

Indexed as

ketaminemystical experiencepsychedelictreatment-resistant depression

Identifiers

PMID40933205
PMCPMC12419157

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.