Lynn and Molly discuss Somatic Therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS), two therapeutic modalities often used alongside ketamine treatments. Molly shares a story of Somatic Experiencing, describing how different body sensations revealed helpful emotional insights. We discuss the interweaving relationships between trauma, the body, talk therapy, and therapeutic ketamine.

The conversation then shifts to Internal Family Systems, exploring how listening to our different internal "parts" can bring healing. We emphasize that, within IFS, every part of you gets a seat at the table, gets to be heard and understood. We discuss the IFS concept of an internal "Self," a permanent and unbreakable internal place of connectedness from which we can facilitate our own healing.

Throughout, we highlight how ketamine can work alongside these modalities.

Lorna Skuraton, LMT is the brilliant massage therapist, holder of space, and healer that Molly mentions at the top of the episode. If you're in Chicago, check out her company Venous Return for wonderful massages and powerful Somatic Experiencing sessions.

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If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

Remember to advocate for yourself and never ration your joy

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Host Molly welcomes midwife and activist Betsy Merbitz to discuss the importance of patient-centered care in childbirth and in psychedelic therapies. Our conversation delves into the distinctions between holistic and medical models, focusing on the role of the individual as the primary healer. Betsy describes her work as a Certified Professional Midwife, the importance of holding space, and the historical context of the medicalization of birth. We explore the role of profit-seeking in the creation of our current healthcare systems while bemoaning the lack of accountability built into those systems.

We note that both psychedelics and childbirth have long histories of traditional and community-based care providers, and we discuss the dangers of excluding them in favor of for-profit models. The episode concludes with insights on how to center patient voices in the emerging field of psychedelic medicine, drawing parallels to the birth community.

In this episode we reference Dr. Neel Shah. Here are two articles about his work. These articles unfortunately do not use gender inclusive language.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/hospital-management-practices-cesareans/
https://www.consumerreports.org/c-section/biggest-c-section-risk-may-be-your-hospital

We also reference Ayize Jama-Everett, one of the creators of the documentary A Table of Our Own. The interview I reference is from an episode of the Psychedelics Today podcast, which can be found here.

If you enjoy Ketamine Insights, please share it with a friend and rate and review it on your favorite podcast platform. Online engagement (such as ratings and reviews) helps us reach a larger audience.

Support us and join our community at https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
or at https://mollydunn.substack.com/

Email us at ketamineinsights@gmail.com (we love to hear from you!)

You can also find all of our episodes on YouTube and our website ketamineinsights.com
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

Support the Show.

Lynn is back(!) for a fun conversation about holistic ways to improve mental health. From exercise and energy healing to sobriety and sleep hygiene, we discuss practices that can complement ketamine therapy,

A companion episode to S1 Ep3 ("Comparing Depression Treatment Options"), this episode can help you feel empowered to choose which of your many treatment options you want engage in, and how. Treat it like a buffet and take what you like :-)

If you enjoy Ketamine Insights, please share it with a friend and rate and review it on your favorite podcast platform. That really helps us reach more people!

Join our community at https://www.patreon.com/ketamineinsights
or at https://mollydunn.substack.com/
Email us at ketamineinsights@gmail.com (we love to hear from you!)
Our Instagram is @ketamineinsights
You can also find all of our episodes on YouTube and on our website ketamineinsights.com

In this episode we reference:
Christopher Germer's book The Mindful Path to Self Compassion
We Can Do Hard Things podcast Episode 215 with Andrea Gibson
SmartRecovery.org for resources and meetings to help with substance overuse issues through a harm reduction model
Qigong (we love https://www.youtube.com/c/QigongMeditation)

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please get help. In the US, you can dial 988. You are never all alone.

Support the Show.