Ketamine Connections

The only podcast dedicated to demystifying ketamine therapy. Hosted by hypnotherapist and ketamine coach Anna Krishtal, Ketamine Connections explores how this breakthrough medicine rewires the subconscious mind for lasting change. Each week, discover science-backed insights, expert interviews, and real stories of transformation. Learn how to prepare for your journey, integrate your experiences, and reconnect with your truest self. Start your journey now with the free Ketamine Starter Portal → YourKetamineCoach.com/free Subscribe to Ketamine Connections and join a community redefining mental health through curiosity, compassion, and consciousness.

Ketamine Connections is a education podcast hosted by Anna Krishtal, with 128 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Anna Krishtal hosts Ketamine Connections, a education show with 128 episodes published.

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  Ketamine Connections

  Episode 113 | Crossing the Threshold: Ketamine, Your Subconscious & the Mentors Who Show Up (Hero's Journey & Ketamine, Pt. 2)

  Sep 29, 202626 min

  What happens after you finally stop resisting the call and say yes to change? You cross the threshold. In Part 2 of our four-part series exploring ketamine therapy through the Hero’s Journey , we’re leaving the known world behind and stepping into the unknown—the territory of mentors, allies, guardians, the subconscious mind, and everything that might be waiting for you on the other side. Because here’s the thing: crossing the threshold is not the same thing as knowing what to do once you get there. And y’all, we were never meant to do this work alone. In this episode, we explore the stage of the Hero’s Journey where the mentor appears—and why mentors don’t necessarily look like Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. Miyagi, or a fairy godmother. Sometimes they’re a therapist, coach, clinician, friend, book, podcast episode, or conversation that shows up at exactly the right time. We also get into one of my favorite metaphors for understanding ketamine therapy: crossing the veil between your conscious and subconscious mind. Your subconscious has a guardian. Its job is to protect the beliefs, patterns, and identity that have kept you safe—even when those same patterns are no longer taking you where you want to go. Ketamine can temporarily help that guardian step aside. For a window of time, you get access to territory that is usually harder to reach. And that is a freaking gift. But ketamine opening the door is not the same thing as doing the healing for you. In this episode, we explore: What happens after the Call and Refusal stages of the Hero’s Journey Why mentors tend to appear when you finally stop refusing the call What a “mentor” can actually look like in real life and in ketamine therapy Why you don’t have to worry about missing your one magical mentor The “guardian of the mind” and why your subconscious resists ideas that conflict with what you already believe How hypnosis and ketamine can help you access subconscious patterns Why I think of ketamine as a threshold between the conscious and subconscious What you might encounter on the other side of that threshold Why the scary “monsters” you meet may actually be some of your most loyal protectors Why healing happens in layers—and why you do not have to climb the entire mountain at once The difference between ketamine opening the door and actually knowing how to navigate what’s on the other side And we end this episode standing right at the mouth of the cave. Because next week? We go in. Part 3 is the ordeal. The dragon. The death before the rebirth. The climax of the Hero’s Journey. KETAMINE RESOURCES Ketamine Preparation Protocol (KPP) If you’re preparing for ketamine and want to cross the threshold with purpose instead of haphazard hope , KPP is the framework I use to help you prepare your nervous system and subconscious mind, create an intention that actually speaks the language of your subconscious, and develop the tools to navigate your ketamine experience. https://www.annakrishtal.com/kpp Ketamine Starter Portal (FREE) Not ready for the full framework yet? The Ketamine Starter Portal is my free collection of Ketamine Connections resources, guides, and tools all in one place. With more than 100 episodes of the podcast, this is the easiest place to start exploring ketamine therapy, preparation, integration, and the subconscious mind. https://www.yourketaminecoach.com/free REFERENCES + RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Episode 112: On the Fence About Ketamine? You May Already Be on the Journey (Hero’s Journey & Ketamine, Pt. 1) Start at the beginning of this four-part series with the Call to Adventure and the Refusal of the Call—and why that restlessness, stuckness, or quiet feeling of “Is this it?” may already be the beginning of your Hero’s Journey. Find Episode 112 on Ketamine Connections wherever you listen to podcasts. Episode 103: The One Thing That Causes a Bad Ketamine Trip Worried about what you might encounter on the other side of the threshold? This episode goes deeper into one of the most common fears I hear before ketamine: What if something comes up that I can’t handle? We explore why a difficult ketamine experience and a “bad trip” are not necessarily the same thing—and why how you approach what comes up matters. Find Episode 103 on Ketamine Connections wherever you listen to podcasts. Joseph Campbell + The Hero’s Journey This series uses Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as a framework for understanding transformation, including the call, refusal, meeting the mentor, crossing the threshold, the road of trials, approaching the inmost cave, the ordeal, and eventually—the return. LISTEN + FOLLOW Follow Ketamine Connections wherever you listen so you don’t miss Part 3, when we step inside the cave and meet the dragon. Because ketamine is not your Hero’s Journey. Your life is. Stay curious. Stay courageous. —Anna

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  Ketamine Connections

  Episode 112 | On the Fence About Ketamine? You May Already Be on the Journey (Hero's Journey & Ketamine, Pt. 1)

  Sep 22, 202614 min

  What if being “on the fence” about ketamine isn’t indecision at all—but the beginning of your transformation? Happy Equinox, y’all. Today we’re kicking off a very special four-part series on ketamine therapy and the Hero’s Journey , using Joseph Campbell’s map of transformation to explore what actually happens when you decide you’re ready for change. And we’re starting before the ketamine session ever happens. Because ketamine is not your Hero’s Journey. Your life is. Ketamine can be one of the thresholds you cross along the way—and a powerful one—but your journey begins much earlier. It begins the moment you admit that the way you’ve been operating cannot take you where you want to go. Maybe nothing is technically wrong with your life. Maybe, from the outside, things actually look pretty damn good. And yet there’s that little voice: Is this it? Why am I still stuck in the same patterns? Who am I to want more? In the Hero’s Journey, that voice has a name: the call to adventure. And almost immediately after the call comes the refusal of the call —the part of you that would really rather stay with what is familiar. Because your conscious mind may want change while your subconscious mind is going, absolutely not. The familiar feels safe to your subconscious mind—even when the familiar is misery. In this episode, we’re talking about why resistance does not necessarily mean you’re moving in the wrong direction, why wanting more does not make you ungrateful, and why phrases like “too big for your britches,” “tall poppy syndrome,” and “flying too close to the sun” reveal just how deeply we’ve normalized shaming ourselves for wanting to grow. You can be grateful for your life and still want more. And if you’re considering ketamine therapy, learning to acknowledge what you actually want may be one of the most important things you do before you ever cross that threshold. In this episode, we explore: The Hero’s Journey as a map for ketamine therapy and personal transformation Joseph Campbell’s “ordinary world” and the call to adventure Why the call to change rarely feels brave, exciting, or heroic What being “on the fence” about ketamine might actually mean Why your subconscious mind prefers familiar pain over an unknown future The “refusal of the call” and the subtle ways it shows up as shame, fear, and resistance Why gratitude and desire are not opposites What “tall poppy syndrome,” “too big for your britches,” and “flying too close to the sun” have to do with healing Why ketamine isn’t the Hero’s Journey— your life is How to begin identifying what you actually want before your first ketamine session Why a subconscious-focused intention can matter when preparing for ketamine therapy The Hero’s Journey + Ketamine Therapy Series This is Part 1 of a four-part Ketamine Connections series exploring ketamine through the Hero’s Journey. Part 1: The Call to Change — recognizing that the life and patterns that got you here may not be able to take you where you want to go. Part 2: Crossing the veil into the subconscious and descending into the underworld. Part 3: The death before the rebirth. Part 4: The return—bringing what you’ve discovered back into your actual life. Subscribe to Ketamine Connections wherever you listen so you don’t miss the rest of the series. Prepare Your Subconscious Mind for Ketamine If you’re preparing for ketamine and want a framework for creating an intention that speaks directly to your subconscious mind—not just another conscious wish list—the Ketamine Preparation Protocol walks you through that process step by step. Ketamine Preparation Protocol: https://www.annakrishtal.com/kpp ✨ Free Ketamine Resources Not ready for the full framework yet? The Ketamine Starter Portal is my free collection of Ketamine Connections resources, guides, and tools all in one place. It’s also the best way to stay in touch with me and get new resources and updates. Ketamine Starter Portal: https://www.yourketaminecoach.com/free Until next time: stay curious, stay courageous, and remember— Ketamine is not your Hero’s Journey. Your life is.

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  Ketamine Connections

  Episode 111 | What If My First Ketamine Session Doesn’t Work?

  Sep 15, 202617 min

  Have you heard that ketamine can work fast—sometimes really fast? Cool. But what if it doesn’t? What if you walk out of your first ketamine session without the breakthrough, the visions, the big cosmic download, or the life-changing experience you were expecting? Does that mean ketamine didn’t work? Not necessarily. And in this episode, I want to talk about the people who don’t have an impressive first ketamine session—because hope is a precious resource, especially when you’ve already tried treatment after treatment without getting the relief you were promised. I’m taking you inside my coaching work with “Jamie,” a client who came to ketamine with treatment-resistant depression, severe anxiety, and a whole lot of fear about what the medicine might crack open. Their first session? Pretty quiet. No huge visions. No cinematic psychedelic experience. Mostly rest, sedation, and being present with their own thoughts. And yet, when we actually looked at what happened during and after that supposedly “boring” session, there was a whole lot more healing happening than Jamie initially realized. Because y’all, an impressive ketamine session guarantees nothing. You can have the most stunning, technicolored, out-of-body experience and do absolutely nothing with it. And you can have the most meh session on record and still walk away transformed by what you do next. In this episode, we’re talking about: Why you’re always going to get the ketamine session you need—not necessarily the one you want Why a quiet first session may actually be exactly what your nervous system can receive How to tell whether ketamine is “working” beyond what happens in the chair The subtle post-ketamine shifts that are really easy to dismiss Why preparation and a subconsciously sound intention matter How Jamie’s seemingly insignificant memory became the gold of the session Why the ketamine part of ketamine healing is the least important or interesting part What chasing profound psychedelic experiences can tell you about control Why chasing impressive sessions can quickly become chasing highs instead of healing What preparation and integration have to do with making ketamine actually work for you The ketamine session cracks the door open. Whether you walk through it happens in everything you do before, after, and around the medicine—not just in the chair itself. So if your first ketamine session wasn’t fireworks, please don’t decide that you failed, ketamine failed, or healing isn’t available to you. A quiet session is one puzzle piece. Let’s look at the whole picture. REFERENCES + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE Ketamine Preparation Protocol (KPP) Everything I’ve learned over five years of helping clients prepare for ketamine, work intentionally with the medicine, and make the most of the neuroplastic window it creates: Explore the Ketamine Preparation Protocol Free Ketamine Resources More support for preparing for and getting more out of your ketamine healing: Get the free ketamine resources Ketamine Connections Episode 102 : Why Your "Disappointing" Ketamine Session Might Be Your Most Important Ketamine healing doesn’t start when the medicine hits your system. Ketamine healing starts with ketamine preparation. If you’re considering ketamine, preparing for your first session, or wondering how to get more out of the sessions you’re already doing, KPP is where I’ve put the tools, science, subconscious work, and practical preparation I wish every ketamine patient received before their first treatment. Learn more about KPP And if this episode made you think of someone who is considering ketamine but is scared it won’t work for them, please send it their way. Until next time, stay curious, stay courageous ✌️

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  Ketamine Connections

  Episode 110 | Think Ketamine Is Just for Depression? Think Again.

  Sep 8, 202615 min

  When you think about who ketamine therapy is for, you might picture someone struggling with severe depression, PTSD, anxiety, or treatment-resistant mental health challenges. And yes—that person is absolutely part of the picture. But they are far from the whole picture. In this episode of Ketamine Connections , I’m walking you through four very different types of people I see doing this work with ketamine—from people seeking mental health healing, to high-achieving leaders who feel stuck inside the lives they’ve built, to biohackers interested in neuroplasticity, to people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who are discovering that it is absolutely not too late to change their brains. Because ketamine isn’t just for the person in crisis. In this episode, we talk about: Ketamine for depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and treatment-resistant mental health conditions Why leaders and high achievers may use ketamine as a pattern interrupt when they feel stuck What biohackers and optimizers may get wrong about ketamine—and why surrender matters Ketamine, aging, and neuroplasticity Why you don’t need a diagnosis to want more out of your own mind The point isn’t that there are exactly four kinds of people who use ketamine. It’s that the actual range of people doing this work with ketamine is so much wider than the person in crisis. And somewhere in that wide range, there’s room for you too. Because it’s not ketamine that creates the transformation. It’s you. Ketamine opens the door, and it’s up to you to walk through it. KETAMINE RESOURCES Ketamine Starter Portal (KSP) New to ketamine or curious about whether it might be right for you? Start here for free resources to help you learn more about ketamine and how to approach the experience intentionally. https://www.yourketaminecoach.com/free Ketamine Preparation Protocol (KPP) Ready to go deeper? KPP is my full preparation framework, developed from more than five years of working one-on-one with clients and guiding them through ketamine preparation and integration. https://www.annakrishtal.com/kpp REFERENCES + RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Episode 56: From Workaholic to Whole Self: Ketamine’s Role in Breaking Patterns with Nathania Stambouli A conversation about reaching high levels of success, getting unstuck, and Nathania’s experience using ketamine to break old patterns. Episode 99: “My Depression Is Gone.” What Happened After Just 10 Days of Ketamine with Brett Olson Brett Olson shares his experience with ketamine, success, depression, and what changed for him after just 10 days. Episode 95: Neuroplasticity and What's Actually Happening in Your Brain During Ketamine A deeper dive into neuroplasticity, including the difference between gripping and surrender—and why surrender is something you practice rather than force or white-knuckle. Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal A book exploring how high performers, innovators, scientists, and groups like the Navy SEALs have used altered states and non-ordinary ways of thinking to move beyond ordinary patterns.

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  Ketamine Connections

  Episode 109 | How to Get Your Mom to Try Ketamine

  Sep 1, 202617 min

  Do you want your mom to try ketamine? Yeah… me too. When ketamine has helped you experience healing, freedom, or transformation, it’s incredibly normal to want the people you love to experience it too. But there’s a big difference between opening the door to ketamine therapy and trying to drag someone through it. And apparently, I got to learn this lesson firsthand with my own mom. In this episode of Ketamine Connections, I’m sharing what happened when I finally told my mom, “I would honestly love for you to try ketamine sometime”—and the questions, fears, and concerns that came next. We’re talking about: ✨ Why you DON’T want to become a ketamine or psychedelic evangelist ✨ How to talk to a loved one who’s curious—but apprehensive—about ketamine ✨ What ketamine actually feels like compared to alcohol or cannabis ✨ The fear of losing control, saying something you regret, or “not being yourself” ✨ Ketamine and memory loss: what can actually happen during a session ✨ Why your loved one’s questions are sacred—even when they sound fear-based ✨ How safety, curiosity, and moving slowly can keep the conversation open Because here’s the thing: the goal isn’t necessarily getting them to say yes. The win might simply be creating enough safety that they keep asking questions. If you’re wondering how to talk to your mom, partner, friend, or loved one about ketamine therapy without pushing them away, this episode is for you. Get inside the FREE Ketamine Starter Portal: https://www.yourketaminecoach.com/free This is where all of our free resources from 100+ episodes of Ketamine Connections live, including the companion resource for this episode. Want to get the most out of your ketamine experience? Explore the Ketamine Preparation Protocol: https://www.annakrishtal.com/kpp LISTEN NEXT Episode 70: Should You Tell Your Family You’re Doing Ketamine? A Guide to Sharing (or Not Sharing) Your Journey This is the perfect companion episode if you’re trying to figure out whether to tell your family or friends about your own ketamine experience, how much to share, and how to protect something that may still feel tender and new.

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