At first glance, it seems no substance better assuages the anxieties of our accelerationist era than ketamine. The dissociative drug—a rapid-acting substance that increases the brain’s neuroplasticity and has antidepressant effects—slows time into a serene flow, offering a tranquil(ized) alternative to the doomscrolling status quo. That a common anesthetic used to sedate humans on operating tables, not to mention horses, has become a trendy mental health hack is an unexpected outcome, especially given how unsettling the deeper ends of a ketamine trip, also known as a K-hole, can be.
Companies courting the $3.4 billion ketamine market tout the powerful drug as a way to heal our existential doldrums while also enhancing cognitive function. Social media marketing positions ketamine as a faster and more effective alternative to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).