Ketamine is often differentiated from other mediums of altered states because it isn’t archaic like ayahuasca or mushrooms and so on.
In that sense, it’s considered unique in a therapeutic context, where the experience is not influenced by preconceived ideas and expectations, giving way to a more authentic and deeply personal experience.
However, problematically, it is that same blind eye that refuses to acknowledge its long-term physiological side-effects.
Its initial synthesis occurred over fifty years ago, five years later, the first accounts of non-medical use were documented. Since then, ketamine has fledged the nest of the Pfizer subsidiary it was born into and gone worldwide.