Study Finds Disney Images ‘Hijack’ Ketamine Therapy Patient Experience

• A recent study discovered that the digital media habits of two patients had a significant impact on their ketamine treatment experiences.
• One female patient experienced Disney imagery, while a male patient reported hallucinations resembling pixelated video games.
• The findings of this study have important implications for the use of psychedelic therapies.

In a new study, a 28-year-old woman undergoing ketamine therapy described how her experience was disrupted by intrusive Disney imagery, inhibiting her ability to have emotionally significant thoughts.

Published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the study analyzed recordings of ketamine treatment sessions and interviews with 26 patients who had treatment-resistant depression and participated in a clinical trial. Out of these patients, eight experienced visual hallucinations related to past environmental exposures, while an additional two had their ketamine experiences significantly altered by digital media exposure prior to treatment.

The woman who encountered Disney imagery had previously undergone ketamine infusions during hospitalization and had positive results. However, when she participated in a clinical trial for additional ketamine treatments, she experienced involuntary hallucinations of Disney characters, diminishing the therapeutic qualities of the therapy.

Regarding the Disney imagery interruption, the patient expressed frustration with how it veered her thoughts away from significant relationships and emotional issues. The study’s authors coined the term “imprinting” to explain this phenomenon, emphasizing the lasting impact of digital media exposure on psychedelic experiences.

Another patient mentioned in the study, a 34-year-old man who spent excessive time playing video games, reported vivid and pixelated hallucinations resembling video games during his ketamine treatment. Unlike the first patient, his experience was described as “fun” rather than distressing.

The study shed light on the concept of “set and setting” in psychedelic therapies, highlighting the importance of considering what patients load into their minds before treatment. The researchers encouraged patients to be mindful of their media consumption and its potential influence on their therapeutic experiences.

These findings offer valuable insights for researchers and clinicians in understanding and optimizing the effectiveness of psychedelic therapies.

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