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
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Ketamine Connections
Episode 76 | Why Psychedelics Were Made Illegal (and What That Means for Your Mental Health Today)
Why were psychedelics made illegal in the first place, and what does that history have to do with your mental health today?
In this episode of Ketamine Connections, Anna explores the deeper roots of psychedelic prohibition, tracing it beyond the 1960s into colonialism, religion, and systems of control. We look at how ancient civilizations accessed the sacred directly through plants, movement, and ceremony, and why embodied, unmediated experiences of meaning have always made authority nervous.
From ego dissolution and indigenous practices to the cultural upheaval of the 1960s, this episode unpacks what was actually happening socially and politically when the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 was passed. Anti-war resistance, Black liberation, women’s liberation, queer liberation, and communal psychedelic use weren’t isolated events, they were part of a broader cultural shift that challenged hierarchy, obedience, and imposed identities.
We also explore the work of Terence McKenna, whose insights help explain why psychedelics were criminalized, not because they were dangerous, but because they dissolve conditioning and restore direct access to meaning and self-trust.
Finally, we bring it back to the present moment: ketamine, modern mental health, and why preparation and integration matter just as much as the medicine itself.
In This Episode, We Cover:
- Why psychedelics have been used safely for thousands of years
- How colonialism, religion, and authority shaped psychedelic prohibition
- What was happening in the 1960s that led to the CSA of 1970
- The role psychedelics played in anti-war and liberation movements
- Why ego dissolution challenges hierarchy and control
- Who Terence McKenna was and why his work still matters
- How ketamine can restore inner authority when paired with integration
Resources Mentioned
- Ketamine Preparation Protocol (KPP)
A step-by-step preparation framework designed to help ketamine work when you do — by building subconscious safety, nervous system readiness, and intentional integration before and after sessions.
👉 www.annakrishtal.com/kpp - Ketamine Starter Portal (KSP)
A free resource hub with guides and education for anyone curious about ketamine or preparing for their first journey.
👉 www.yourketaminecoach.com/free