In this episode, we explore the role psychedelics, especially ketamine, can play in women’s health from menstruation to menopause. Psychotherapist Melissa Whippo shares her history working with women both before and after birth to help them with anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Melissa was behind the first study to determine whether ketamine was safe for lactating mothers.

We discuss how psychedelics might mitigate hormonal fluctuations during PMS and perimenopause, addressing issues such as feminine rage and how ketamine can often soften challenging mood swings. We take a dive into the more “real” side of motherhood and the difficulties mothers face including bonding difficulties and partner support, while also exploring the profound, often psychedelic, nature of the childbirth experience. Melissa shares personal accounts of ketamine and psychedelics significantly alleviating her depression, which she was shown had actually been her mother’s depression that she took on at birth. She also credits psychedelics with fostering a more empathic mothering perspective and describes how she has shared her own medicine use with her teenagers.

We also balance these benefits with cautions about ketamine's potential darker aspects, including side effects and addictive qualities and emphasizing the importance of dosing and choosing a reputable provider and setting for treatment.

https://melissawhippo.com

https://www.devacollective.org

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/08/microdosing-mushrooms-anxiety-depression-moms/

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ketamine-injection-after-childbirth-reduces-postpartum-depression

https://www.kriyainstitute.com