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<p>I grew up with rodeo cowboys (ab)using "horse tranks" on
themselves as much as on their horses (shoeing/trailering/etc.)
I never saw anyone "riding the k-pony" much less "in a k-hole" but
that could easily have been masked by the pervasive alcohol
(ab)use. I didn't know this was Ketamine until later. I heard
the term "riding the k-pony" but not "k-hole"... probably a more
modern term?<br>
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<p>I did <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0167278984902598">some
work</a> in the early 80's with an anesthesiologist who was full
of anecdotes about how anesthesiology was still more an art than a
science and his prime exhibit was a recently deprecated cocktail
which A) induced paralysis; and B) yielded short-term amnesia.
The way they figured this out apparently was that a variation
*also* included low levels of Ketamine... not enough to be the
primary anesthetic, but to induce modest dissociation "on the way
in and out" to reduce anxiety? Those with the Ketamine-laced
cocktail fared *much* better in recovery, as *apparently* the
others were psychologically traumatized by the experience (imagine
paralysis during surgery, even with amnesia), even though they
didn't have any physical side effects.<br>
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<p>My only personal experience with anesthesia was whilst having all
4 (impacted) wisdom teeth removed in my late teens. I can't say
I was present for the whole procedure, but I definitely remembered
a LOT of details that I didn't think I should have experienced.
It was not traumatic, and I think it must have been the strongest
experience I've had with dissociation. I can't say it was
particularly compelling in it's own right, but I am glad I had the
experience. By some extrapolation, I can imagine how such
experiences could be in some way addictive. It seems unlikely
(for several reasons) that the anesthetic was Ketamine (early
1970s), but significantly dissociative.<br>
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<p>I have a stronger sense of Dave's "X-consciousness being aware of
ego-consciousness and it's fading" in variations on lucid
dreaming. Of course my brain activity is not flatlined (I
assume) in that mode. I don't have out-of-body experiences but I
do become an extreme "observer" of my own consciousness... I can't
really parse that well... other experiences with dreaming include
what I interpret as a "post-hoc" fabricated "memory". If
something intrusive is happening in the world around my sleeping
self, I am as likely as not to build an elaborate dream-story
around the intrusion (sound, smell, cold, etc) which can feel like
it lasts for *hours* when in fact, the intrusion may have been
very short, sometimes all but instantaneous. The dream-story
"builds up to" the event as if with foreknowledge. I interpret
it as "post hoc fabrication". Others report it as
"foreknowledge".<br>
</p>
<p>If I had a k-pony, I suppose I would now have to name it "yoda".</p>
<p>- Steve<br>
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