Sam Zand, D.O. - Heal, Grow, Love, Transcend: Ketamine & the Future of Mental Healthcare

The Psychedelic Podcast

Dr. Sam Zand, Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer of Better U, joins Paul F. Austin for a rich conversation on at-home ketamine-assisted therapy.

As a practicing psychiatrist and the Chief Medical Officer of Better U, Dr. Sam Zand utilizes his expertise in neuroplasticity to help patients address the root cause of their problems and establish new ways of thinking. After initial psychedelic medicine research at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Zand began treating patients clinically with ketamine in 2019. He now teaches psychedelic medicine rotations to psychiatry residents and medical students and is an advocate and spokesperson for the FDA-approved esketamine, Spravato. He is trained in general psychiatry, addiction recovery, and psychotherapy, and has a passion for psychedelic therapy, crisis intervention, relationship counseling, and integrated spiritual therapy. In addition to being a co-founder of Better U, Dr. Zand is also the owner and CEO of a national telepsychiatry service, Anywhere Clinic. He has merged his passions for lifestyle medicine, performance coaching, and entrepreneurship to establish platforms that build leaders and medical healers. He assisted in Crisis Intervention Training for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, helped create mental skills departments for professional sports teams and corporations, and has worked with industry leaders, corporate executives, and pro athletes. Dr. Zand is passionate about increasing education to end the stigma that surrounds mental health topics, advancing the integration of psychiatry and spirituality, and making clinically proven, innovative new therapies more accessible for all.

Find episode links, summary, and transcript here.

Highlights:

• Understanding the differences between Spravato and generic ketamine, and the role each might play in the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• ‘The Skill of Psychedelics’ - looking at medicines like ketamine in the bigger picture of healing, growth, and transformation.
• Dr. Zand’s Four phases of healing: Heal, Grow, Love, Transcend
• What differentiates Better U from other telemedicine psychedelic-assisted therapy services
• Dr. Zand on effective dosing, intention-setting, and utilization of psychotherapy.
• Exploring the correlation between dissociative experience and positive transformation
• How ego actualization and ego dissolution fit into the greater path of healing and transformation.
• Transcending pathology and the disease-care model of mental healthcare to embrace the biopsychosocial-spiritual model.
• The ‘Powered by Better U’ Model of collaboration to bring beneficial ketamine treatments beyond the clinic.
• Closing

Episode Links:

• Better U
• Better Universe Foundation
• Dr. Zand on LinkedIn
• Recent clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of at-home ketamine treatments
• Third Wave’s Guide to Ketamine
• MAPS

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