WHAT IS KETAMINE THERAPY? THE SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES WELLNESS TREND EXPLAINED

The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives is back for season two, and between Halloween party fights and the introduction of new 'swinger' Miranda, everyone's been left wondering - since when does everyone love ketamine?

Ok, so it's not exactly what you think, and while in the words of Jen Affleck "the church doesn't promote ketamine, but it's definitely not like a commandment", it could be what saves her marriage to husband, Zac - who we now know is not actually related to Ben Affleck.

In the show we see the duo at crisis point, when the 25-year-old suggests ketamine therapy as a way for her and Zac to reconnect with themselves and past traumas.

"Zac trying ketamine is a pure example of how much he is willing to do to show up for our relationship", she tells the camera.

The pair are then seen hooked up to IVs and blood pressure monitors as they sit in headphones and eye masks, receiving small doses of the notorious party drug through their veins.

But it was never to get high, and in fact, microdosing ketamine in a professional medical setting is becoming increasingly popular.

"Ketamine therapy involves the administration of sub-anaesthetic doses of ketamine, a medication traditionally used as an anaesthetic, to treat various mental health conditions and it's typically delivered via intravenous infusion, intramuscular injection, oral tablets, or nasal spray under medical supervision", says Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor.

"Ketamine works differently from conventional antidepressants by primarily targeting the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain, blocking glutamate binding."

She continues: "This triggers a cascade of neurochemical changes that appear to rapidly increase synaptic connections and promote neuroplasticity, essentially helping the brain form new neural pathways. Unlike traditional antidepressants that focus on serotonin or norepinephrine, ketamine's action on glutamate pathways may explain its remarkably rapid effects, often within hours rather than weeks."

Ketamine therapy isn't yet FDA endorsed it's perfectly legal in the US (but not yet in the UK), and a single session can set you back anything from $400 to an eye-watering $10,000, dependent on the type of facility you attend, and what treatment you're prescribed.

"You really do fully dissociate and leave your body and almost go to, like, a new dimension,” Zac told Women's Health about what it was really like undergoing the treatment. ”There's time distortion, everything is just very abstract, and you kind of lose [your] sense of self. …Everything just feels bigger."

So, just how popular could it become?

"The evidence for ketamine therapy shows promising results, particularly for treatment-resistant depression where approximately 60-70 per cent of patients experience significant improvement after a course of treatment", Wylie continues.

"However, its effects are typically short-lived (often lasting days to weeks), necessitating maintenance treatments. Long-term efficacy and safety remain under investigation, with concerns about potential tolerance, cognitive effects, and bladder issues with prolonged use."

She concludes: "While ketamine doesn't work for everyone, it represents an important treatment option for patients who haven't responded to conventional therapies. More robust, long-term studies are needed before it can be considered a first-line treatment in general practice."

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2025-05-20T14:34:24Z