On ketamine – The Economist:

‘Ihor kholodilo should probably not have survived to tell his tale. The military psychologist and medic was evacuating comrades in early 2023 when his jeep was hit by a Russian tank shell. He suffered injuries to his eyes and heart, and was left barely able to communicate. Operations saved his heart and vision. But doctors were unable to correct his slur and stammer. He tried all kinds of radical therapies, but nothing helped. Then came a chance meeting with Vladislav Matrenitsky, a pioneer of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, who posed an unexpected question. Would he try ketamine? Mr Kholodilo decided to give it a go, not expecting much. But the results were astonishing. After one session under the sedative his stammer all but disappeared. Another five and he was almost back to normal. Gone were the introversion, the nightmares and the fears about daily life. Ketamine therapy was not comfortable or easy, he says, but it allowed him to resolve the trauma that caused his symptoms: “I returned to what you could call life…I felt light, just blessed.”’

(…)

‘A psychotherapist then leads the patient through their trip. The aim, says Dr Matrenitsky, is to access subconscious traumas: “What we are doing is turning the memories into a metaphoric journey, and that can discharge their emotional pressure.” He says about a third of his patients receiving ketamine enjoy “extremely good” results, and another third achieve “reasonably good” outcomes. Bad reactions are rare, usually manifesting as panic attacks. That is the signal to stop the drip.’

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‘A soldier who accepts the risk of death is a much more effective warrior, he says—and has a greater chance of surviving.
The notion of using psychoactive drugs to help soldiers fight raises troubling moral issues. The army is still far from formally embracing ketamine therapy, let alone giving it to serving soldiers. But Ukraine’s armed forces are highly decentralised, and some units are apparently experimenting.
Mr Kholodilo says he has already referred one elite special-forces unit for the treatment, and is thinking about applying it with a second. He says ketamine could keep Ukrainians fighting more effectively and for longer. “The soldiers were surprised at being able to return to the front lines so quickly,” he says. “They simply didn’t think it was possible.”’

Read the article here.

So, ketamine cures PTSD and it enables soldiers to become more effective machines.
Also interesting, if you accept the risk of death, you have a better chance of surviving.

Drugs and armies are a well-known combination, according to the writer Norman Ohler the Third Reich itself was addicted to a drug called Pervitin:

‘No matter the ache or ailment — depression, fatigue or slack muscle tone, first-date jitters or postpartum baby blues, reduced sex drive in men or frigidity in women — Pervitin became the recommended remedy. Only in 1939 did Leonardo Conti, the head of the Reich Health Office, express alarm at the drug’s addictive properties and move to make Pervitin prescription-only. Pharmacists, however, interpreted the ruling loosely, and the drug’s popularity continued to soar. In any event, Conti’s order did not apply to the military.’

See here.

If you want to accept the risk of death it helps to be high.