Evening Lectures - Pensacola

Johnathan Edwards

THE TALK: Ketamine: From Anesthetic to Healer

May 22, 2025

Abstract

Dr. Johnathan Edwards is a practicing anesthesiologist and visiting physician at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). With 20 years of experience, he has used ketamine extensively to treat mental health issues.
Ketamine was developed in 1960s in the search for an anesthetic that did not cause post-operative delirium. It became the most used anesthetic in the world. In the 1990s, researchers found that in low doses it had a huge effect on eating-disorder patients.
It was tried in treatment-resistant depression patients, then in the prevention of suicidal ideation. Edwards co-authored “The Revolutionary Ketamine” with Gavin de Becker to spread the message that ketamine can save lives. He also has been a guest on STEM-Talk, IHMC’s podcast, discussing the role that ketamine, MDMA and psychedelics can have in mental health treatment.

Biography

Dr. Johnathan Edwards is a practicing anesthesiologist who grew up in the Mojave desert in California, aspired to be a professional motocross racer, and then decided to attend medical school.

He received his associate’s degree at Victor Valley Community College, a bachelor’s degree in physiology at the University of California Davis, an M.D. at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Internal Medicine at the University of Nevada, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Utah, Neurology at the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, and completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of South Florida.

After years in private practice, Dr. Edwards decided to return to research and is currently a PhD student in Neurophysiology at the University of Paris. Dr. Edwards has also published several books, including “Stopping Pain,” about a procedure to treat chronic pain, “Suicide, COVID-19, and Ketamine,” “The Art & Science of the Marathon” with Dr. Veronique Billat. Dr. Edwards is an accomplished cyclist aspiring to a professional level He’s been the team doctor for several professional cycling teams, tennis players, UFC, and motocross athletes.

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