Politics
New Guidebook Aims To Help Military Veterans Use Psychedelics To Heal From PTSD And Other Conditions
Advocates in support of expanding access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for America’s military veterans released an informational guidebook on Tuesday that backers say “responds to the demand for alternative treatment solutions and equips veterans with practical, clinically-backed strategies to safely explore these therapies.”
The group Heroics Heart Project, which helps connect veterans with psychedelic-assisted therapy in jurisdictions where it’s permitted, partnered with author Matt Zemon on the project, titled “The Veteran’s Guide to Psychedelics: A Preparation and Integration Workbook.” It touches on substances including ayahuasca, ibogaine, ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT.
The nearly 300-page resource is aimed at demystifying the process of psychedelic practices and equipping readers with the knowledge and questions to pursue treatment that integrates entheogenic substances. It consists of explanatory information, safety protocols and exercises like reflective journaling.
“The guide includes tailored exercises to mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare veterans for psychedelic experiences,” says a media release about the guide, “along with step-by-step insights into both medical and ceremonial settings, ensuring veterans have the tools to navigate their healing journeys effectively.”
The book was further reviewed by Ken Weingardt, the director of clinical programs at the nonprofit Healing Breakthrough, which also connects veterans with psychedelic-assisted therapy providers.
Jesse Gould, a former U.S. Army Ranger and the founder of Heroic Hearts Project, said in a statement that the guide “encapsulates years of experience and dedication to ensure veterans have the knowledge and support to access these healing practices in a responsible and informed way.”
“Veterans are turning to psychedelics, both in medical and ceremonial settings, in search of healing,” added author Zemon, noting that the guide “not only helps them make informed decisions about these treatments but also provides the tools needed to maximize their healing potential—empowering them to reclaim control over their mental and emotional health.”
The book begins with basic information about the history of psychedelics, their utility in treating veterans’ mental health, how to find a quality psychedelic experience and potential challenges the experience might entail—designed to help readers make what the guide describes as an informed decision about whether to pursue a psychedelic experience.
Later chapters are intended more as guided walkthroughs, helping veterans prepare for the experience ahead of time and reflect on it afterward, including with weekly integration exercises that encourage introspection and awareness as well as tips on developing new habits that better promote satisfaction.
Along the way are a mix of other resources, ranging from coloring projects in the book’s “creative play” section to numerous profiles of veterans who credit psychedelics with helping them address PTSD and other mental health conditions.
“When veterans have these big psychedelic experiences during a retreat, no matter what, they will have lasting changes,” Gould, the Heroic Hearts Project founder, says in the book’s opening pages. “They’re going to have new perspectives when it comes to how they perceive themselves and the world. Many veterans can permanently overcome hypervigilance, depression, and anxiety. It either doesn’t come back, or it doesn’t come back as severely as before.”
Advocates both inside and outside the veteran community are praising the book, including Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) founder and president Rick Doblin, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Martin Steele, Marine veteran and advocate Juliana Mercer, doctor and author Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Bronner’s CEO David Bronner and various other veterans, advocates, researchers, spiritual leaders and more.
“In my decades of service, I’ve seen firsthand the toll that combat takes on our soldiers, and I’ve witnessed the limits of conventional treatments for PTSD and trauma,” Steele said in a statement included in the book’s opening pages. “The Veteran’s Guide to Psychedelics provides a real alternative for those seeking relief. This guide offers a well-informed path for veterans ready to explore new approaches to healing. It’s about giving our warriors the resources they need to recover and take back control of their lives.”
Chris Stauffer, a doctor and associate professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, said the guide “offers no-nonsense education and empowers Veterans to navigate their recovery with intention, while also serving to reduce risks and maximize the healing potential of these ancient tools.”
Bronner, a vocal advocate of psychedelic-assisted therapy and drug reform more broadly, called the book “exactly the kind of resource needed to bridge the gap between research and the real-world needs for veterans seeking relief from PTSD and other trauma-related challenges.”
“Psychedelics, when used in a safe and intentional way, can be life-changing, breaking down barriers that keep us from healing,” he said.
Veterans have taken a lead role in the psychedelics reform movement currently unfolding at the state and federal levels. Earlier this year, for example, veterans service organizations (VSOs) pressed members of Congress to more urgently pursue the potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy and medical marijuana.
The requests from groups like the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Disabled American Veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project came on the heels of organizations at last year’s set of annual VSO hearings criticizing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for “dragging their feet” on medical marijuana research.
In May, VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal acknowledged the “unstoppable narrative” in support of advancing psychedelic medicine, with a combination of compelling personal stories of recovery and robust clinical data from studies he said he’s hoping to expand upon.
Elnahal also said bipartisan acceptance of psychedelics has “surpassed” that of marijuana in Congress and discussed his efforts to position VA to provide psychedelics-assisted therapy “the moment it’s approved” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), adding that he’s anticipating “overwhelming demand” from veterans.
Led largely by Republican politicians, efforts at reform have included a GOP-sponsored psychedelics bill in Congress that focused on veterans’ access, various state-level changes and a bevy of hearings on expanded access.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), who filed one congressional psychedelics bill that advanced through a committee, is also a co-sponsor of a bipartisan measure to provide funding to the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct clinical trials into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics for active duty military members. That reform was signed into law by President Joe Biden under an amendment attached to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In March, congressional appropriations leaders also unveiled a spending package that contains language providing $10 million to facilitate the psychedelics studies.
In January, VA separately issued a request for applications to conduct in-depth research on the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD and depression. And last October, the department launched a new podcast about the future of veteran health care, with the first episode of the series focused on the healing potential of psychedelics.
At the state level, the governor of Massachusetts in August signed a military veterans-focused bill that includes provisions to create a psychedelics working group to study and make recommendations about the potential therapeutic benefits of substances like psilocybin and MDMA.
Heroic Hearts Project also released an ad in Massachusetts this month in support of a psychedelics legalization initiative on the ballot in that state next month.
While the ad itself doesn’t mention the upcoming vote on a psychedelics legalization ballot measure in Massachusetts, a press release about it does link the educational campaign to the initiative, known as Question 4.
“Massachusetts has a chance to take a bold and necessary step forward in providing critical mental health care for veterans, first responders, and other populations such as palliative care patients,” Gould, the organization’s founder, said at the time. “There is a veteran suicide epidemic going on; 17 veterans commit suicide every day, and we cannot afford to leave effective, humane, and researched care options off the table.”
Meanwhile in California, lawmakers in June pulled from consideration a bipartisan bill that would have authorized a pilot program to provide psilocybin treatment to military veterans and former first responders.
Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.
