An average of 17 veterans committed suicide per day in 2020 according to the Dept of Veterans Affairs. The percentage of veterans from conflicts in the Middle East who have experienced PTSD is nearly triple the number of those from the Vietnam War. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among veterans.
The national committee under the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission has long advocated expanded clinical research into alternative treatments for mental health conditions like PTSD, particularly for conditions that do not respond to prescription drugs. The Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition and the nonprofit Reason for Hope have been looking at the science and research for the careful use of psychedelic treatments – psilocybin, ayahuasca, MDMA and ketamine to manage PTSD and reduce veteran suicide.
Studies have shown that psychedelic substances encourage the growth of new neural connections and enhance neuroplasticity to help enable patients to open up to difficult topics toward alleviating trauma symptoms.
These types of substances can provide a deep transformative effect to be further explored …