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We Honor Veterans

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Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Caring for Veterans

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy is “a form of treatment that uses a group of substances that temporarily alter perception and mood and may impact numerous cognitive processes.” (Source: Evidence Brief: Psychedelic Medications for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, Veterans Affairs).

At We Honor Veterans, we want to provide you with information and resources that can serve as a starting point for your own further research into Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy as you work for the Veterans in your care.

Doctor talking through topics with a vet. The vet's back is to the viewer.

Organizations Studying Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Organizations and medical professionals are actively studying Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. Following their research will help you stay up to date on the latest thinking and how it may or may not be integrated with your work for Veterans.

  • Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
  • American Psychedelic Practitioners Association
  • Board of Psychedelic Medicine and Therapies (BPMT)
  • Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS)

Looking for more education on psychedelics?

There are online educational resources available for you to continue to learn and explore if Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy is right for you and your team.

The educational resources are:

  • Psychedelic Training and Education Resource List – The Current Landscape, Feb. 2022
    • Karen Cooper, RN, MA at the University of Pennsylvania has compiled a list of trainings that cover psychedelics research and therapy. Please be sure to check that a resource you investigate from this list is one that is right for you.
  • VETS’ Modern Recovery: Veterans & Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Course
    • VETS’ free course offers information on how psychedelic therapy can positively impact veteran health, and how veterans seeking treatment with psychedelics can make the most of their experiences. It can help you understand current scientific research on psychedelics.

Policy Related to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

On November 17, 2022, Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) and Congressman Jack Bergman (R-MI) announce the launch of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Clinical Treatments “PACT” Caucus. The Caucus will be focusing on addressing ways to alleviate the national mental health crisis through psychedelic science and research. You can read more about the “PACT” Caucus on Congressman Correa’s website.

Video Resources on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Care organizations and news organizations are discussing psychedelics and how they can help Veterans through out their care journey, particularly when facing death.

Where Psychedelic Medicines Are Headed with Rick Doblin, PhD – MAPS

New hope in treating PTSD with psychedelic drugs

Some service members and others suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have had little relief from traditional anti-depressants used in conjunction with psychotherapy. Now, a recent FDA-approved trial using a psychedelic drug called MDMA – better known by its street name, ecstasy – has shown promising results. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin talks with a former Marine whose two tours in Iraq presaged twelve years of nightmares, panic attacks and failed relationships – and who now finds hope.

Psychedelics: A Journey Through Grief and Loss

Grief therapist, Claire Bidwell Smith, has encountered more and more people asking how psychedelic therapies might help with the debilitating pain of grief and loss. Listen in as Claire learns from palliative care physician and oncologist Dingle Spence, MD, psychiatrist and teacher Neil Hanon, MD and bereaved parent Allyson Rockwell about psychedelic-assisted grief therapy and how patients and clinicians might benefit from these new modalities of care. Learn about the End Well: https://www.endwellproject.org/

Cancer patient overcomes anxiety about death with psychedelics

Kerry Pappas was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer in 2013. After participating in a psilocybin study, she lost her crippling anxiety about death. “60 Minutes” reports on the therapeutic use of psychedelics. Click here for the full story: https://cbsn.ws/2phQBKv

Transcendence Through Psilocybin | Anthony Bossis, PhD

Existential despair, anxiety and depression are all too common at the end of life. Psychologist Anthony Bossis conducts FDA-approved research to understand how, through a single psilocybin-induced therapeutic experience, these symptoms might be alleviated or even transformed – into acceptance, enhanced wellbeing and personal meaning.

NBC News, American Vets: Beyond the Battlefield

Join Tom Llamas and Lucy Bustamante this Veterans Day for American Vets: Beyond the Battlefield. We address the state of the military today, and pull back the curtain on how vets are surviving war trauma & how psychedelic assisted therapy could change everything. And yes, the VA is paying attention. https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/american-vets-beyond-the-battlefield-153280581803

Recommended Resources

Get more resources

WHV & VA Webinar – Psychedelic Therapy for End-of-Life Distress: Potentials and Pitfalls

Education

Supporting Military Veterans with PTSD at the End of Life: Video Illustrations: LIVE Webinar

Education

WHV & VA Trauma Informed Care Webinar

Caring for VeteransHealth

Special Considerations in Veteran Suicide Prevention: End-of-Life Webinar

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