The UK not-for-profit organisation, Heroic Hearts, is to undertake groundbreaking research exploring the potential of psilocybin for treating traumatic brain injury in veterans.
Heroic Hearts Project UK and USA, which provides veterans with the opportunity to receive treatment through legal psychedelic drug therapy retreats, will be undertaking the observational study looking at the use of psilocybin for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study will be carried out with The Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London and headed by Dr Robin Carhart-Harris.
Heroic Hearts’ mission is to help veterans through the use of psychedelic therapies such as ayahuasca, psilocybin, and ketamine in retreat-based settings, as well as providing integration coaching and community support to help veterans continue their therapeutic journey after participating in psychedelic therapy. The project’s secondary aim is to contribute to the growing base of research around psychedelics and their healthcare potential.
Treating TBI with psilocybin
The study will commence in Autumn 2021, when Heroic Hearts will be hosting simultaneous retreats in the Netherlands for UK participants and in Jamaica for USA participants.
It will be focusing on working with veterans who may be suffering from psychological issues, and who may also have sustained head trauma during their service.
At the retreats, the participants will be treated with psilocybin, which has been shown in research to be effective in the psychiatric treatment of issues such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Head traumas, such as those commonly sustained by veterans during their service, have been linked to the development of such issues.
To date, the majority of research involving psychedelic compounds has been focused on the beneficial psychological impacts, with little mention of the physiological effects. This study will look at both the psychological and physiological effects of psilocybin for TBI using measurable outcomes.
Heroic Hearts Research Director, Dr Grace Blest-Hopley, commented: “The potential of psychedelics as healing agents for veterans is becoming ever more apparent. With these retreats, we hope to not only achieve the goal of helping our participants but also provide further evidence of psilocybin’s medicinal properties; particularly in the context of head traumas.
“We hope this will then act as groundwork for further research that ultimately could improve the lives of many in the Veteran and non-Veteran population, who are currently suffering.”
Veterans interested in participating in one of these retreats and individuals interested in sponsoring veterans in need should visit www.heroicheartsuk.com/psilocybin for more information.
