Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 from 12:00-1:30pm PST

This event is a partnership between Chacruna and The Center for Psychedelic Studies at Naropa University.

Each day, anywhere from 16 to 44 veterans die by suicide in the United States, and the healing potential of psychedelics paired with therapy has inspired enthusiasm for addressing this dire reality. At the same time, psychedelic leaders openly report that military veterans are a strategic way to advance mainstreaming and medicalization of psychedelics. Vets are the ideal demographic population for this because of their often bipartisan political commitments. However there has not been a lot of discussion the intersection of psychedelics and politics. There is a lot of talk about the trauma of soldiers and less about how psychedelics can potentially affect the structural problems that lead to violence and affect vets and civilians alike. This community forum, comprised of veterans and researchers, will discuss sensitive and controversial questions such as: What is moral injury? How can we ensure BIPOC veterans know psychedelic treatments are available? Should we give psychedelics to active soldiers? Can psychedelics affect political views and potentially raise issues about the American military industrial complex? Can they help one become a pacifist? What are the future and hopes of the psychedelic movement in the US? Come join us for this intriguing conversation!

Heather King stems from a long line of veterans born to serve in the military. At 19, she enlisted in the Air Force as a B-1B aircraft mechanic. Heather’s career spanned 9 ½ years with deployments to Diego Garcia-BIOT, Guam, and Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. She separated from active duty in 2007 and served as a full-time reservist at Maxwell AFB, AL as a C-130 Aircraft Mechanic. The changes in culture and the military in the aftermath of 9/11 sparked Heather’s interest in storytelling and political communications. Heather enrolled at Troy University-Montgomery, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S.in Political Science. She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Strategic Public Relations from the George Washington University in 2014. The Air Force’s core values of Integrity, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do laid a strong foundation for life after the military. Heather’s love of storytelling and service has led her to undertake several different roles where she has dedicated herself to improving the lives of service members, Veterans, and their families. Her current endeavors utilize her communication skills to shape addiction and treatment policy in a corporate setting.

Jesse Gould is a former Army Ranger, an ultra runner, and a pioneer in psychedelic therapies. As the founder and President of the Heroic Hearts Project, he has spearheaded the research and acceptance of psychedelic therapy programs for military veterans. Jesse’s team has connected hundreds of veterans to psychedelic treatments, partnered with the world’s leading psychedelic centers, and is researching novel psychiatric applications. His mission is to help military veterans struggling with mental trauma and to spread awareness of the benefits of alternative modalities over pharmaceuticals. Jesse has been consistently featured in major publications such as the New York Times, the Economist, Men’s Health, and Forbes and is recognized as one of the most influential voices in psychedelics today.

Robert Koffman, MD, MPH, is a retired Navy, Medical Corps Captain, continuing to serve Veterans as the Military and Veteran Liaison for Sunstone Therapies, Rockville, MD. Koffman capped an acclaimed 32-year career in uniform as the inaugural Chief of Clinical Operations at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, Maryland. A recognized expert in the management of war-related psychological trauma and brain injury, he is also a passionate advocate for the promotion of non-stigmatizing and non-traditional psychological services and integrative modalities. Koffman left active service in 2015 to begin his education in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies (PAT), a career choice which culminated in 2020 in completing his training at the Center for Psychedelic Treatment and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Koffman currently conducts vital psychedelic research and provides FDA approved Expanded Access care using these breakthrough treatments at the Bill Richards’ Center for Healing.

Jamie Beachy PhD, MDiv, is Assistant Core Faculty for Wisdom Traditions, Naropa University. Jamie is a professional chaplain, spiritual care educator, and ethics consultant with experience in palliative care, hospice, and trauma care. Jamie serves as a co-investigator with the MAPS MDMA-Assisted therapy for PTSD phase III research study in Boulder and is a MAPS MDMA-AT supervisory consultant. She develops degree program offerings and curricula related to psilocybin therapies as Director of Education for Naropa’s Center for Psychedelic Studies. Jamie sits on the Advisory Board of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. She lives in the mountains above Boulder with her husband Wael, an integrative physician.

Jared Rinehart served in the Marine Infantry and was a private military contractor in the Middle East. After his time in service, he suffered from deep feelings of depression and unmanageable anger. With the help of Ayahuasca and Shipibo, his life was changed forever. After the ceremonies, he returned to Iraq as a private military contractor for nine more months. In Iraq, through the process of integrating the lessons he learned through his Ayahuasca experience, he found he was able to be more reflective and mindful. Leaving his career as a contractor he moved to Peru to learn from Shipibo Curanderos and Ayahuasca. In 2018, Jared became the Integration Coach for ​Heroic Hearts Project (HHP). HHP has one mission; to provide veterans access to plant medicines. Today Jared leads a team of veteran and non-veteran coaches for HHP and assists those who are looking to transform with these ancient healing tools.

Psychedelic Therapies for Veterans and Enlisted Soldiers: Opportunities and Challenges