September 9, 2021

Melanie Boling, Harvard University.

September 9, 2021

Increase diagnoses of treatment-resistant illnesses among Post-9/11 United States Military Veterans and what I have seen as a United States Military Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veteran.

Ayahuasca inhibits various parts of the brain associated with cognitive flexibility. It produces structural changes within the brain that are responsible for activity within 24 hours of ayahuasca consumption which leads to positive increases in cognitive flexibility. Results show that mindfulness is beneficial and lasting to the first-time or experienced ayahuasca user. Ayahuasca’s use allows the loosening of one’s cognitive grip which helps alleviate the feeling of being stuck and the depression associated with similar behavioral patterns (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020).

United States Military Veterans and other Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom NATO Veterans struggle with assimilating with society after leaving the military. As a result, Veterans Affairs, the United States government entity responsible for providing benefits such as health; education; disability; and retirement to the U.S Military Veterans and/or their dependents offer various veteran transition programs for those seeking relief after they cease their military service.

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom War Veterans are returning home to a series of trials and tribulations regarding the VA Healthcare system as prescription drugs are pushed on many veterans by healthcare providers despite the high mortality rate due to suicide within the veteran community (Carpenter, n.d.).

For many veterans, the VA Healthcare’s solution to the problem is not received well by the veteran; is unavailable due to physical location challenges of the veteran, or even certain disabilities that prohibit the veteran from receiving the care that they so desperately need. These institutional deficits provide a perspective on the many mental health challenges that veterans face after returning home from war.

Senior Airman Melanie Boling during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Baghdad, Iraq (Imagery Beyond Borders, November 2003).

Most veterans feel that they are not adequately supported because of the lingering stigma that revolves around mental illness, further alienating veterans from actively seeking treatment (“The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” 2021).

The biggest challenge for veterans is that the VA Healthcare system may be the only option for treatment. Veterans Affairs is a government entity and does not recognize alternative treatment options such as cannabis.

Despite marijuana being legal both medicinally and recreationally in an increasing number of states, those options are completely off the table for the veteran because the government deemed this plant medicine as having no medicinal value.

Slowly, the paradigm is shifting in regards to cannabis use by the federal government; however, it is quite slow-moving simply because pharmaceuticals are still the treatment of choice. The shifting perspectives within the population are going to take a concerted effort by both the scientific community and mass media.

Once plant medicine can win over more hearts and minds is when we will see a dramatic shift in how we move forward as a country and the proliferation of its therapeutic use of entheogens for our society as a whole.

What I have seen as a United States Military Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veteran.

Veterans are making a choice to do whatever it takes to find healing. I speak to what I have experienced as an OEF and OIF Veteran of the United States Air Force and now as a scientist. Also, over the last 20 years while volunteering with the United States Army as a family readiness group or “FRG Leader”; a Combat Infantry Battalion Photographer; or working directly with U.S. Military Veterans in the “Outdoor Therapy” Mental Health realm as a Documentary Photojournalist, I have seen first-hand the wide range of programs that are available now to the U.S. Military Veteran.

Alternative Therapy Programs include art therapy; equine therapy; SCUBA; outdoor recreational therapy; cooking; music; service animals; fitness; mountaineering; you name it, there’s probably a veteran service organization out there that offers it.

In recent years, ayahuasca has been the therapy of choice by a growing number of United States Military Veterans, which have led them to venues around the globe that promise the veteran healing and safety. More and more ‘Veteran Service Organizations’ have birthed over recent years with the hope of reaching more veterans, and guiding them toward their own healing paths away from pharmaceutical Band-aids that are common within the American healthcare system.

Potential therapeutic uses for ayahuasca include disorders such as Addiction; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; and Regulation of Sleep are few and dependent on admixtures that can be used for a variety of treatment-resistant illnesses. Studies examined through the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) have given a glimpse of the neural basis of this inner perception of the world (de Araujo et al., 2012).

The globalization of alternative means of healing through entheogen therapy is becoming a more common solution for military veterans navigating through emotional traumas brought on by serving our country and participating in someone else’s wars (Carpenter, n.d.).

I believe entheogen therapy for U.S. Military Veterans will become more common due to the overall success it has shown thus far in treatment-resistant illnesses. The barriers veterans face are access because of the restrictions that the U.S. Government has not lifted; as well as the global pandemic we are still currently facing today. Once these variables begin to shift, access to entheogen therapy will provide the veteran improved quality of life; or in some cases, their illnesses may be cured.

Would you like to know more?

Be sure to read back on all of our articles about Entheogen Therapy or Psychedelic Plant Medicine derived from the scientific paper, “Reported results of Amazonian Entheogens for treatment of Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD); Military Sexual Trauma (MST); and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among U.S. Military Veterans and the benefits of application through small group indigenous shamanic ceremonies”.

References:

Boling, Melanie (2021). Reported results of Amazonian Entheogens for treatment of Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD); Military Sexual Trauma (MST); and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among U.S. Military Veterans and the benefits of application through small group indigenous shamanic ceremonies. The Amazon Rainforest: From Conservation to Climate Change-research. Harvard Summer School, August 9, 2021.

Araujo, Draulio B. de, Sidarta Ribeiro, Guillermo A. Cecchi, Fabiana M. Carvalho, Tiago A. Sanchez, Joel P. Pinto, Bruno S. de Martinis, Jose A. Crippa, Jaime E.C. Hallak, and Antonio C. Santos. “Seeing with the Eyes Shut: Neural Basis of Enhanced Imagery Following Ayahuasca Ingestion.” Human Brain Mapping 33, no. 11 (November 2012): 2550–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.21381.

Carpenter, David E. “War Vets With Severe PTSD Find Solace Through Ayahuasca In Documentary ‘From Shock To Awe.’” Forbes. Accessed July 15, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidcarpenter/2020/02/23/war-vets-with-severe-ptsd-find-solace-through-ayahuasca-in-documentary-from-shock-to-awe/.

HAVN Life. “The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” March 11, 2021.

https://havnlife.com/the-potential-for-psychedelic-treatment-for-veterans/.

About the author:

Melanie began attending Harvard in 2020 to complete a Graduate Certificate in Human Behavior with a specialization in Neuropsychology. Boling’s research has examined extreme environments and how they can have a potential negative impact on humans operating in the extreme environment. During her time at Harvard, she has built a mental wellness tool called a psychological field kit. Implementing these tools will allow an individual to thrive in an extreme environment while mitigating negative variables such as abnormal human behavior which can play a role in team degradation.

Melanie Boling

September 8, 2021

Western Medicine’s “Hail Mary”. Amazonian Entheogen Therapy for the treatment U.S. Military Veterans: Part Two. // Melanie Boling, Harvard University.

Melanie Boling

September 8, 2021

Western Medicine’s “Hail Mary”. Amazonian Entheogen Therapy for the treatment U.S. Military Veterans.

Western Medicine’s “Hail Mary”.

Ayahuasca is an entheogen that is a “rich source of serotonergic agonists and reuptake inhibitors” (de Araujo et al., 2012). Consuming the brew will provide a rapid increase in Occipital; Temporal; and Frontal areas of the brain. The experiences bring about changes in sensory perception and self-awareness. Visual imagery is internally generated without the need for additional stimuli.

Ayahuasca affects brain areas responsible for psychopathological hallucinations and those activated during normal and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Studies have shown that cortical areas involved in memory retrieval and context increase in connectivity as a result of ingesting the substance (de Araujo et al., 2012). It is also responsible for the engagement of brain functions which allow the integration of memories and context to provide a whole scene of imagery to the user. “Seeing with the eyes shut” stems from the activation of several brain areas working together to produce “visions, memory, and intentions” (de Araujo et al., 2012).

Potential therapeutic uses for ayahuasca include disorders such as Addiction; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; and Regulation of Sleep are few and dependent on admixtures that can be used for a variety of treatment-resistant illnesses. Studies examined through the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) have given a glimpse of the neural basis of this inner perception of the world (de Araujo et al., 2012).

Terms such as hallucinogens; psychedelics; entheogens; or psychotomimetics have been problematic because of the societal connotations that stigmatize specific titles. Researchers must take into account the safeguards to be maintained for their subjects in order for human hallucinogen research to continue in the future. Hallucinogens are not deemed “drugs of dependence” (Johnson et al., 2008).

The low physiological toxicity; absence of illicit drug-seeking behavior; and not contributing to any known withdrawal syndromes, make hallucinogens little risk for dependency among their users (Johnson et al., 2008). Factors to keep in mind are the psychological risks brought on by anxiety; paranoia; fear; dysphoria; and panic in humans and can potentially produce behaviors in subjects that could be a danger to themselves or others (Johnson et al., 2008).

Guidelines for safety include

1. Selection of Volunteers.

2. Study Personnel.

3. Physical Environment.

4. Preparation of Volunteers.

5. Conduct of Hallucinogen Administration Sessions.

6. Post-Session Procedures (Johnson et al., 2008).

Trauma is individual to the person. With regard to the U.S. Military Veteran Community, mitigating potential risks would be an overall benefit to the researcher and user alike simply because no trauma is identical to the other, even within the same community.

Two veterans could go into the same battle and walk away with completely different experiences; thus, no approach to trauma and the application of plant medicine should be the same.

A personalized approach to each and every human subject must be emphasized and taking appropriate measures to safeguard human subjects will ensure the safety and well-being of research participants and allow scientific research of hallucinogens to continue.

Would you like to know more?

References:

A. Cecchi, Fabiana M. Carvalho, Tiago A. Sanchez, Joel P. Pinto, Bruno S. de Martinis, Jose A. Crippa, Jaime E.C. Hallak, and Antonio C. Santos. “Seeing with the Eyes Shut: Neural Basis of Enhanced Imagery Following Ayahuasca Ingestion.” Human Brain Mapping 33, no. 11 (November 2012): 2550–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.21381.

Johnson, Mw, Wa Richards, and Rr Griffiths. “Human Hallucinogen Research: Guidelines for Safety.” Journal of Psychopharmacology 22, no. 6 (August 2008): 603–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881108093587.

About the author:

Melanie Boling

September 6, 2021

dispatches from the field

Amazonian Entheogen Therapy for the treatment of U.S. Military Veterans: Part One // Melanie Boling, Harvard University.

Melanie Boling

September 6, 2021

dispatches from the field

Reported results of Amazonian Entheogens for treatment of Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD); Military Sexual Trauma (MST); and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among U.S. Military Veterans and the benefits of application through small group indigenous shamanic ceremonies.

Ayahuasca or the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, a traditional plant medicine. This hallucinogenic liana or “woody vine” is also known as “the liana of the soul; liana of the dead; or spirit liana”. Lianas are a climbing vine found throughout the world’s tropical rainforests.

Introduction

Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic liana from the Amazon Rainforest is also known as the “vine of the soul” (McKenna, 2004). Ayahuasca contains b-carboline alkaloids and are “potent monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors” (McKenna, 2004) and when the vine is combined with another plant such as the Psychotria Viridis or Charuna Leaf which contains N-dimethyltryptamine or DMT, it will produce strong short-term hallucinogenic effects to its consumer.

Serotonin levels in the brain increase due to b-carbolines and the sedative effects of high doses of b-carbolines are a “result from their blockade of serotonin deamination ” (McKenna, 2004).

This recipe is unique because ayahuasca is the only entheogen where “the enzyme-inhibiting principles in one plant are used to facilitate the oral activity of the psychoactive principles in another plant” (McKenna, 2004) and the effects can be felt anywhere from 30-60 minutes after ingestion of the brew.

“Ayahuasca brew consists of the ayahuasca vine or Banisteriopsis caapi and an admixture like the chacruna leaves or Psychotria viridis. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the synergistic interaction of β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroarmine) contained in Banisteriopsis caapi stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria viridis leaves, a potent agonist to serotonin (5-HT) receptors”. — “Ayahuasca brew consists of the ayahuasca vine or *Banisteriopsis caapi* and an admixture like the chacruna leaves or *Psychotria viridis*. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the synergistic interaction of β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroarmine) contained in *Banisteriopsis caapi* stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from *Psychotria viridis* leaves, a potent agonist to serotonin (5-HT) receptors”.

The effects of an ayahuasca journey are subjective to the individual and produce a dream-like state that ranges from euphoric to outright terror.

It has been said that different parts of the same exact ayahuasca plant can bring about a different hallucinogenic experience to the same user (Plotkin, 2021). Questions have been asked; however, research has yet to take place in order to understand the various different admixtures for this Amazonian liana.

Different lineages of ayahuasca could potentially treat more specific illnesses such as cancer or stroke just as it has proven positive results, time and again, for treatment-resistant health issues such as Addiction or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially in United States Military Veterans.

A growing number of U.S. Veterans have sought alternative means of therapeutic relief through entheogens with positive results; though, the challenge that does remain is that more legitimate clinical studies must be conducted by the scientific community in order to gain support for the legalization in the United States so more people can reap the benefits of plant medicine.

Would you like to know more?

References:

McKenna, Dennis J. “Clinical Investigations of the Therapeutic Potential of Ayahuasca: Rationale and Regulatory Challenges.” Pharmacology & Therapeutics 102, no. 2 (May 2004): 111–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2004.03.002.

Plotkin, M. J. (2021). The Amazon: What everyone needs to know. lecture notes The Amazon Rainforest: From Conservation to Climate Change- seminar. Harvard Summer School. Delivered July 2021.

About the author: