Effectiveness of Hallucinogenic lianas of the Amazon Rainforest among United States Military Veterans.
The saying goes, “the toad always knows” or “toad you so” which are modern-cultural references to the Bufo alvarius, also known as the Sonoran Desert toad. Its most notable characteristic is the toxic, milky-white venom it secretes to poison predators. The substance derived from that venom is 5-MeO-DMT, an extremely potent psychedelic that is up to six times stronger than its better-known relative DMT. After just a single-use, “this psychedelic medicine lifts anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and provides an overall sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life” (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).
United States Military Veterans are taking their mental health into their own hands and by doing so are stepping away from pharmaceutical interventions, and leaning in toward plant medicine solutions (“The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” 2021).
Military Veterans seeking the potential relief through entheogen therapy or that specifically ayahuasca could provide for their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, outweighed the risks. Plant medicines are a way of “pulling the rug out from under you and beating the rug until it’s clean” (Stroder, 2014), a commonality among troops on how to handle their affairs in life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Addiction are two mental illnesses that some veterans returning home are plagued with and preliminary research has shown that ayahuasca consumption can relieve some of the symptoms that accompany those illnesses and in some cases cure them.
Entheogen Therapy holds a space for many veterans trapped in their trauma and plant medicine has provided a space for releasing the trauma during their psychedelic experience (Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief, n.d.).
Each experience is different with the individual; but, the overall message is that relief is sought and found through ayahuasca therapy. Drinking ayahuasca brought veterans the healing they search for by providing love and acceptance of themselves after suffering through atrocities such as psychological abuse and sexual assault while serving in the military (Stroder, 2014).
Different types of research being conducted on veterans involving Psilocybin Mushrooms and MDMA, and a groundbreaking study on 5-MeO-DMT that shows positive results for those suffering from psychological and cognitive impairment (“The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” 2021).
San Pedro Cactus or Echinopsis pachanoi is a fast growing cactus native to the Andes Mountains. The processing of the plant medicine is a sacred traditional ceremony because one puts their own intentions into the medicine in an effort to heal the consumer (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).
The San Pedro Cactus or “Huachuma” is cut and boiled down to a brew with the consistency of agave nectar. Echinopsis pachanoi contains mescaline and is currently being used for treatment-resistant mental illnesses like Depression, PTSD, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).
The sacred cactus tea is best consumed in a safe and trusted environment where one could express their creative-self for up to 12 hours. It’s been said that “The Incas built Machu Picchu while consuming Huachuma” (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).
Researchers are just beginning to tap into the therapeutic potential for the treatment of depression and anxiety through the application of ayahuasca. Despite not knowing the exact “mechanisms'” (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020) that make this plant medicine such a beneficial treatment option; research has shown that other psychedelics have offered a window of opportunity for additional psychotherapeutic tools to be introduced to help support the human subject after the acute effects had worn off (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020).
One study utilized mindfulness and cognitive “mental” flexibility, which both approaches are defined as shifts of perspective in their own right. Both have been said to improve the practitioner’s quality of life or state of being.
Mindfulness increases the connectivity between the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) responsible for the emotional and cognitive center of the brain and the Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PSC) which is the hub of the Default Mode Network (DMN) where you create a sense of “self” (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020).
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).
Sexual assault survivors in the military suffer from the fear of victim-blaming and feelings of shame and guilt that often continue to impact every aspect of the survivor’s life beyond their time in the military.
Relationships of any kind are impaired and ultimately the survivor has no room for trust with anyone.
More and more United States Military Veterans are being diagnosed with PTSD due to Military Sexual Trauma or MST, which could potentially deem sexual assault survivors as disabled without the ability to work again for the remainder of their life.
Entheogen therapy or Psychedelic Plant Medicine combined with mindfulness and cognitive flexibility is a potential avenue for relief for these particular individuals “seeking the light” (Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief, n.d.).
Facilitating this through small group ceremonies is a way of allowing the survivor to feel safe, and provide space for trust within themself and those around them, which can often be lost in a large group of individuals.
This particular recipe could be the key to improving the overall quality of life for the survivor and provide a path to finding their way back to themselves, despite the atrocities that were forced to suffer at the hands of others.
Trust and safety are the key components to the overall success of Psychedelic Plant Medicine.
Depiction of your mind on Ayahuasca. (Artist unknown, 2020)
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.
HAVN Life. “The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” March 11, 2021.
https://havnlife.com/the-potential-for-psychedelic-treatment-for-veterans/.
Murphy-Beiner, A, and K Soar. “Ayahuasca’s ‘Afterglow’: Improved Mindfulness and Cognitive Flexibility in Ayahuasca Drinkers.” Psychopharmacology 237, no. 4 (April 2020): 1161–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05445-3.
Stroder, Richard. “Veteran: My Search for a PTSD Cure Led Me to the Amazon.” CNN, October 23, 2014. https://www.cnn.com/2014/10/23/opinion/veteran-ptsd-ayahuasca/index.html.
“Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief.” Accessed July 15, 2021. https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3kaye/veterans-are-turning-to-ayahuasca-for-ptsd-relief.
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, Extreme (ICE) Environments Behavioural Ecologist, Peer Wild; and Graduate Student of Neuropsychology, Harvard University.