Beckley Retreats, Heroic Hearts And Imperial College's Psychedelics Research Into Veteran Suicides

Jamaica and Netherlands-based wellbeing company Beckley Retreats is furthering its commitment to veteran suicide prevention through a renewed strategic partnership with the Heroic Hearts Project and Imperial College London (ICL) to continue research on the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapies in combatting the suicide epidemic among U.S. service members. 

VA numbers show approximately 20 veterans die from suicide daily, making it the second leading cause of death for this population. On the other hand, research is reflecting on psychedelic-assisted therapy as an effective treatment for military veterans experiencing PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI,) anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, sexual trauma or suicidal ideation.

The Heroic Hearts Project (HHP) helps veterans legally access psychedelic therapies in retreat-based settings outside the U.S. and additionally offers integration coaching and community support following psychedelic ceremonies. 

Beckley Retreats aims to facilitate the work done by both HHP and ICL to better understand and manage the effects of TBI in military personnel and the potential benefit The company’s recently secured private funding will be used to conduct an additional retreat for a new cohort over the Veterans Day holiday in November.

CEO Neil Markey says veteran suicide prevention is a national priority and, as a veteran himself, he has “seen firsthand how powerful these non-traditional modalities can be.” He stressed Beckley’s commitment to “ensuring veterans have access to the most effective tools available to reduce the symptoms of PTSD and other mental health issues.”

In March, Markey shared his story with psilocybin with the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals in an amicus brief with case studies and stories to petition for the psychedelic’s rescheduling in view of its FDA breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of life-threatening forms of depression. 

The renewed partnerships owe to the support and funding of Beckley Waves, the venture studio branch of “Queen of Psychedelics,” Amanda Feilding's UK foundation that is furthering psychedelic-assisted therapies and research toward creating the operational infrastructure of a global psychedelic ecosystem with improved mental health services.

“Mental health care for veterans is one of the most urgent applications for psychedelic therapy, and we’re making it a major focus at Beckley Waves – it’s why we’ve invested in a veteran-owned and operated venture like Beckley Retreats,” said co-founder and partner Rock Feilding-Mellen.

Learn about cannabis’ potential for treating veterans in this pressing situation at Benzinga’s Cannabis Capital Conference. 

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Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Geralt on Pixabay.