Full story
THE SHORT STORY:
22 military veterans commit suicide everyday. That's 1 death every 65 minutes. Veteran suicide accounts for over 20% of all suicides in the United States. The leading driving factor being PTSD and depression.
While estimates vary, a 2011 article in The New York Times estimates that at least one in five Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans have PTSD.
This is an area where Ayahuasca plant medicine is able to help. This is where I want to help. My "Holistic Healing for Vets" campaign is my first attempt to do just that. 100% of the proceeds of this campaign will go towards sending veterans diagnosed with PTSD to an ayahuasca retreat - specifically those that could not afford the expenses otherwise.
My Initial Goal: Send 1 veteran per month to a US Ayahuasca Retreat
Breakdown: $350 for a 3 day retreat + average $350 for round-trip airfare = $700
Total Target to fund this goal for 1 year: $700 x 12 = $8,400
THE EXTENDED STORY:
WHAT IS AYAHUASCA?
Ayahuasca has been called the “Vine of the Soul”, and a "Miracle Medicine". Most simply, it is a sacred plant medicine that has been used for shamanic healing in the Amazon for thousands of years. Made by combining the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (a natural MAOI) with one or more other plants containing the compound dimethyltriptamine (DMT), most often Psychotria viridis, it produces in the user a powerful visionary and healing experience. It is known to assist in curing depression, PTSD, addictions, and even some cases of physical diseases such as cancer.
Ayahuasca is taken in a ceremonial context facilitated by a shaman or experienced guide. Its immediate effects usually last for six to eight hours, with users typically purging both physically and emotionally through vomiting, crying, etc. at some point during their journey.
By the end of the journey, many come out having battled painful memories, healing deep psychological wounds, and feeling an overall new lease on life. Most importantly, this all natural anti-depressant does not come with the horrendous list of side effects or habit forming tendencies from other prescribed pharmaceutical medications.
WHY DO I WANT TO DO THIS? - MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
My boyfriend and I attended our first ayahuasca retreat this year. A little background - he is a Marine Corps veteran who served for 8 years, and has been dealing with the lasting effects over the past 10+ years since being out. Throughout those years he has had two inpatient stays at the VA, battled drug and alcohol issues, tried and retried dozens of pharmaceutical pills, and dealt with the horrible withdrawal from those pills. All the while he also dedicated his career to working with veterans in similar situations. He has worked in both the state government and non-profit organizations, working with veterans on employment, training, mentorship, and state policy. He still has time on the side to have volunteered as the commander of the local DAV, and an active member of multiple local veterans organizations. Along with the rewarding experiences, this means he has also been surrounded on a daily basis by hundreds of struggling veterans - sometimes deepening his own issues.
A little over a year ago would start his dramatic transformation - physically, mentally, and emotionally. He has transformed from the stereotypical giant and angry Marine, to a healthy, calmer, happier version of himself. He has now been completely sober from ALL pharmaceuticals, alcohol, cigarettes, and steroids, he meditates daily, and eats a clean diet.
Throughout his journey, I never totally could empathize with the change he was experiencing. I'd listen, I'd absorb, but I'd never fully appreciate his healing because as he was getting better, my own depression was pulling me deeper. That is until I went on this retreat and experienced the same intense healing for myself. When we finally took the plunge together, I had only recently FINALLY admitted my own years and years of compounding depression. I had been through the death of my brother from a heroin overdose, my own version of PTSD from a previous long, psychologically abusive relationship, was a single mom from that relationship, and had just spent the last year taking care of my mother who I watched slowly die from brain cancer. I was always the rock, so I pushed EVERY emotion back. I overly threw myself into ambitious achievements, and had worn myself out. I was like a shelter dog - beaten down, anxious, and a withdrawn version of myself. My therapist had started suggesting an antidepressant, which I have always had my resistance to trying. I decided I wanted to take the leap and try a natural option first.
So at different stages of our healing, we put our long research into action and attended a 3 day ayahuasca retreat. I can honestly say that it was the single most terrifying thing I've been through, but also one of the most beautiful and cathartic experiences I've had - aside from the raw love and emotion when I had my daughter. I could write a book on that weekend alone, but I will keep it short and say it truly lives up to the testimony of years of psychotherapy in one night. It truly is indescribable, but I released so much physical pressure that I didn't even know I was hoarding, and felt so much lighter and open. On the last day, half of the participants were crying tears of joy at revelations and healing they had experienced. It was a turning point for many.
I am a skeptic turned advocate for the power of Ayahuasca for healing. So much so that I have already booked my next retreat for myself to continue my journey, but I also have a insatiable desire to bring this experience to as many people as I can. Hence: "Holistic Healing for Vets"!
WHY AYAHUASCA FOR PTSD?
Combat-related PTSD is notoriously difficult to treat. Ayahuasca can work as a form of drug-assisted exposure therapy. When traumatized people repeatedly avoid fear-inducing situations this only serves to maintain and reinforce the deeply ingrained conditioning that underlies their illness. The idea is that by dredging up traumatic memories and exposing them to conscious awareness within a safe, controlled environment, ayahuasca allows the brain to reassess and extinguish conditioned fear responses. It then reprograms the brain by reorganizing and neutralizing environmental triggers and symptoms.
A number of scientific studies have found Ayahuasca to be effective in helping PTSD patients formerly considered untreatable. Ayahuasca is an effective treatment for PTSD specifically because it reaches regions of the brain that form the subconscious, where the root of most trauma resides. There is also a tremendous amount of anecdotal evidence that the cathartic effects of Ayahuasca are real and long lasting. Typically only a few ceremonies are needed to create profound and positive changes. Simply Google "Ayahuasca PTSD" and you could spend hours reading and watching all those life changing reviews.
Ayahuasca helps depression – The medicine reduces depression within two to three hours of ingestion. Quite similar to pharmaceutical antidepressants, this medicine seems to change concentrations of serotonin, the mood-boosting neurotransmitter in the brain. However, ayahuasca is able to accomplish this naturally.
