SoundMind Launches Veteran Peer Support Project for Access to Psychedelic Therapy
Contact:
SoundMind Center
Courtney Hutchison
203-871-1524
Courtney@soundmind.institute
SoundMind Launches Veteran Peer Support Project for Access to Psychedelic Therapy
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Summary:
● SoundMind, an organization dedicated to bringing equity, ethics, and innovation to the psychedelic ecosystem, has launched its Veteran Peer Support Program for Psychedelic Therapy.
● This innovative model is the first of its kind in the nation, training Veterans in recovery from PTSD to assist with psychedelic therapy for other Veterans, as part of a care team of licensed providers.
● This model will increase access to lifesaving psychedelic treatments, while providing a pathway for Veterans to reintegrate back into community and purpose.
● Footage of treatment sessions and interviews with patient and SoundMind staff are available to press upon request.
Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2022 — SoundMind, an organization dedicated to bringing equity, ethics, and innovation to the psychedelic ecosystem, has launched its Veteran Peer Support Model for Psychedelic Care. This innovative model is the first of its kind in the nation, training Veterans in recovery from PTSD to assist with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) for other Veterans, as part of a care team of licensed providers.
Ketamine is at the cutting edge of mental health treatment for suicidality, and when combined with therapy, this treatment can have dramatic and lasting results for PTSD. With 17 Veterans committing suicide each day in the United States, increasing access to these lifesaving treatments is vital.
“This project aims to bring better outcomes than current models of care at a lower cost, which will increase access to psychedelic care for Veterans,” said Dr. Hannah McLane, SoundMind Founder and Executive Director. “We envision this program as part of the long-term recovery of Veterans with PTSD—a way to reintegrate into community and purpose.”
SoundMind patient and USMC Combat Veteran Aneudie (“Ace”) Crespo, had spent the last decade since leaving the Marines struggling with the ongoing effects of PTSD and depression. His attempts to find relief through traditional psychotherapy and medication had repeatedly failed, and he had trouble finding a reason to be alive.
Through generous support from and collaboration with Reason for Hope and Heroic Hearts Project, Ace was able to access treatment from SoundMind Center, the flagship clinical location of SoundMind in West Philadelphia. Coordination for this project was also facilitated by Balanced Veterans Network.
Ace is now undergoing extended treatment with KAP and is already showing significant progress. He has had a reduction in his depression and PTSD symptoms, and reports “a sense of peace I don’t know that I’ve ever felt in my life”. He describes being able to “go into the dark place and shed the guilt and shame” from his trauma, and says he is relieved he is still alive.
Throughout his care, Ace has been connected to the Peer Support Mentorship Program, a network of people who understand his military experience and PTSD at a personal level. Nick Blackston, USMC Combat Veteran and former participant in an MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy clinical trial participant, has been a particular Peer Support Mentor.
SoundMind Peer Support Mentors are individuals who have completed treatment with psychedelic-assisted therapy, who then train to support other patients with key shared experiences or identities. This Veteran Peer Support project is part of SoundMind’s broader Psychedelic Access for Veterans Initiative.
Benefits of the SoundMind Peer Support Model:
● Provides patients with additional emotional and social support from an individual who understand their history and experiences on a personal level.
● Builds community and social connectedness among patients and peer support mentors.
● Reduces costs of care, thus increasing access.
● Gives peer support mentors the gift of contributing to the healing of others, enhancing their own well-being and recovery.
Learn more at SoundMind.Center
Support SoundMind work with Veterans here.
See NBC News coverage of Ace’s story [link to story].
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About SoundMind
SoundMind is a national organization with a mission to bring equity, ethics, and innovation to the psychedelic ecosystem through psychedelic facilitator training, public education, research, clinical services, and humanitarian work. SoundMind’s flagship psychedelic treatment center, SoundMind Center, located in Philadelphia, offers the gold standard of psychedelic treatment and care. SoundMind Institute, the training arm of the organization, is the largest psychedelic facilitator training program in the country with an associated clinical training and treatment facility and is one of only a few programs in the nation to be selected by the Oregon Health Authority to train psilocybin facilitators in their legal framework for psychedelic therapy. Through its research efforts, SoundMind is pioneering equitable models of psychedelic care aimed at serving populations in need, including programs for Veterans, BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and Neurodiverse individuals. Through its affiliate non-profit, SoundMind Project, SoundMind sponsors psychedelic therapy treatment, training, and public education.
About Collaborators
Heroic Hearts Project
Heroic Hearts Project (HHP) is a veteran-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a healing community that helps veterans suffering from military trauma recover and thrive by providing them with safe, supervised access to psychedelic treatments, professional coaching, and ongoing peer support. The organization's secondary objectives are research, education, and advocacy. HHP envisions a new veteran ecosystem where veterans not only have access to safe and effective treatment options including psychedelics but are also empowered to help and mentor others in the community. We strongly believe that Community has the power to solve many of the mental health challenges facing this nation’s veterans.
Reason For Hope
Reason for Hope is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to prevent deaths of despair by helping to develop and advocate for the policy and legal reforms needed to facilitate safe and affordable access to psychedelic medicine and assisted therapies. The organization's interdisciplinary team of experts is led by retired Marine Lieutenant General Martin Steele, retired Army Brigadier General and psychiatrist, Stephen Xenakis, MD, clinical research psychologist and associate professor, Lynnette Averill, PhD, and attorney Brett Waters, Esq. Reason for Hope's leadership team, policy advisors, and advocates are primarily connected by the loss of loved ones to suicide or substance use. The organization was named in memory of Brett’s mom, Sherrie Hope Waters, who died by suicide in 2018. Over the last year, Reason for Hope has led several bipartisan federal and state policy initiatives, including the successful passage of legislation in Connecticut that will fund a novel Expanded Access pilot program for MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy for Veterans, retired first responders, and direct health care workers. Reason for Hope recently launched an affiliate entity, the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition (501(c)(19) status pending), which advocates for the same mission on behalf of its Veteran members who are leading the way on mental health care reform.