A new doctrine could soon take hold in part of the US war on drugs: psychedelic drugs for active-duty soldiers suffering from PTSD.
In two studies funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), 186 service personnel with PTSD will likely next year undergo multiple sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy.
The deputy under secretary of war for personnel and readiness, Sean O’Keefe, is following the research closely, a January letter shows, and a new group of DoD and Veterans Affairs (VA) department therapists are to begin training in psychedelic-assisted therapy next week ahead of soldier enrollment.
It is hoped guided sessions with the euphoria-inducing drug could, perhaps counterintuitively, help soldiers fight for their country for longer – and that once they leave the military they will not be crippled by traumatic stress.