Beckley Retreats, a company specializing in psilocybin retreats and holistic well-being, has extended its strategic partnerships with the Heroic Hearts Project and Imperial College London.
The collaboration was announced on Friday and seeks to advance research into the potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapies for American service members, a group disproportionately affected by suicide and complex mental health issues.
The partnership aims to advance ICL’s research on the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapies in addressing the veteran suicide crisis among American service members. Beckely Retreats is part of The Beckley Foundation which is UK-based non-profit with a long history of pioneering psychedelic research led by Amanda Fielding, who started the foundation in 1998.
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 20 veterans die from suicide daily, making it the second-leading cause of death for veterans.
Research indicates that psychedelic-assisted therapy has become one of the most effective forms of treatment for military veterans suffering from a range of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, sexual trauma and suicidal ideation.
CEO of Beckley Retreats Neil Markey said it is an honour to partner with Heroic Hearts to advance veterans’ access to innovative well-being modalities. Markey –a veteran himself– said he has witnessed the power of these non-traditional modalities.
“We are committed to ensuring veterans have access to the most effective tools available to reduce the symptoms of PTSD and other mental health issues,” Markey.
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The Heroic Hearts Project assists veterans in legally accessing psychedelic therapies in retreat-based settings outside the US. The organization also provides integration coaching and community support to help veterans continue their therapeutic journey after participating in psychedelic ceremonies.
Beckley Retreats, by hosting cohorts of veterans from the US, UK, and Canada at its facility in Jamaica, seeks to facilitate the work done by Heroic Hearts and ICL. The aim is to understand better and manage the effects of traumatic brain injuries in military personnel and the potential benefit of psychedelics administered in group and ceremonial settings amongst a population with high rates of difficult-to-treat mental health conditions.
In March, Neil Markey shared his story with the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals, petitioning to change psilocybin’s status as a “Schedule I” substance under the US Controlled Substances Act.
Markey emphasized that veteran suicide prevention is a national priority and that psilocybin therapies have an FDA “Breakthrough Therapy Designation” for the treatment of life-threatening forms of depression.
He urged the government to expedite, fund, and encourage psilocybin research, rather than suppress it through the DEA’s burdensome Schedule I research restrictions.
The renewed partnerships represent some of the many efforts from Beckley Waves, which supports and funds Beckley Retreats, focused on furthering psychedelic-assisted therapies and research. Beckley Waves is working to create the operational infrastructure of a global psychedelic ecosystem and advocating for improved mental health services vital to their collective goals.
“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 Rock Feilding-Mellen, co-founder and partner at Beckley Waves.
“Part of our mission is to bring psychedelic therapy to those communities that need these remarkable compounds the most, and we firmly believe that veterans ought to be at the top of that list.”
