Directed by Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen, In Waves and War, the Netflix documentary, deals with a rather interesting subject. At first, I believed that the American war veterans, who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, would talk about their haunting journey, the kind of horrors they witnessed with their own eyes, and how they found it extremely difficult to lead a normal life post-retirement. But the documentary goes a step further and talks about the benefits of psychedelic treatment and how potent it could prove to be, especially in cases where patients are dealing with extreme PTSD. I knew that certain recreational drugs, like cannabis, at times are used for medical treatment, but what I didn’t know was how effective they were. That said, no matter how many times you hear about the experiences of war veterans, it always sends shivers down your spine. I think, even for them, it must be hard to comprehend that they actually faced such situations and stood in the face of such imminent danger. So, let’s discuss what these soldiers serving in the Navy SEALs went through, how they discovered psychedelic treatment, and how their nervous systems responded to the entire process.
What happened after Operation Red Wings?
Marcus Capone, DJ Shipley, and Matthew Roberts shared their experiences about how their lives changed after they served in Afghanistan, Germany, and various other countries, and the tragedy of 9/11 became a turning point in their lives. Marcus, DJ, and Matty were US Navy SEALs, and they shared how difficult it was to get into the special forces. The training is not something that everybody can endure, which is why the success ratio is so low. The training is designed to put your mind and body to the test. Apart from testing your physical strength, the Navy wanted to understand the kind of person you are, whether you can work as part of a team, and how much pain you can truly endure. And by pain, I don’t mean ordinary discomfort; I’m talking about the kind of agony where death seems like a preferable alternative to fighting to survive. The training exercise where the trainees’ legs are tied and they’re thrown into the water is so claustrophobic that even thinking about it can make you paranoid.
Marcus, DJ, Matty, and the others who made it through were exceptionally tough, and their sheer physicality and mental resilience spoke volumes. You could tell just by the veins bulging on their forearms that they were built for combat. Their ability to withstand pain and survive in uncomfortable conditions gave them the belief that nothing could break them. Operation Red Wings was probably the first time they saw their friends perish on the battlefield. They had multiple close brushes with death, and they knew that it was just sheer luck that they survived. But while bullets could have killed them, what truly shattered them was witnessing a fellow soldier die right before their eyes. Watching their friends fall on the battlefield left a void in them that they knew could never be filled. Perhaps what haunted them most was knowing that it could just as easily have been them in their place.
How did Marcus Capone feel after the psychedelic treatment?
Marcus, Shipley, and even Matty thought that once they came back home, after they took voluntary retirement, their lives would come back on track. But how could they lead a normal life after what they saw and endured? They had survived the war but weren’t at peace. Their behavior had changed, and in fact, their respective partners often feared how they might end up reacting. The probability of them losing their temper, of being volatile in a situation, had increased manifold. From being sad to becoming angry and then sitting with that sinking feeling and depressive thoughts, they experienced such mood swings quite often. There was survivors’ guilt too that didn’t let them be at peace. Their respective counselors told them that their mind and body were still processing what they had gone through. There came a point where they just got tired of being afraid every single moment. They were tired of waking up in the middle of the night and then not being able to sleep the entire night. They felt helpless at times, and at other times extremely frustrated and angry. There was a numbness within them, and their family members felt a lack of connection with them. They were physically present, yet their mind was seldom there. I believe it was Amber Cadbe, Marcus’ wife, who asked him to try out psychedelic treatment, as she had gotten to know that it was quite potent and it had really helped a lot of veterans. Marcus had to fly to Mexico, as the substances used in the treatment, like ibogaine and 5-MeO, which was also known as toad medicine (The Sonoran Desert toad secretes a venom (5-MeO-DMT), a psychedelic compound that was generally used for recreational purposes), were banned in the States. Marcus had an other-worldly experience in the treatment that went on for around 12 hours. He felt as if he’d unlocked every single part of his nervous system. He could access his memories, things he couldn’t remember on a day-to-day basis, and he had a surreal experience. Marcus’ wife and kids noticed the subtle changes in his attitude and how he looked and felt more peaceful than ever. Patsy Shipley, DJ Shipley’s partner, also got to know about the treatment, and she requested DJ to try it out. Even DJ had a life-changing experience, and he realized that he had become somebody that even he didn’t recognize. He loved Patsy, but he had multiple affairs on the sly and hid them from her. It was Patsy’s good nature that she didn’t give up on him even after knowing that. She knew that he had just recovered, and she wanted to take full advantage of that silver lining that she had seen after a long time.
Is Psychedelic Treatment Safe And Effective?
Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab, under the leadership of Nolan Williams, has been trying to understand how the psychedelic treatment helps those suffering from PTSD, stress, and other mental health issues; what it exactly does to the nervous system; if there are any side effects of the process; and if it is something that could be incorporated into the rehabilitation process in the US too. From what I could understand, the sample size of the people taking the treatment was not big enough for the experts to come to any conclusions. But what they noticed was each and every soldier spoke about how magical and transformative the entire process was. There was a veteran who spoke about how his headache and his anxiety had disappeared after just one session. Also, the effects of the treatment and the positive impact could be overwritten if an individual makes reckless choices and isn’t careful. So following a good and healthy lifestyle is of utmost importance. Marcus spoke about how he started meditating and doing some sporting activity like surfing on a regular basis just to keep his mind active and away from negative thoughts. It would be interesting to see what discoveries the medical experts make in this field and if psychedelic treatment could become a part of the rehabilitation process in other counties in the near future.
