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- Marcus talks about his experience becoming a Navy SEAL and the implications of 9/11 on his combat tours (2:15)
- In 2010 Marcus started to feel different and not himself: burnout, stressed out, anxiety, alcohol abuse. Family decided to relocate to San Diego for a fresh start – but things got worse (4:30)
- Prescribed medications we not working, and treatment-resistant depression became one of several challenges – including brain trauma. (7:00)
- His wife Amber found a small treatment center in Mexico, focused on using ibogaine as a therapeutic healing tool (7:30)
- Amber talks about witnessing Marcus’s evolution as his partner and his journey after enlisting in the military. She provides context into their story, lifestyle, and implications of joining the service. In hindsight, Amber views it as vital to their lives (10:00)
- After a friend passed, their MRI was released and showed a pattern of blast injury and CTE. Instantly, Amber found deep compassion for Marcus, and decided to fight for and with him (14:15)
- In October 2017, Amber found one last possible treatment for Marcus as a last effort to save their marriage. Ibogaine saved Marcus (18:00)
- Amber and Marcus looked to research and testimonials to get accustomed to using psychedelics as treatment. They are both from a conservative and Christian background (20:00)
- Marcus realizes how telling his story can help so many others (23:00)
- Amber discusses how her foundation of faith helped her fight back. No pity party anymore; solution and positivity focused (26:00)
- Amber shares how her support of the psychedelic movement servs a higher purpose (29:00)
- Marcus talks about his Ibogaine experience in detail. He understood why he started fighting (32:30)
- Amber reveals that childhood trauma is a common thread in Vets who have gone through these psychedelic treatments (36:00)
- Marcus talks about maintaining his mental health with ketamine, psilocybin, and DMT (38:00)
- Amber found 3 main outcomes with treatment: 1) deep psychological purging 2) addiction disruption 3) return of neurological function (38:30)
- How VETS has partnered with Stanford University to research Ibogaine therapy to help others (41:00)
- They believe in the power of psychedelic healing and VETS provides grants for legal treatments in the USA (using ketamine), but also for other treatments, including ibogaine, DMT, psilocybin, MDMA, and ayahuasca in countries where these treatments are legal (43:40)
- The pillars of VETS: 1 ) resources 2) research 3) advocacy. To date, they have proudly helped over 250 soldiers (44:00)
- The SEAL community and the gift of healing; getting the narrative right (46:00)