By DJ Shipley, U.S. Navy SEAL (Ret.) As seen in In Waves and War on Netflix

I spent almost 17 years in the Navy - all of it with the SEAL Teams. From 2002 to 2019, I lived the life I had always wanted. I had a purpose. I had a team. I had a mission. And I was damn good at it.

I never planned to leave. But like it does for so many of us, the end came faster than I expected - and I wasn’t ready. Transitioning out was the lowest point of my life. The mission was gone. The team was gone. The structure that gave me direction disappeared overnight.

I didn’t know who I was anymore. And I had no idea how to rebuild.

What I Was Really Up Against

At the time, I didn’t have the language for what I was going through. Now I know I was dealing with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress. It showed up as depression, anxiety, rage, isolation, and thoughts I never thought I’d have. I couldn’t tell fact from fiction—what was real, what was trauma, what was the medication.

And I was hurting everyone around me.

I had found calm in the pressure of being overseas, but at home I was lost. I had no control. No calm. No clarity. Just chaos.

A Different Way Forward

We tried everything. Therapy. Medication. Sleep clinics. Hormones. Blood work. Nothing made a dent. My wife was fighting like hell to hold us together, but we were out of options.

Then I saw Marcus Capone, my teammate, after he came back from ibogaine treatment. He looked completely different. Not just better - at peace. That’s when my wife and I knew we had to try it. I had my doubts, sure. But I trusted Marcus, and at that point, I had nothing to lose.

Through VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions), I was able to access psychedelic-assisted therapy. I got off the prescription drugs. I went abroad for treatment. I made the decision to stop surviving and start healing.

The Reset I Didn’t Know I Needed

Ibogaine hit me hard - but in the best way. It stripped everything away and forced me to see the truth. I saw the damage I had caused. The patterns I was stuck in. The man I used to be, and the one I still wanted to become.

And for the first time in years, I felt clear.

Then came 5-MeO-DMT, and it opened my heart. I don’t say that lightly. I came home lighter, more grounded, more present. Not fixed, not perfect, but ready to rebuild.

That treatment didn’t just save my life. It gave me a new one.

Sharing the Hard Stuff in In Waves and War

When I was asked to share my story in the Netflix documentary In Waves and War , I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I had to talk about the darkest parts - my trauma, my marriage, my mistakes, including infidelity. Stuff I’d never talked about publicly. Stuff I wasn’t proud of.

But I knew it was important.

If one guy out there hears this story and realizes he’s not the only one going through it - if he gets help instead of giving up - then it’s worth it.

This film is raw, but it’s real. And it shows what so many of us are dealing with behind the scenes.

What I Want People to Know

Veterans are good at hiding their pain. We’ve had a lot of practice. But just because someone looks strong doesn’t mean they’re okay.

I wasn’t. I was barely hanging on.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy isn’t for everyone - but for a lot of us, it’s the first thing that’s worked. It cuts through the noise. It gets under the armor. It brings you face to face with the truth - and gives you a way to move through it.

This shouldn’t be a last resort. It should be a legitimate option. And VETS is working to make that happen.

A New Mission

Today, I am no longer just surviving. I’m present. I’m engaged. I’m showing up for my wife and daughters in a way I couldn’t before.

This journey gave me a second chance to be the man I want to be. It gave me empathy I didn’t know I had. And it gave me a mission again - to make sure others know healing is possible.

We owe it to the next guy. To the ones still stuck in the dark. To the families fighting battles no one sees.

Because the truth is, help is out there.

And it works.