Austin Texas Has The Potential To Become A Hotbed For Psychedelic Research
Austin is known as a thriving tech center yet the bustling city is also held in high regard for its open-mindedness. Austin’s irreverence for convention is setting the stage for it to become a mecca for psychedelics. The free-spirited business leaders in the rapidly growing capital of Texas are wholeheartedly embracing opportunities for psychedelic research and therapy.
The Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy
Academicians at the University of Texas Austin Dell Medical School are making waves for launching the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy. The center is the first of its type in the Lone Star State. Though Texas is a deep red state, it is transitioning to purple, primarily because liberal Californians are moving east at a rapid rate. Austin is as blue as it gets so it makes sense that the open-minded individuals in the state’s capital are receptive to the idea of researching psychedelics.
Representatives from the Center indicate its work will focus on the use of psychedelics for military veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, also referred to with the acronym of PTSD. The Center will also make inroads in the context of using psychedelics for the treatment of depression, prolonged grief disorder and mitigating the effects of childhood trauma.
Anecdotal Evidence
Navy veteran Nate Reeve is a symbol of Austin’s burgeoning psychedelics industry. The combat vet currently performs yoga to enhance his mind state. Thee 16-year Navy veteran is currently struggling with PTSD. Reeve recently opened up about his fractured mind and spirit, admitting he has nightmares about his missions in the Middle East.
Reeve now attends clinical psychedelic retreats to overcome his PTSD. The retreats are designed to treat individuals saddled by PTSD, anxiety and depression. Reeve indicates he partook in meetings with coaches weeks before starting the retreat. The lifestyle alterations spurred by those meetings ultimately set the stage for a successful retreat.
Though Reeve insists the retreats certainly help mitigate PTSD, they are not enough alone. Reeve also uses therapeutic psychedelics to mitigate PTSD and resist the temptation to commit suicide. According to psychedelics industry experts, there is some evidence that psychedelic therapy helps to mitigate suicidal thoughts. As Reeve indicates, the challenge lies in adjoining the data with what he refers to as the “spiritual side” of the matter.
Will Austin Become Ground Zero for Psychedelics Research?
Greg Fonzo, the co-lead of the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy insists the center’s aim is to obtain a more thorough understanding of the potential for psychedelics such as MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca and ibogaine to be used as treatment modalities for individuals saddled by mental health pathologies. To start out, the Center will strive to determine whether psychedelics can help military veterans who have PTSD after serving in combat.
According to Fonzo, a litany of studies are merging that show psychedelics have the potential to treat mental health conditions of all different types. Fonzo and his fellow researchers aim to develop novel treatments for PTSD, depression, victims of childhood trauma and other patients plagued by mental health challenges.
The Center is set to start working with veteran programs including the Heroic Harts Project and The Mission Within across the remainder of 2022 and beyond. This development is fantastic news for psychedelics investors as it is an indication that the use of such alternative treatment modalities is spilling directly over into the mainstream of America’s heartland as well as its academic institutions and the overarching medical industry.
