Psychedelic Retreats Show Promise for Veterans with Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is one of the most pressing challenges facing military veterans, often compounded by PTSD, reduced quality of life, and reliance on conventional medications that may carry risks of addiction. Heroic Hearts Project (HHP), in partnership with leading researchers from Imperial College London and other institutions, is helping to pioneer a new frontier of care: psychedelic-assisted retreats.

A recently presented study explored the impact of psilocybin and ayahuasca retreats on veterans living with chronic pain. The results are compelling. Over half of veterans who reported chronic pain prior to the retreat no longer experienced it afterward. Even among those who continued to live with pain, the perceived impact on their daily lives significantly decreased, suggesting that psychedelics may help shift pain perception and improve quality of life, even when pain severity itself does not fully resolve

Importantly, the research highlights that these benefits appear to come without the risks associated with many conventional pain treatments. Psychedelic retreats are non-addictive and can provide meaningful change from a single immersive experience. Because outcomes were measured only up to four weeks after the retreat, the findings represent an early snapshot. Even so, they point to a promising signal that psychedelic retreats may play a meaningful role in addressing chronic pain for veterans. Future research with longer follow-up periods will help clarify how durable these improvements are and how retreats might support lasting changes in quality of life

At HHP, we are committed to continuing this research and deepening our understanding of how psychedelic care can support veterans. This study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that psychedelics not only offer healing for PTSD and depression but may also represent a breakthrough in addressing chronic pain, a condition that has long defied easy solutions.

You can read the full research poster here.