Frustrated and Desperate, Veterans Go Abroad for Psychedelic Therapy

Many U.S. special operations veterans struggle to let go of the heightened anxiety they grew accustomed to in combat zones.

“I don't want to have to walk into a Walmart with my kids and automatically start doing a threat assessment,” said Trey Warren, a Navy veteran who flew 192 combat missions over 13 years in the service. Many, like Warren, were at the end of their line when they opted to take a trip to Tijuana, Mexico, to take ibogaine.

The powerful hallucinogen comes from the root of the Central African iboga tree. For generations, communities in Gabon have used the psychoactive compound in ceremonies. In labeling ibogaine a Schedule 1 substance, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration finds it to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Some veterans who return from their ibogaine retreats say they find symptoms of post-traumatic stress, brain injury, depression, and addiction alleviated after years of antidepressants, talk therapy, and other sanctioned treatments.

Interest in the drug surged in 2025. Lawmakers in Texas dedicated $50 million toward studying it.

Warren’s ibogaine trip offered him a second shot at life. But with scant medical research on the drug, it’s not clear how long his relief will last.