Jesse Gould founded the Heroic Hearts Project after his own experience with ayahuasca in Peru. Mark “Moose” McGrath and I asked him how a veteran raised on anti-drug messages came to lead a psychedelic therapy nonprofit.
Growing up with DARE
We start in the 1980s, when Miami Vice, DARE and government campaigns shaped how Generation X saw drugs. Mark and I share our own memories of those mixed messages and the politics behind the war on drugs.
Jesse’s path
Jesse was skeptical at first. Ayahuasca helped him with post-traumatic stress, and that experience led him to start Heroic Hearts. He explains the multiple-hit hypothesis and why each person’s background shapes their response to trauma.
The road ahead
Cost and ethics remain hard problems. Jesse describes growing support from senior military leaders and the VA, and the community effort to help veterans find safe care.
This episode is not medical advice. If you are a veteran in crisis, call or text 988 and press 1.
Which of your beliefs about drugs came from a campaign rather than evidence?
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