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Jesse Gould is the Founder and President of Heroic Hearts Project. His mission is to help military veterans struggling with mental trauma and spread awareness of the benefits that ayahuasca therapies offer as an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals.
Jesse has raised over $150,000 in scholarships from donors, has partnered with the world’s leading ayahuasca treatment centers, and is researching psychiatric applications with the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Georgia. Jesse has spoken globally about the benefits of psychedelics on mental health and has been recognized as one of the Social Entrepreneurs To Watch For In 2020 by Cause Artist.
This episode was recorded at Soltara Healing Center as part of the #SoltaraSeries. For more information about Ayahuasca retreats at Soltara, visit http://soltara.co/thoughtroom
Special Offers in This Episode:
→ $200 off Ayahuasca retreats at Soltara Healing Center with code THOUGHTROOM. Use link: http://soltara.co/thoughtroom
Topics Explored:
> 7:50 Jesse describes Heroic Hearts Project and how it relates to his own personal journey and life after his career as a US Army Ranger Veteran struggling to find fulfillment and joy in his life
> 12:30 The VA’s default treatment protocol for Veterans, using pharmaceutical drugs in conjunction with talk therapy
> 16:50 Jesse’s personal reasons for choosing an alternative treatment protocol and seeking a deeper, solution: Are pharmaceutical medications masking symptoms and not addressing root causes?
> 28:00 Struggling through his first experience with ayahuasca in Peru and the valuable, practical lessons Jesse learned
> 34:50 Hallie’s anecdote about the moth’s struggle to break through its chrysalis
> 37:00 Choosing your struggle
> 41:15 Discussing Jesse’s first hand experience of the positive effects of ayahuasca on mental health along with hard scientific evidence showing the benefits
> 46:20 The creation of Heroic Hearts Project in 2017 and connecting with Soltara Healing Center
> 51:10 How to support Heroic Hearts Project and the ‘Ayahuasca Now’ documentary
> 54:20 The lasting results of psychedelic therapies, including psilocybin, MDMA and ayahuasca
> 1:01:20 Why psychedelic therapies, particularly ayahuasca, speak to the Veteran community
> 1:06:20 How ayahuasca is a tool for some and how we can achieve similar states of consciousness without it
> 1:10:15 Jesse’s final thoughts on integration for veterans after their week long retreat at Soltara
> 1:13:25 The importance of integration after a deeply transformative experience like an ayahuasca retreat, what integration looks like in practice
> 1:20:30 How people can find Jesse and Heroic Hearts Project
Resources:
(Book) The Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson
(Documentary) Ayahuasca Now
(Research) Jessica Nielson, PhD – Ayahuasca for PTSD: Assessing Risks and Benefits through Anonymous Community Feedback
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCGp_nrU8AQ
Ayahausca Plant Medicine at Soltara Healing Center: www.soltara.co/thoughtroom
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Instagram| https://www.instagram.com/heroicheartsproject/
Website| https://www.heroicheartsproject.org/
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to Emmy-Award winning composer Kodomo (Chris Child) for allowing us to use his brilliant track Concept 1 as our theme song.
