Heroic Hearts Project’s David Fascinato on his ayahuasca retreat and how psychedelics are helping veterans

Next week, Canadian Armed Forces veteran David Fascinato will take the stage at the Lithuanian House banquet hall in Toronto to officially launch Heroic Hearts Project Canada, a not-for-profit charity devoted to helping veterans, many of whom are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), gain access to psychedelic assisted therapy.

A banquet hall might seem an odd place to announce a program aimed at helping veterans recover from military trauma, however the venue is a perfect fit given it is currently home to an immersive art installation called Psychedelics: The Experiential Exhibition, which features the work of 22 international artists who explore the history and future of psychedelics.

Conversations about psychedelic drug use are no longer in the shadows, says Fascinato, executive director of Heroic Hearts who was approached two years ago to set up the Canadian offshoot of the U.S.-based Heroic Hearts Project, founded in 2017. “Psychedelics are undergoing a renaissance.

“We’ve still got a long way to go but physicians, lawmakers, scientists, governments and the general public are finally looking at banned hallucinogens as a possible treatment for a wide range of mental health disorders, including PTSD, anxiety and depression.”

Fascinato has first-hand knowledge of how these alternative therapies can help. In the past 18 months, he has travelled to Peru and Mexico for psychedelic assisted therapies. He describes those experiences as “transformational” and tells The Globe and Mail how they have helped him heal from past trauma, both inside and outside of military life.

Do you think this is a watershed moment in the long evolution of psychedelics?

Psychedelics have a long, complicated history. They still suffer from the stigma of [former U.S. president Richard Nixon’s] “war on drugs” in the early 1970s, when all drugs – regardless of whether they may have had some medicinal benefits – were lumped together as harmful to society. However, the global mental health crisis – not just for veterans, but for everyone – is forcing governments around the world to consider new and different treatment options. Recently, I appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence in Ottawa, a subcommittee on Veteran Affairs, which would never have happened even two years ago. The stigma behind psychedelics is being challenged at many different levels and we believe Canadian veterans can play a distinct role in contributing to the growing research and evidence on the beneficial impacts of psychedelics.

How did you get involved in Heroic Hearts?

As a member of the army reserve, I was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2010 and was part of a psychological operations tactical team which sought to build bridges with local leaders and governments in the areas we served. After I came home, I went back to university [to finish a masters of design in strategic foresight and innovation from OCAD University] and then I co-founded Team Rubicon Canada and spent several years scaling the U.S.-based [disaster relief organization] Team Rubicon into new markets in Europe and Asia. In 2020, a former colleague approached me about setting up the Canadian chapter of Heroic Hearts. As someone who has struggled with mental health, and as someone who has watched friends in the service struggle with depression, anxiety and other afflictions, Heroic Hearts felt like it was at the nexus of all things I am passionate about. Psychedelics are an emerging field and Heroic Hearts is just another way I can give back and support this community that has given me so much.

What led you to seek psychedelic therapy?

My dad died when I was 13 and I had a challenging adolescence. I joined the military when I was 19 and when I did I felt I’d finally found a degree of stability that had been missing from my life. I did not suffer PTSD from serving in Afghanistan, but I have struggled – like so many veterans – readjusting to civilian life. [Fascinato left the military in 2015]. Last year, I had a number of setbacks. My mom died and I lost several [military] friends to suicide. Jesse Gould [the founder of Heroic Hearts Project in the U.S.] called me up and said, “David this is a tough time. I think you should step away to focus on your family and yourself. There is a spot for you at the ayahuasca retreat in Tarapoto, Peru if you want it.” My partner strongly encouraged me to go.

What is an ayahuasca retreat and what was it like?

I was with other American veterans and most of us were new to ayahuasca, which is a vine that grows in South America. For centuries ancient Amazonian tribes have brewed it into a thick tea that was traditionally used during religious or shamanic occasions. The active, hallucinogenic ingredients in the tea basically allowed me to break apart all the things I’ve carried with me in life and start over with a clean slate. It broke me up to build me up. It allowed me to deal with a lot of the pain from the past, and it helped me kick start a healing journey that I am still on. I also travelled to Mexico recently where I tried a psychedelic-assisted therapy with ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT, also know as the “grandfathers” of psychedelic therapies because they are so powerful. It’s a program for veterans and first-responders and it is very intense.

What is your takeaway from experimenting with psychedelic-assisted therapies?

To date, most of the benefits of these treatments are anecdotal, but from my own experience, I can say they have helped me start to become a better version of myself. I recognize that the scientific community and health regulators want to see more evidence and more research about the true benefits of psychedelics on mental health. However, when you speak to others who have [done psychedelic therapy], you can hear it in their voice and you can see it in their eyes, that they feel a burden has been lifted. There is an overwhelming sense of relief – even joy – that wasn’t there before. Psychedelics, administered in safe and controlled settings, can do wonders in terms of giving someone back their life.

What are your short- and long-term goals for Heroic Hearts Project Canada?

We recently formed a clinical advisory group to help us define the details of our program but we hope to begin helping veterans access psychedelic treatments in the early part of 2023. In the first year, we anticipate up to 24 veterans be provided financial aid and support to access these therapies. The creation of Heroic Hearts Canada has been a slow, methodical process and we have no intention of rushing. There is too much at stake. The epidemic of suicide and post-traumatic stress speak to the current standard of care that is failing veterans at this point. There is momentum building across Canada, not just from the veteran community but from so many other groups and voices, who are beating the drum about psychedelics playing a key role in healing communities.