S03E65 - Stephen Xenakis - Veterans & Treatment

🎙️ Brigadier General (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, MD. As the new Executive Director of the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association (APPA), Dr. Xenakis brings decades of clinical experience and knowledge. Having advised some of the highest-ranking officials in the Department of Defense, Dr. Xenakis is an outspoken advocate for ethics and human rights in healthcare.

During the episode, Dr. Xenakis shares his thoughts on the emerging field of psychedelic medicine, the potential impact of a federal task force on substances like Ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin, and the opportunities to treat and help our veterans in the United States with these and other entheogens and plant medicines. He explores how the government's Veterans Health Administration (VHA) can provide access to innovative psychiatric treatments through the VHA and insurance providers.

Dr. Xenakis also discusses the issues with the current criminalization of psychedelic substances and how policymakers can ensure that these treatments are more widely accessible to veterans and other individuals. He encourages raising awareness about the potential benefits of these treatments and combatting any stigma that may surround them.

Listeners can expect to learn more about the VHA's role in providing mental health care to veterans, the research supporting the use of psychedelic therapies, the challenges and benefits of administering psychedelic-assisted therapy to individuals within the VHA system, and APPA's role in influencing insurance coverage for psychedelic-assisted therapy.

The episode offers an informative, persuasive, and positive outlook on improving our nation's veterans' access to innovative psychiatric treatments. Listeners can find more information about Dr. Xenakis's work at the APPA and how to get involved. https://www.appa-us.org/