By any honest measure, veterans have long been unintended pioneers in the advancement of medicine.

The unique realities of war and military service have forced innovation that later benefits civilians for generations. Modern triage systems emerged from battlefields where medical personnel had to decide, in seconds, who could be saved. Medevac transportation by helicopter increased survival rates in conflicts like Vietnam and later became a staple of civilian emergency medicine. Advances in trauma surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation medicine and even treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder were accelerated because war left no alternative but to innovate.

Today, veterans are once again on the frontlines of an advance in medicine–this time involving psychedelics–as they search for ways to address the invisible wounds of war: post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, depression and moral injury.

I saw this firsthand at the Psychedelic Science 2025 conference in Denver, where thousands of researchers, clinicians, advocates and policymakers gathered to explore the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine. But what stood out most was an emerging voice.

Veterans.

Panel after panel featured former service members and their families speaking not only about trauma, but about recovery–about journeys through plant medicine that helped them process memories, reconnect and rediscover purpose.

That same reality reached a broader audience through the Netflix documentary “In Waves and War,” which follows veterans pursuing healing, breaking addiction and reducing the effects of brain injuries and PTSD through the use of ibogaine. The stories are deeply personal, but the larger theme is unmistakable: veterans are once again walking point in a space that will eventually help the wider public.

The trauma surgeon who honed life-saving techniques in Iraq or Afghanistan eventually brings that knowledge into a civilian hospital. The battlefield innovations that once saved a wounded Marine often become the protocols that save a car crash victim decades later.

The same dynamic is unfolding with psychedelic-assisted therapies.

As author Michael Pollan observed while chronicling the modern psychedelic renaissance, these substances can allow people to see the mind “from a different vantage point,” loosening rigid patterns of thought that keep people trapped in trauma and depression.

Increasingly, the question is no longer whether these therapies hold promise, but how they can be responsibly studied and integrated into modern medicine. Unlike past medical breakthroughs, progress here will stall without public understanding, policy reform and responsible investment.

That’s one reason DAV (Disabled American Veterans) recently launched Mindscapes, a new online multimedia resource dedicated to psychedelic education and exploration. The platform brings together the voices of veterans who have undergone plant-medicine journeys alongside clinicians, researchers and mental health professionals working in the field. Mindscapes offers a place for veterans, families and the public to engage with credible information, hear real stories and participate in a conversation that is shaping the future of mental health care.

The timing could not be more important.

We are living in uncertain times and that’s pushing more people toward exploring new ways to address mental health, personal resilience and overall quality of life.

Psychedelic-assisted therapies may offer one such path.

Research from major universities and medical institutions suggests these treatments could help people process trauma, confront addiction and experience profound psychological insight. Much work remains to ensure these therapies are safe, accessible and responsibly integrated into medicine.

But once again, veterans are helping lead the way.

Many are speaking publicly about their experiences. Others are participating in clinical trials. Still, others are advocating in Washington, D.C., and statehouses across the nation for thoughtful policy reforms that would allow those suffering from mental and physical health challenges to access emerging treatments under medical supervision.

Their efforts echo the long and often uncomfortable truth about our history: The lessons learned from war rarely stay confined to those who served. Again and again, veterans are asked to carry the burden of innovation first, forced to navigate new approaches to healing long before they are accepted by the broader medical community.

Just as battlefield triage and medevac ultimately transformed emergency medicine, the knowledge veterans are helping generate today about psychedelic-assisted therapies could expand how we understand healing itself.

If history is any guide, the breakthroughs veterans are helping unlock today will one day benefit millions beyond the military community. But that future depends on what happens next, on whether we choose to learn, to listen, and to support thoughtful, evidence-based progress.

Veterans have once again stepped forward to lead.

The question now is whether the rest of us are willing to follow.

Rob Lewis is the national communications director for DAV (Disabled American Veterans). Lewis is a service-disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served as an award-winning staff reporter until he was honorably discharged in 1998. He continued his military service as a photojournalist in the Ohio Army National Guard until 2004. Lewis joined DAV’s professional staff in 2002 and has been national communications director since 2019. Learn more about DAV’s resources for veterans at dav.org.