[IMA-HelenT]

IMA President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Varon joined Fox Noticias host Julie Banderas to discuss President Trump’s recent executive order reducing federal restrictions on psychedelic therapies for serious mental illness.

https://imahealth.org/psychedelics-for-mental-illness-dr-joseph-varon-on-trumps-executive-order/

[Lenore Norrgard]

When will the video of this episode be available?

[IMA-HelenT]

You can find it here: https://imahealth.org/psychedelics-in-medicine-curiosity-caution/

[Dr. Rafael F. Cruz MD]

Great insights from Hellen, Dr Cole and Dr. Rutherford. I too had a mother with addiction and severe depression who took her life when I was 18 years old. That tragedy shaped my medical future as our clinic has been using IV Ketamine for 10+ years with great results and no serious complications. The VA asked us to be their provider for Veterans with TRD Treatment Resistant Depression so the government knows it works especially when combined with meditation, breath work and cognitive therapy. I believe these tragedies can shape our lives for the better, but boy it can be very painful. The future is getting better as you can see more and more countries are using MDMA for resistant PTSD. even a few VA hospitals in The USA.

“On April 18, 2026, the President signed an Executive Order explicitly directing the FDA and DEA to open access pathways for investigational psychedelic medicines — citing veteran suicide and treatment-resistant PTSD as the policy rationale. For physicians whose patients have exhausted existing options, the case for an Expanded Access request for MDMA-assisted therapy has rarely been clearer.

The Australian experience now provides real-world validation. Since July 2023, MDMA has been legally prescribed for PTSD under the TGA’s Authorized Prescriber Scheme. Nearly 200 patients later, the program has recorded no serious adverse events for MDMA-assisted therapy, with more than half of patients reporting significant relief — outcomes being formally tracked by the Australian National University.

The U.S. has been building its own veteran-specific dataset in parallel. Phase 2 trials at VA Loma Linda, the James J. Peters VA, Portland VA, San Diego VA, and Providence/West Haven have generated safety and feasibility data in exactly the population the EO is designed to help: combat veterans with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD.

And the modality has now achieved something no other psychedelic therapy has: sovereign reimbursement. The Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs will fund MDMA therapy for eligible veterans with PTSD as part of a A$740 million rehabilitation package — the first time a national veterans’ authority has covered psychedelic-assisted therapy as a benefit.”

Canadian veteran testimonial

FDA Expanded Access Portal

Curated list of relevant publications

Clinical trial documentation

Best,

Rafael Cruz

Kentuckiana Integrative Medicine

http://www.regenmedky.com

812-913-4416

[IMA-HelenT]

Am so sorry about you mother. Thank you for sharing your insights and all those links, I need to go and explore them.

[lorraine]

Even though there have been some good outcomes I’m just not convinced psychedelics as a treatment is a good idea as it will almost certainly send a message to youth (and older folks) that it’s safe and a good thing to try. And, you know, they won’t rely on doctors but WILL self treat. That could be disastrous.

[Dr. Rafael F. Cruz MD]

Respectfully disagree. Ketamine is saving lives daily and the abuse of Ketamine is minimal. For 10 years we have provided this service with great results and mild complication that are thankfully rare.

[IMA-GregT]

Hi @Dr. Rafael F. Cruz MD, apologies for the delay in your reply further above appearing. Becasue of all the links it went into spam, and after reading unspammed it immediately. Welcome to the forums.

[vegandan]

I tried to watch it live on Wednesday but bailed after the zoom problems lasted for more than 10 minutes. Rumble feed didn’t work either. Figured I would just wait for the replay which I see has been posted.

[IMA-HelenT]

Sorry for these technical glitches. Always a frustration.

[IMA-HelenT]

I loved this percpective from Senior Fellow Dr. Joseph Witt Doering “If I was Depressed in 2026, Here’s What I’d Do”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0YI2pPeQg0

[IMA-HelenT]

An interesting online summit from the CHD https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/events/make-america-healthy-again-maha-watch/mental-health–overmedicalization-summit/

Mental Health & Overmedicalization Summit

[Patricia Gilliano PMHNP]

I have used Ketamine IV, IM, sublingually, and Esketamine nasal spray. Work I have done with veterans and those with significant PTSD symptoms have benefitted tremendously. The goal and success of what I have seen is because it is supervised. The IV route while initially, I was skeptical, has proven to me the most effective as I can control how much and how quickly I can turn it down or off. Doing this with the patient in a controlled environment lets them talk during the treatment and we focus on gratitude, positivity, and what they would like to see forward in their life. It has been game and lifechanging for those treated in a most beneficial way. I combine that with TMS (transcranial magnetic therapy) and it has become a more permanent life-changing solution to heal forward.

[IMA-HelenT]

Thank you for sharing your experience @pattig3fl

Dr. Rutherford also emphased the importance of supervision and intention. This isn’t about people experimenting on their own, it’s about careful medical use in the right setting, with the right support.

I also love the focus on gratitude, positivity, and helping patients look forward.

What led you to helping people with PTSD?