LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas leaders are continuing to push for research into ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound that early studies suggest could help veterans suffering from PTSD, addiction, and other mental illness \u2014 a move aligned with an executive order signed by President Trump in April.<\/p>\n
Ibogaine is derived from the root bark of a shrub native to central Africa. It remains a Schedule I substance in the United States, meaning the federal government classifies it as having no therapeutic use and a high risk of addiction.<\/p>\n
Matthew Buckley, a Top Gun graduate who flew the supersonic F\/A-18 Hornet for the Navy for 15 years \u2014 including combat deployments over Iraq and Afghanistan \u2014 said the compound changed his life. He struggled with childhood trauma and the trauma of military service, turning to alcohol as he watched four fellow F\/A-18 pilots die by suicide, including his best friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in around 2020, my most recent F-18 brother killed himself,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cSo I\u2019ve lost four F-18 buddies to suicide, including my best friend. He is a groomsman in my wedding, married, beautiful bride and five kids and took his own life.\u201d<\/p>\n
That loss led Buckley to seek help \u2014 and to help others. A fellow veteran told him that Navy SEALs and Special Forces veterans were having success with psychedelic-assisted therapy in Mexico. Buckley said he agreed to go, with little knowledge of what to expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had absolutely no idea what I was getting into,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cAnd it was \u2014 I\u2019ve done some challenging things in my life \u2014 it was one of the most challenging things I\u2019ve ever experienced. It wasn\u2019t fun. It wasn\u2019t recreational, but I got 40 years of therapy in 14 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buckley said the experience, which lasted 14 to 16 hours, was conducted in a controlled medical setting. Participants were connected to IVs and EKGs and monitored by nurses throughout the night, with a cardiologist on-site due to ibogaine\u2019s potential effects on heart rhythm. <\/p>\n
He said the treatment eliminated his dependence on alcohol to the point that, for up to a year afterward, the smell of alcohol would make him physically ill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t the best dad. I wasn\u2019t a good husband. I was a drunk,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cThat guy died. He literally died on a mattress in Mexico. And I\u2019ve never been a better husband, father or human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
After returning home, Buckley founded the No Fallen Heroes Foundation, which has provided grants to more than 300 veterans, first responders, and their families to access ibogaine treatment. He said the foundation has recorded no suicides and no adverse events among those it has served.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne suicide is a hand grenade,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cIt\u2019s a generational hand grenade. It just blows up. It blows down and it blows \u2014 it\u2019s a horror. So even just saving one life is breaking generational trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n