A Military Officer Transformed by Magic Mushrooms
Benjamin Forest spent 25 years in the U.S. Air Force, rising from enlisted ranks to Lieutenant Colonel. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, worked at the Pentagon, and earned four master’s degrees along the way. From the outside, his life resembled a model of military achievement. But internally, Forest was unraveling.
“On the outside, I epitomized the American Dream,” he writes in his upcoming book Trip of a Lifetime: The Psychedelic Guide to Healing, Loving, and Living. “On the inside, I embodied the American Nightmare, disconnected, lost, and hopeless.”
Diagnosed with severe treatment-resistant depression, Forest was eventually hospitalized in a VA psychiatric ward for suicidal ideation on Veteran’s Day of 2020. Years of conventional treatments such as medication, therapy, and exercise failed to bring relief. It wasn’t until April 2021, during a guided psilocybin ceremony with a therapist, that everything changed.
For Benjamin, encountering psychedelics was a mystical experience: “It was as if God reached into my heart, flipped a switch, and brought me to life. For the first time in years, I felt joy, connection, and love.”
A Warrior’s Guide to Psychedelics
Following this turning point, Benjamin walked away from his government career and began a new path as a psychedelic integration coach, informal guide, and now author. Trip of a Lifetime, due out in September 2025, blends personal memoir with a self-help framework. Structured around what he calls “The Ten Invitations of Psychedelia,” the book uses the arc of the hero’s journey to explore emotional healing, spiritual growth, and the integration of psychedelic insights into everyday life.
Among the Ten Invitations are “Proclaim Your Intention,” which asks the reader to get clear on their healing goals, and “Love Yourself Shamelessly,” a challenge to embrace self-worth regardless of past mistakes. “These aren’t just psychedelic principles,” Forest says. “They’re life principles.”
Benjamin is part of a growing wave of veterans turning to psychedelics as a last resort and finding something life-saving. “I meet a lot of veterans who say the same thing. A lot of us are so emotionally locked down that it takes something like psychedelics to really crack us wide open so we can finally heal.”
One of Forest’s clients, a former Marine in his fifties, hadn’t cried since boot camp. During a psilocybin session, he wept for the first time in thirty years. “After that release, his panic attacks stopped,” Forest says. “His wife later told me, ‘You gave me my husband back.'”
When asked if his military background helps him work with psychedelics, he replies, “Absolutely! This inner work takes courage and purpose and integrity. All these qualities are at the heart of the warrior. We veterans can approach medicine with these same qualities, but as humble inner warriors this time.”
Veteran’s Day Plea
America is at a crossroad with psychedelics: increasingly common, but not yet legal. A bipartisan trickle of support has emerged. Democrats like Cory Booker and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez push for expanded research and access, while Republicans like Rand Paul and Dan Crenshaw back psychedelic therapies, especially for veterans. FDA designations and local decriminalization hint at a shift, but federally these substances remain outlawed.
With over 6,000 veteran suicides per year in the U.S., Forest argues that more urgent action is needed. “We’ve tried pills, talk therapy, and VA bureaucracy,” he says. “It’s time we try something sacred and powerful.”
When asked about the upcoming Veteran’s Day holiday, he says, “Here’s my plea for the holiday: support psychedelic healing! If anyone reading this really wants to support veterans, support therapeutic and ceremonial medicine use through your vote, your donation, or your voice.”
To learn more about psychedelic healing, Trip of a Lifetime, or Benjamin’s story, visit www.BenjaminForest.com.
