New Research Suggests Psychedelic Retreats May Reduce Drug Craving in Veterans

For many veterans, the challenges of PTSD, depression, and traumatic stress don’t exist in isolation. They often come alongside another difficult experience: substance use.

Whether it’s alcohol, prescription medications, or other drugs, substance use can become a way to cope with overwhelming symptoms. One of the strongest drivers of continued substance use is craving, the persistent urge or preoccupation with seeking a substance, even when someone wants to stop.

A new study presented by researchers from Imperial College London and collaborators, using data collected through Heroic Hearts Project retreat programs, offers encouraging new insights into how psychedelic retreat experiences may help reduce drug craving in veterans.

While the findings are preliminary, they point toward an important possibility: psychedelic-assisted healing may influence craving through mechanisms that extend beyond improvements in PTSD or depression.

Why Study Craving?

Craving isn’t simply a matter of willpower. It’s a well-established predictor of substance use and relapse, and it reflects changes in the brain’s reward and motivation systems.

Veterans are disproportionately affected by substance use disorders, often because alcohol or drugs become a way to manage trauma-related symptoms, anxiety, depression, or chronic stress. Finding new approaches that address craving itself could play an important role in long-term recovery.

While psychedelics have already shown promise in treating conditions like PTSD and depression, researchers wanted to explore a different question:

Could psychedelic retreat programs also reduce drug craving?

How the Study Worked

The study followed 80 military veterans experiencing psychological distress who attended legal, naturalistic psychedelic retreat programs involving either psilocybin or ayahuasca. Participants completed assessments measuring craving, PTSD symptoms, and depression four weeks before their retreat and again four weeks afterward. The retreat programs also included preparation and post-retreat integration support, reflecting the holistic approach used in Heroic Hearts Project programs.

Rather than focusing only on mental health symptoms, researchers looked specifically at changes in participants’ self-reported craving across different types of rewards, with particular attention to veterans who reported craving drugs before attending the retreat.

What Researchers Found

The findings were encouraging.

More than half of participants who reported craving at the beginning of the study no longer reported craving after the retreat.

Among the 33 veterans who specifically reported drug craving, researchers found a statistically significant reduction in craving following the retreat experience. Perhaps even more notably, those improvements remained significant even after accounting for changes in PTSD and depression symptoms.

In other words, the reduction in craving could not simply be explained by participants feeling less depressed or experiencing fewer PTSD symptoms.

Why That Matters

This may be the most interesting finding from the study.

Much of the research surrounding psychedelics has focused on improvements in conditions like PTSD and depression. This study suggests something else may also be happening.

The researchers propose that psychedelics may influence the brain’s reward systems in ways that directly affect craving itself. While more research is needed to understand exactly how this works, it raises the possibility that psychedelic therapies could support recovery from substance use through mechanisms distinct from broader improvements in mental health.

If future research confirms these findings, it could help expand our understanding of how psychedelic therapies support healing and who might benefit from them.

Why Heroic Hearts Project Invests in Research

At Heroic Hearts Project, we’ve long seen the life-changing impact that psychedelic healing can have for veterans and their families. Providing direct care has always been central to our mission.

Research is another critical part of that mission.

Every study helps deepen our understanding of how these treatments work, who they help, and how they can be delivered safely and effectively. Just as importantly, high-quality research helps build the evidence needed to inform clinical practice, shape public policy, and expand access for the veterans who need it most.

This latest study adds another piece to that growing body of evidence. While much more work remains, it offers an encouraging signal that psychedelic retreat programs may not only help veterans heal from trauma, but may also reduce one of the most challenging barriers to recovery from substance use: craving.