A new paradigm for mental health
MIND MEDICINE AUSTRALIA (MMA) IS A CHARITY THAT HELPS TO
ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING CAUSED BY MENTAL ILLNESS IN
AUSTRALIA THROUGH EXPANDING THE TREATMENT OPTIONS
AVAILABLE TO MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AND THEIR PATIENTS. WE
ARE ESTABLISHING SAFE AND EFFECTIVE PSYCHEDELIC-ASSISTED
TREATMENTS TO CURE A RANGE OF MENTAL ILLNESSES.
, CONTENTS
Page 3 - Testimonials from patients
Page 4 - About us
Page 6 - Theory of change
Page 7 - Key facts
Page 8 - About psychedelics
Page 10 - Medicine-assisted psychotherapy
Page 13 - Brain imaging studies and safety
Page 16 - Future research
Page 17 - Testimonials from patients
Page 18 - How you can support us
Page 19 - International Summit on Psychedelic Therapies
Page 21 - Psychological Support Services
Page 22 - Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies
2
, TESTIMONIALS FROM PATIENTS
Patient 1: “I felt like I went through 15 years of psychological therapy in one night.“
Joel Harrop, Veterans of War: “Trauma creates a prison in the mind, leaving countless
Australians shackled by mental illness. While there are traditional therapies that provide
a path to peace for some, scores languish in suffering. I believe psychedelic therapy,
responsibly administered in a safe and supported environment, is the key to unlocking
those prison doors.
“Lest we forget” is a powerfully iconic statement steeped in tradition and honour. Yet, the
nation does forget, every day, about those veterans who put their lives on the line for their
country, only to be classified “treatment resistant” as they struggle to cope with the scars
of war. Did you know 8% of Australian veterans in the year after discharge develop a full
suicide plan? I was one of them. My personal journey is a fall from grace, followed by
healing and redemption.
After honourably discharging from Army in 2008 as an Officer, I went on to be the State
Party Secretary of Australia’s largest political party, riding high on the tide of success as
the scars of war seeped silently through the cracks. I could not run from my trauma for
long. Ultimately, I became homeless, alone, attempting suicide, masking my pain in
destructive fashion. My clinical diagnosis was PTSD, major depressive disorder with
anxiety and substance abuse disorder. I was treatment resistant and the Department of
Veterans Affairs wrote me off as a lost cause.
In desperation, from a place of abject hopelessness, I turned to safe and supported
Ayahuasca psychedelic therapy. One week of intensive treatment provided
transformational healing. I’m honoured to be an example of what is possible with guided
psychedelic therapy, and it is my passion to help my brothers and sisters in arms find their
own healing journey.“
Tom Judd, Director, sharkeatsbear: “As a fairly new person to psychedelics, when I
discovered the power of LSD and psilocybin, it was as if something had awoken inside of
me. My many years of battling chronic depression, anxiety and Complex PTSD, suddenly
felt like it was coming to an end. My mind felt “defragged” and organised. I problem-solved
strategies of how to change negative aspects of my life and I felt free to explore new things
that would otherwise give me anxiety. It’s not so much a drug, as it is a medicine.“
3
MIND MEDICINE AUSTRALIA (MMA) IS A CHARITY THAT HELPS TO
ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING CAUSED BY MENTAL ILLNESS IN
AUSTRALIA THROUGH EXPANDING THE TREATMENT OPTIONS
AVAILABLE TO MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AND THEIR PATIENTS. WE
ARE ESTABLISHING SAFE AND EFFECTIVE PSYCHEDELIC-ASSISTED
TREATMENTS TO CURE A RANGE OF MENTAL ILLNESSES.
, CONTENTS
Page 3 - Testimonials from patients
Page 4 - About us
Page 6 - Theory of change
Page 7 - Key facts
Page 8 - About psychedelics
Page 10 - Medicine-assisted psychotherapy
Page 13 - Brain imaging studies and safety
Page 16 - Future research
Page 17 - Testimonials from patients
Page 18 - How you can support us
Page 19 - International Summit on Psychedelic Therapies
Page 21 - Psychological Support Services
Page 22 - Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies
2
, TESTIMONIALS FROM PATIENTS
Patient 1: “I felt like I went through 15 years of psychological therapy in one night.“
Joel Harrop, Veterans of War: “Trauma creates a prison in the mind, leaving countless
Australians shackled by mental illness. While there are traditional therapies that provide
a path to peace for some, scores languish in suffering. I believe psychedelic therapy,
responsibly administered in a safe and supported environment, is the key to unlocking
those prison doors.
“Lest we forget” is a powerfully iconic statement steeped in tradition and honour. Yet, the
nation does forget, every day, about those veterans who put their lives on the line for their
country, only to be classified “treatment resistant” as they struggle to cope with the scars
of war. Did you know 8% of Australian veterans in the year after discharge develop a full
suicide plan? I was one of them. My personal journey is a fall from grace, followed by
healing and redemption.
After honourably discharging from Army in 2008 as an Officer, I went on to be the State
Party Secretary of Australia’s largest political party, riding high on the tide of success as
the scars of war seeped silently through the cracks. I could not run from my trauma for
long. Ultimately, I became homeless, alone, attempting suicide, masking my pain in
destructive fashion. My clinical diagnosis was PTSD, major depressive disorder with
anxiety and substance abuse disorder. I was treatment resistant and the Department of
Veterans Affairs wrote me off as a lost cause.
In desperation, from a place of abject hopelessness, I turned to safe and supported
Ayahuasca psychedelic therapy. One week of intensive treatment provided
transformational healing. I’m honoured to be an example of what is possible with guided
psychedelic therapy, and it is my passion to help my brothers and sisters in arms find their
own healing journey.“
Tom Judd, Director, sharkeatsbear: “As a fairly new person to psychedelics, when I
discovered the power of LSD and psilocybin, it was as if something had awoken inside of
me. My many years of battling chronic depression, anxiety and Complex PTSD, suddenly
felt like it was coming to an end. My mind felt “defragged” and organised. I problem-solved
strategies of how to change negative aspects of my life and I felt free to explore new things
that would otherwise give me anxiety. It’s not so much a drug, as it is a medicine.“
3
