Nine veterans with PTSD travel to Mexico for a psychedelic retreat, including psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT, and share what changed nearly a year later

Psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT retreats in Mexico are the focus of a CBS News 60 Minutes segment featuring nine U.S. veterans with PTSD. The veterans traveled to a remote village near Puerto Vallarta for a week-long retreat organized by the Heroic Hearts Project. To qualify, participants had to coordinate with doctors to wean off certain psychiatric medications, complete medical screening, and avoid a personal or family history of psychosis or schizophrenia. Traditional healers led the ceremonies, with the first two using psilocybin in tea-form. After the experience, veterans participated in follow-up meetings and described mixed outcomes nearly a year later, including emotional revelations and distress for some participants. The segment contrasts this with U.S. medical oversight, noting VA clinical trials using MDMA and psilocybin and warning against unsupervised self-medication, emphasizing the need for safe, monitored, and evidence-based clinical settings.