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Jay Kopelman was still wrestling with the trauma of his service in Fallujah when a trip to Mexico for psychedelic therapy changed everything. Now, as Executive Director of the Mission Within Foundation, he's raised millions to help other veterans access the same treatments that opened up his ability to love and connect.

We asked Jay how different psychedelics heal vets in complementary ways, why Mission Within also treats military spouses, and what the early results show from the organization’s research projects at UT Austin.

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After serving in the Marine Corps, how did you end up serving as Executive Director of the Mission Within Foundation?

I became involved after being a patient at The Mission Within myself. I had such a profound and life-changing experience that I decided I needed to bring this therapy to other veterans.

I knew that the founder, Dr. Martin Polanco, had also started something called the Mission Within Foundation, but not much was happening there. So around March 2024, I approached some friends of mine about donating. I told them, "I'm going to do something I've never done and ask you to please consider donating, so we can treat some Marines and save some lives." See, if you're Special Ops or Special Ops adjacent, you can get a scholarship from organizations like VETS, Boot Campaign, or Special Operations Care Fund. But most people just don't get them, and these retreats aren't inexpensive.

About nine days after that dinner, my friends committed a million dollars to treating non-Special Operations Marines. Martin made me president of their board of directors at Mission Within Foundation, and then in August 2024, I took over as interim executive director. By December, we'd raised enough money to pay me, and I've been executive director since. I want to clarify, though, I'm not opposed to sending veterans wherever treatment is available. I've sent veterans to Beond in Cancun, too.

The Mission Within uses three medicines: ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, and psilocybin. How have you seen each of these compounds work for veterans? Do they address different aspects of trauma?

At The Mission Within, there are two retreat options: an ibogaine/5-MeO-DMT retreat and a psilocybin/5-MeO-DMT retreat. The ibogaine is used primarily when TBI is present because of its neuro-restorative and neuro-regenerative properties. It doesn't just help; it typically reverses the effects of TBI. Guys tell wonderful stories about how before treatment they'd be driving somewhere with their kids and forget where they were going, and now they're very clear minded.

Psilocybin provides many of the same benefits as ibogaine when it comes to psychological trauma. The ibogaine or psilocybin shows you what you need to see. When people present with PTSD, almost 100% of the time it began with some childhood trauma that gets carried for life. When you're exposed to combat, that trauma is just exacerbated. It's a ‘piling on.’ PTSD is considered a moral injury, and these medicines help you break through that.

Then, 5-MeO-DMT is like experiencing God. It allows you to open up emotionally and psychologically to receive love from yourself and others. My situation was that I didn't realize I was carrying around a lot of anger, guilt, and self-hate. With my first 5-MeO dose, I felt all that leave. It was just lifted from me. I saw God's light and learned to love myself, which is critical in life. After those experiences with ibogaine and 5-MeO, I can now have a real loving relationship.

What made you decide to treat spouses rather than just veterans alone? What differences have you noticed when partners heal alongside each other?

To clarify, we don’t treat couples together. Our programming is intentionally designed around separate cohorts—usually divided by gender—because ibogaine is not a form of couples therapy. It’s a deeply introspective and often intense process that requires participants to turn inward without the emotional distraction of a partner present. In our experience, having a loved one in the same cohort can disrupt the healing journey and make it harder for each person to fully surrender to their own process.

That said, we understand the relational impact of trauma. While the ibogaine experience itself is individual, we often include partners in the integration phase, through education, coaching, or referrals to complementary modalities. Our goal is to support the whole system, but the inner work starts with the self.

What I’ve seen firsthand in couples where both partners have undergone treatment is that it becomes easier for them to share their experiences. They can speak more openly and honestly, without judgment. Speaking for myself now, I learned to show myself and others grace. I realized I can't control what anybody else does, but I can control how I respond. The medicine gave me that.

Tell us about the collaboration with UT-Austin to study psychedelics for bereaved military spouses. What have you seen so far in the research?

In partnership with the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at UT-Austin’s Dell Medical School, we’re helping lead the first study of its kind to explore psychedelic-assisted therapy for complicated grief in surviving family members of military personnel. That group includes not only spouses, but also parents, siblings, and others carrying the emotional weight of profound loss.

The study focuses on whether psilocybin- or 5-MeO-DMT-assisted psychotherapy can reduce symptoms of prolonged grief, depression, and PTSD. Participants complete brain imaging and psychological assessments before and after attending a therapeutic retreat. We’ve treated six participants so far, and the early results are incredibly promising. Many describe feeling a renewed sense of connection—not just to their loved one, but to life itself. The grief doesn’t disappear, but it transforms into something more integrated, less debilitating.

We’re also working with UT-Austin to study ibogaine’s impact on brain function in Special Operations Forces veterans, one of the most resilient yet affected populations we serve. This study uses advanced brain imaging to track changes in emotional regulation and trauma-related neural patterns before and after treatment. It’s one of the only studies globally examining ibogaine’s neurological effects in elite veterans, and early findings suggest measurable improvements in cognitive and emotional health.

Your book about rescuing your dog Lava from Fallujah shows how that relationship helped you through war's emotional impact. Do you see any parallels between what Lava did for you and what these medicines do for veterans?

There may be some parallels, but I'd put it like this: having Lava around was a break. It gave everybody a little relief from having to face the traumas of combat. Ibogaine is like that, but long-term. I don't want to mislead anybody and say ibogaine is some sort of panacea because it's not. It's a gateway, a pathway to healing. It gives you a window in which you can learn to change your behaviors and practice good habits that will allow you to have the long-term benefits.

There's still a lot of work that goes into fully healing. With the money we’ve raised for these Marines, we've created a comprehensive approach. First, they see a psychiatrist for safety assessment, then we take them to a functional medicine center to check hormone levels. They get prescribed peptides, supplements, and hormone replacement therapy if needed. Post-retreat, they get ten one-hour meditation training sessions and twelve integration therapy sessions. It’s a real commitment.

I think Lava provided an outlet for everybody around him in the middle of intense combat to just take a break. But it's not the same; not even close. The puppy in Fallujah was wonderful for the time we had him, and bringing him back was a shared experience. But even he never recovered. Obviously, a creature with a sub-60 IQ doesn't have the ability to process trauma the way we can with these medicines.

Want more from Jay?

Learn about The Mission Within’s treatment process, or consider underwriting a veteran in need of healing.

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.