EP 416: From War to Healing: The Power of Psychedelics to Unlock Growth, Resilience & Inner Peace with Neil Markey

In this soul-stretching episode, Catherine sits down with Neil Markey, former U.S. special operations commander turned psychedelic wellness visionary, to explore one of the most urgent and transformative frontiers in mental health: plant medicine. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Neil returned home carrying the invisible wounds of war — anxiety, hypervigilance, and trauma that traditional therapy could not touch. What followed was a radical rebirth through meditation, psilocybin, and the deep inner work of integration. Now, as co-founder of Beckley Retreats, Neil offers legal, research-informed psychedelic retreats in Jamaica and the Netherlands that fuse high-dose psilocybin ceremonies with breathwork, movement, and weeks of guided support. This is not about escape — it is about coming back to your truth. Together, Catherine and Neil dive into: The neuroscience of psilocybin and how it rewires the brain The importance of set, setting, and skilled facilitation The myths and stigmas still haunting the psychedelic space The real difference between microdosing and macrodosing Why integration, not the peak experience, is the portal to lasting change This conversation is a masterclass in post-traumatic growth, emotional alchemy, and what it means to truly heal in a fragmented world. Neil leaves us with three sacred truths: Meditation changes everything Nature is medicine Relationships are the real work If you are ready to rethink what healing looks like, this episode will open doors you didn’t know were closed. You can watch the video of the conversation on YouTube Find Out More About Neil Markey and Beckley Retreats Beckley Retreats Website Follow Beckley Retreats on Instagram @beckleyretreats Check out Beckley Retreats’ YouTube Channel @beckleyretreats