In Waves and War: Healing Trauma Beyond the Battlefield

A Documentary That Dares to Look Inside the Wounds of War

When the veterans in In Waves and War speak, you can feel the silence between their words. The 2025 Netflix documentary, directed by Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen, follows three former Navy SEALs who return home carrying the invisible injuries of war; trauma, guilt, and disconnection.

After years of medication and therapy that couldn’t reach the core of their pain, they turn toward something new: psychedelic-assisted therapy (PaT).

At Access Therapy, as we prepare to launch our own psychedelic-assisted therapy program in Spring 2026, this film struck a deep chord. It captures both the profound hope and the ethical responsibility that come with this emerging field of care.

Summary: From Combat to Consciousness

The documentary centers on decorated veteran Marcus Capone, whose battle didn’t end when he left Afghanistan. Struggling with depression, rage, and trauma-related symptoms, Marcus and his wife, Amber, find a treatment center in Mexico offering psychedelic therapy using ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT which are not yet legally available in American clinics.

What follows is not a story about quick fixes, but about courage: facing the memories that haunt us, confronting shame, and learning to live again. Through a blend of intimate interviews and expressive animation, the filmmakers help viewers step into the felt experience of trauma — and the strange, hopeful space where healing begins.

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Blank Canvas, Not a Magic Pill

One veteran describes his journey this way:

“It was like being given a blank canvas.“

As with any blank workspace, you can choose to use the same paints and techniques that you’ve been using previously or step out of the patterned response and paint something different. This captures the essence of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and its greatest misconception. The psychedelic experience can clear the old layers of paint, revealing the self beneath years of defense and pain. But the work of painting something new (of living differently) only happens afterward. The idea that PaT is a magic pill with long-lasting effectiveness is very misleading. The work of integrating that which is revealed during medicine sessions, is where the true work begins.

At Access Therapy, we believe that the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy depends entirely on integration. Without ongoing support, guidance, and practice, old patterns tend to reappear, why wouldn’t they? These are well-worn path, they might be dark and painful but they are familiar and we are creatures of habit.

Integration means helping clients make sense of what emerged in their sessions, embody insights, and translate them into daily habits, relationships, and self-care. It’s where healing becomes sustainable. This is where insight turns into transformation.

Psychedelics may open the door, but therapy and community help you walk through it.

What the Film Gets Right

1. The Human Face of PTSD

In Waves and War doesn’t shy away from pain. The veterans’ stories show how trauma rewires the nervous system. How hyper-vigilance, shame, and isolation can persist long after the battle is over. For clinicians, it’s a powerful reminder that trauma is both psychological and physiological.

2. The Healing Power of Connection

Healing happens in relationship. The documentary highlights the roles of spouses, friends, and therapists in supporting recovery. Psychedelic medicine is powerful, but it’s the relational container — the love, safety, and empathy surrounding the journey — that allows it to work.

3. Visual Storytelling of the Psyche

Through beautiful animation, the filmmakers visualize what words often can’t: the experience of moving through trauma and toward self-compassion. For anyone in the mental-health field, it’s a vivid metaphor for what we witness in therapy every day.

4. The Deep Roots of Trauma

The veterans in In Waves and War have lived through unimaginable trauma during their deployments. But during their psychedelic sessions, many are surprised to find the medicine leading them somewhere unexpected, back to childhood memories that were never fully healed. At first, this can feel confusing or even frustrating. It might sound like an oversimplification to say our adult struggles trace back to childhood. But early experiences shape how our nervous systems respond to the world. How we handle fear, anger, and connection.

For these veterans, healing begins when they start to untangle the stories from their past and see how those old wounds are connected to their current pain. In doing so, they begin to access something new: insight, compassion, and a sense of peace with both their childhood and their experiences of war.

Where the Documentary Falls Short

While emotionally rich, the film only briefly touches on the science and structure behind psychedelic-assisted therapy. It doesn’t show the detailed clinical preparation, screening, and integration work that ensure safety and long-term benefit. It’s clearly not the focus of the film, but would benefit from even a brief summary of what an ethically-run PaT experience would entail.

As psychedelic-assisted therapy moves toward greater accessibility in North America, it’s essential to remember:

• Not every person or condition is a fit for these treatments.

• Professional oversight, trauma-informed care, and post-session integration are crucial.

• Psychedelics are not shortcuts — they’re catalysts.

Lessons for Practitioners and Clients

For those considering or offering PaT, In Waves and War offers both inspiration and caution:

• Hope is real — profound transformation is possible.

• Integration is essential — the journey continues long after the medicine wears off.

• Ongoing therapy is non-negotiable — sustainable change happens through continued reflection, embodiment, and connection.

At Access Therapy, our 2026 PaT program will include:

• Preparation sessions to establish safety and clear intentions.

• Guided psychedelic experiences facilitated by trained clinicians.

• Comprehensive integration therapy to help clients process insights and rebuild new neural, emotional, and relational pathways.

Our approach is evidence-informed, trauma-sensitive, and grounded in the understanding that true healing unfolds over time , not in a single session. While ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT are not legally available in Canada, our psychedelic-assisted therapy program will utilize molecules that are approved within current Canadian regulations.

Because this field is evolving rapidly, we are committed to maintaining the most up-to-date training, clinical frameworks, and support systems. When we launch in Spring 2026, our team will be fully prepared to safely guide qualified clients through their psychedelic-assisted therapy journeys with integrity, care, and ongoing integration support.

Final Reflections: Painting Something New

In Waves and War is more than a film about veterans; it’s a mirror held up to all of us who carry invisible wounds. It shows that trauma is not a life sentence, and that healing often begins where words fail; in the courage to feel, to face, and to begin again.

But it also reminds us that psychedelics are not the answer in themselves. They are tools that invite us to participate in our own transformation.

As one veteran said, the experience gave him a blank canvas.

Our job — as therapists, as humans, is to learn how to paint something new: with new colours, new techniques, and ongoing support from those who walk beside us.

Watch, Reflect, and Begin the Conversation

If you’re curious about trauma recovery or psychedelic-assisted therapy, In Waves and War is a moving place to start. Watch it, reflect on it, and talk about it — especially with someone who understands trauma and integration.

At Access Therapy, we’re committed to walking with you on that path — blending the science of psychedelics with the art of therapy, helping you find not just relief, but reconnection.

⭐ Highly recommended viewing — for clinicians, clients, and anyone exploring the evolving landscape of trauma healing.

Access Therapy
Supporting trauma healing through evidence-based psychotherapy and psychedelic-assisted therapy (launching Spring 2026).