Ayahuasca Showed This Veteran the Trauma He Buried

Adam Peters is a 13-year Army veteran, founder of The Strategic Veteran, speaker, AI educator, podcast host, and partner at Amakaya, a plant medicine retreat in the Peruvian Amazon.

In this episode, Adam opens up about the brutal reality of military to civilian transition, PTSD, identity loss, entrepreneurship, and how ayahuasca helped him uncover trauma he didn’t even realize he had buried.

We talk about the “false transition” many veterans experience after leaving the military, why civilian life can feel harder than expected, and how plant medicine, integration, breathwork, mindfulness, and purpose helped Adam rebuild his life.

This conversation is for veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, first responders, and anyone interested in PTSD, ayahuasca, plant medicine, veteran mental health, and finding purpose after service.

Disclaimer: This episode is not medical advice. Ayahuasca is not legal or appropriate for everyone, and active duty military members and many DoD personnel are not allowed to use it.

Timestamps:

04:44 - Meet Adam Peters

07:24 - The false transition after military service

12:04 - Why civilian life can feel so disorienting

40:48 - Ayahuasca, PTSD, and veteran healing

57:15 - Integration and doing the real work

Connect with Adam Peters:

Website: https://www.thestrategicveteran.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestrategicveteran

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thestrategicveteran

Substack: https://thestrategicveteran.substack.com

Episode recorded summer 2025.