Members of the military listen to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth deliver remarks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, during a visit to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. (Official White House photo by Daniel Torok)

It is well established that military veterans have an increased risk of suicide – the rate for servicemen is one-and-a-half times that of the general population, and for military women it’s two-and-a-half times higher.

And although almost all service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the like are treated with powerful psychiatric drugs – and increasingly, psychedelics – one combat veteran tells WorldNetDaily there’s a much better answer.

Jacob Schanck, a Special Forces soldier who retired in October 2025 with the experience of five combat deployments, spoke to WND about this major problem facing so many service members.

Schanck was close to at least two Special Forces soldiers who died by suicide, the first case occurring in 2009 just before he was set to deploy to Afghanistan. The night before a comprehensive and realistic training drill designed to prepare soldiers for the combat deployment, a member of one of the elite units took his own life.

Outside of his immediate circle, he acknowledged that suicide occurs far more frequently in the special operations community than he would ever have imagined.

With traditional psychotherapy and psychiatric drugs proving to have only limited efficacy in treating PTSD, therapists and researchers have increasingly focused on psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, LSD, ketamine and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which are now regarded as potential treatments for PTSD, especially when combined with psychotherapy in regulated clinical environments.

But Schanck fears the treatment may serve only as a “tourniquet” at best. “There are thousands flocking to this,” he pointed out to WND.

But according to the 20-year veteran, who has himself been diagnosed with both PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI), “Suicide is a spiritual matter, and to conquer it, there must be a spiritual solution.”

As a Christian, Schanck worries that many of his brothers in arms might be “[elevating] treatment with psychedelics to a level that substitutes for communion with Christ, a level that replaces the blood of Christ – and that’s dangerous.”

Speaking specifically of psychedelic drugs – that is, hallucinogenic substances that induce altered states of consciousness, profound perceptual changes and allegedly spiritual or mystical experiences by acting on the brain’s serotonin receptors – Schanck says, “I believe it has the potential to open a person up to a spiritual experience that offers a false sense of peace.”

He added, “If you do not seek the Holy Spirit, have communion, and transform your mind in the word of Christ, you have substituted something else in your quest for the peace that they provide.”

The recently retired veteran of repeated combat deployments has even witnessed people “flock” to psychedelic drugs before “a big decision, or to determine the success of their marriage.” Regarding these examples, he comments: “Success in marriage, or success in life, is found in Christ, not psychedelic medicines.”

“If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you’re opening yourself up to major deceptions,” Schanck warned, considering it “spiritual discernment 101” to seek Christian counseling and, bottom line, to “do what Jesus said to do.”

J.M. Phelps

J.M. Phelps is a contributing writer for WND with a focus on threats to the U.S. military and national security. He also writes for the Epoch Times, American Family News and the Gateway Pundit. Follow him on X at @JMPhelpsLC. Read more of J.M. Phelps's articles here.