Saturday, May 23, 2026

Special Edition: ‘Molly’ as Medicine? Psychedelics, PTSD & One Veteran’s Journey

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When no other treatment made a meaningful difference for his severe PTSD, Marine Corps veteran Scott Rush turned to a promising, yet unconventional, option: MDMA-assisted therapy.

We first spoke with him five years ago after he took part in a study using the psychedelic drug, so on this Memorial Day weekend, we’re checking back in to hear how he’s doing now, and why he says that experience changed the course of his life.

Then, we talked with Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, the lead scientist from that same study, about where the science stands today, what concerns remain, and what to make of new efforts to speed up the research.

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Guest: Scott Rush

Scott Rush is a Marine Corps veteran and former Recon Marine who participated in an MDMA-assisted therapy study as part of his ongoing healing journey after military service.

He lives in Hawaiʻi with his wife, Emma, where he runs a wood-fired pizza business and stays involved in creative, community-centered projects.

Scott is passionate about honest conversations around trauma, recovery, mental health, and the potential for new psychedelic tools to help veterans and others who have struggled with PTSD.

Guest: Dr. Jennifer Mitchell

Jennifer Mitchell is a Professor in the UCSF Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and is Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the San Francisco VA. She also serves the State of California DOJ as the Chair of the Research Advisory Panel (RAP-C).

Her research focuses on identifying and developing novel therapeutics for drug and alcohol abuse, PTSD, stress, anxiety, and depression and on understanding the neural mechanisms responsible for these disorders. She has extensive experience with human and animal pharmacology, hypothesis-driven neuroscience, and clinical trials.

For a number of years, her work has centered around the development of psychedelic medicines for a broad range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

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