Finding Healing in the Darkness
Last week, I watched the Netflix documentary In Waves and War, which tells the powerful story of Navy SEAL Marcus Capone and his teammates DJ Shipley and Matty Roberts. These brave men faced profound psychological impacts from their service in Afghanistan and Iraq, struggling with severe depression, anxiety, isolation, and suicidal thoughts, often finding little relief through conventional U.S. treatment methods.
In their desperate search for help, Marcus's wife, Amber, uncovers an experimental and illegal psychedelic therapy that involves ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT. The men journey to a clinic in Mexico, where they confront deep-seated traumas, including childhood abuse. The film employs innovative animation to visualize the veterans' internal experiences, alongside groundbreaking research from Stanford's Brain Stimulation Lab.
Watching this documentary left me deeply moved and brought me to tears. It beautifully illustrates the commonality of human experience, highlighting how our individual journeys and struggles can mask our innate search for meaning. The transformation of the men, from a state of despair to one of renewed hope and willingness to live, was profoundly emotional.
This progression reminded me of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Their journey reflects a denial of their pain, evolving into anger and a longing to reclaim what was lost. The cathartic nature of their trips guides them through sadness, culminating in surrender and acceptance, where they realize that their past experiences do not define their worth.
The film beautifully demonstrates that healing is possible, resonating with our universal yearning for understanding and connection.
This theme connects deeply with the Tale of Two Wolves. We all carry within us the notion of a battle between good and bad—represented by the two wolves. One wolf embodies anger, jealousy, and sorrow, while the other embodies joy, peace, and love.
The question is, which wolf will you feed?
As a coach, my work intimately deals with identifying my clients' fears and assisting them in navigating those similar stages of grief—because in order to adopt a new identity, the old one must die.
