About this episodeAlex West, a retired Navy SEAL and leader of the bin Laden raid assault team, shares his journey from a trauma…AI summary
Alex West, a retired Navy SEAL and leader of the bin Laden raid assault team, shares his journey from a traumatic childhood with a Vietnam veteran father to becoming a mental health therapist. He details the profound healing power of adaptive surfing through his nonprofit One More Wave and advocates for psychedelic-assisted therapy, specifically Ibogaine, as a critical treatment for PTSD and addiction in veterans.
Key takeaways 6
Countertransference in Therapy: West finds that working exclusively with veterans and first responders is emotionally taxing due to countertransference (feeling the client's pain too intensely), leading him to serve a general population while maintaining a smaller subset of military clients.
Surfing as Trauma Therapy: Adaptive surfing provides a unique therapeutic window where amputees and PTSD sufferers experience a temporary cessation of pain and social stigma ('no longer getting stared at'), creating a flow state that traditional therapy cannot replicate.
The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Military Service: West’s decision to join the SEAL teams was driven by a desire to prove his worth after growing up with an alcoholic father suffering from untreated Vietnam War trauma, highlighting how early family dynamics influence military career choices.
Operational Realities of Operation Neptune Spear: The bin Laden raid involved extreme risk management, including flying without backup air support initially (later added by Obama), strict 38-minute time limits, and the psychological weight of potential political prisoner status if the mission failed.
Ibogaine for Addiction and PTSD: West credits Ibogaine treatment with ending his alcoholism after years of failure with traditional methods, advocating for FDA-approved clinical trials to make this treatment accessible to the general public, not just those who can travel abroad.
Nonprofit Inclusivity: One More Wave explicitly serves all veterans regardless of branch or discharge status, recognizing that many GWOT veterans face TBI and administrative separations without VA benefits, creating a community for those often overlooked by other organizations.
Notable quotes 4AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.
“When I'm in the ocean, I'm no longer getting stared at as the guy missing a leg. And when I catch a wave, there's no more pain, even if it's for 5-10 seconds.”
▶ 8:20West describing the immediate psychological and physical relief experienced by an amputee Marine during a surf therapy session.
“If you're going to fail, fail big is kind of what what it was. And so I just did what they told me... be aggressive and if I mess up, I mess up. They preferred that over a guy trying to play it really safe.”
▶ 1:42:17West explaining the mindset required to survive the high-stakes Close Quarters Battle (CQB) selection for Delta Force/Dev Group.
“You have to take as much effort and put it into your mental health because it deserves that. You deserve that. And it can't just be a I'll just kind of kind of band-aid fix this. It's like if you want this to extinguish this pain, you have to be all-in.”
▶ 4:14:41Advice from West on how veterans should approach their own mental health recovery, comparing it to the dedication required for military or professional skills.
“I don't care if you turned a wrench and you never left... you served and we're here to heal and you deserve to heal.”
▶ 3:51:40West's philosophy on One More Wave's inclusivity, ensuring that veterans with non-combat roles or administrative discharges still receive support.
Chapters & Sections (114)▼
0:05Therapy with Veterans and Countertransferencechapter3
2:02Alex West's Military Therapy Background
3:19Countertransference in Therapy Practice
4:47Veteran Therapy Comparison and Inclusion
7:18Surfing Therapy and Global Childhoodchapter2
9:27Birth in South Africa and American Parents
11:11Childhood in Saudi Arabia and Egypt
12:43Childhood in Egypt: Culture and Conflictchapter1
15:19Childhood in Egypt: Car Bombs and Riots
18:04Childhood in Africa and Father's Vietnam Traumachapter3
20:22Childhood Dangers in Africa
21:54Father's Vietnam Trauma and Alcoholism
25:53Childhood Trauma and Father's Alcoholism
28:20Military Service Motivation and Childhood Traumachapter1
30:22Childhood Trauma and Military Motivation
34:12Veteran PTSD and Advice for Familieschapter4
36:58Overcoming Toxic Masculinity and Seeking Help
38:39Coping with Veteran Parent Struggles
41:42Motivation and Family Reaction to SEAL Enlistment
43:06Joining Navy and Youthful Regrets
45:01Illegal Pyramid Climbing and Construction Theorieschapter1
47:18Pyramid Construction Theories and Vibrations
49:33Pyramids, Aliens, and BUDS Survivalchapter2
51:30Navy Radio School and BUDS Entry
53:40BUDS Survival Strategy and Family Support
55:42Ladder Fitness Sponsorship and Hell Week Survivalchapter1
59:06Mental Strategies for Hell Week Survival
1:02:31SEAL Training Setbacks and Platoon Assignmentchapter3
1:04:26SEAL Team Assignment Preferences
1:06:01Early SEAL Platoon Interview Process
1:07:53Guitar Lessons vs Rollerblading Hobbies
1:09:44Pre-9/11 Deployment and September 11th Attackchapter1
1:12:37Emergency Recall to USS Dubuque on 9/11
1:15:53SEALs in Afghanistan Invasion 2001chapter3
1:17:48Mechanized Reconnaissance at Camp Rhino
1:19:20Early SEAL Night Driving Training
1:21:04Early Dev Group Screening and Selection
1:24:43SEAL Team 3 Iraq Invasion Oil Field Missionchapter2
1:26:46Helicopter Crash and Invasion Excitement
1:28:19Iraq Invasion Oil Field Assault and A-13 Support
1:29:54Decision to Join Green Teamchapter2
1:31:42Rura Water Filtration Sponsorship
1:33:22Green Team Selection Imposter Syndrome
1:35:23Green Team Training and CQB Standardschapter1
1:39:36CQB Precision and Safety Standards
1:41:32SEAL Training Aggression and Stress Managementchapter3
1:43:39Managing Chaos and Stress in SEAL Training
1:45:58Young Recruit Facing Old Guard Skepticism
1:47:53SEAL Class Sizes and Mobility Training
1:50:08Impact of Young SEAL Selection and Red Squadron Culturechapter1
1:53:00Red Squadron Intense CQB Culture
1:55:31SEAL Team 3 Evolution and Mentorship Culturechapter1
1:57:11Junior SEAL Mentorship and Humility
2:00:52Navigating Rank, Rivalry, and Delta Integrationchapter2
2:02:45Delta Force and DEVGRU Joint Deployment
2:04:32Delta Breaching Tactics and Integration
2:07:13Ambush and Loss in Iraq Raidchapter1
2:09:52Ambush at Compound Entrance
2:12:20Combat Raid, Loss, and Post-Traumatic Healingchapter4
2:15:26Healing Survivor's Guilt and Fulfilling a Mission
2:17:35Intuition of Impending Danger
2:19:02Breaching Operations and Mentorship Bond
2:20:43Plant Medicine Messages and Grief
2:23:36Grief Rituals and Unit Comparisonschapter2
2:26:14Grief Rituals and Unit Family Dynamics
2:27:57Delta Force and Navy SEAL Unit Comparisons
2:31:53First Deployment and First Kill Experiencechapter3
2:35:17First Kill and Desensitization to Combat
2:38:12PTSD and Visual Hallucinations of Victims
2:40:22Mental Health Toll and Mission Worth
2:43:21Mental Health Advice and Neptune Spear Mission Briefingchapter1
2:46:22Neptune Spear Mission Selection and Briefing
2:49:01Bin Laden Raid Planning and Trainingchapter
2:53:54Bin Laden Raid Mission Planning and Constraintschapter2
2:56:22Mission Time Limits and Weight Constraints
2:57:50Mission Constraints and Risk Management
3:00:46Mission Planning and Presidential Authorizationchapter3
3:02:15Cover Story and Presidential Air Support
3:04:37Timeline and Assault Strategy
3:07:35Flight to Raid and Outcome Uncertainty
3:09:10Helicopter Crash During Raid Approachchapter2
3:11:20Fast Rope Preparation and Rotor Wash Dangers
3:13:10Helicopter Crash Landing and Immediate Assault
3:17:07Helicopter Crash and Bin Laden Raidchapter2
3:18:48Blowing Door and Backup Arrival
3:20:32Securing Bin Laden and Evacuation
3:24:25Extraction and Aftermath of Bin Laden Raidchapter1
3:28:32Reflections on Bin Laden Raid Success
3:30:30Meeting Obama and Mission Aftermathchapter2
3:32:21Veteran's Guilt Over Civilian Casualties
3:34:09Post-Mission Recovery and Return to Duty
3:35:58Devastating Loss of Gold Squadron and Mental Health Crisischapter2
3:38:14Forced Return to Combat After Loss
3:39:55Questioning Afghan War Purpose
3:41:36Suicide Attempt, PTSD Diagnosis, and Surf Therapy Innovationchapter1
3:43:52Volunteering and Innovating Adaptive Surf Gear
3:47:20Founding One More Wave Nonprofitchapter
3:52:51Veteran Inclusion and Flow State Therapychapter
3:57:51Operation Nedmac Ambush and Near Disasterchapter1
3:59:45Ambush Setup and Grenade Near-Miss
4:03:12Favorite M4 Rifle and SIG MCX Spear Donationchapter3
4:05:29Examining the SIG MCX Spear
4:06:59Sheriff Department Rifle Reliability Concerns
4:08:18SIG Donating Rifles and Suppressors
4:10:01Transitioning from Tactical Training to Therapychapter1
4:11:44Career Shift and Mental Health Advocacy
4:15:39Therapeutic Presence and Narrative Therapychapter2
4:17:09Energy Exchange and Narrative Therapy
4:19:54Community Support and Therapy Fit
4:22:19Overcoming Alcohol Addiction with Ibogainechapter4
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