MMA FREE Webinar – The Future of Mental Health for Australia’s Defence Force Veterans

Admiral Chris Barrie commanded all arms of the Defence Force as its Chief (CDF) from 1998 till 2002. After this, Chris worked on strategic leadership as a consultant, teacher and mentor, initially through Oxford University’s Strategic Leadership and Stimulus Forum Programs (2002-2011); and as Distinguished Visiting Professor he also taught an elective on Strategic Leadership to senior U.S. military officers at the National Defense University in Washington DC from 2004 till 2010.

He is busy now as the founder and Chair of Fearless- PTSD (Australia New Zealand), whose subsidiary ‘FearLess Outreach’ is intended to assist an estimated 6 million people in the Australian and New Zealand communities, who live with post-traumatic stress. He is an outspoken commentator on Climate Change and Security using community advocacy to raise awareness of the potential costs of inaction. Chris is also the Australian member of the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change (GMACCC), and an adjunct member of the Planetary Security Initiative based in the Hague.

Stuart Saker is a general adult psychiatrist working in the Lake Macquarie area near Newcastle, New South Wales. He did medicine at Sydney University and did Psychiatry training in Australia and the United Kingdom. He has been an Army Medical Officer and deployed 5 times. He has many veteran and first responders patients. He did MAPS training in MDMA assisted psychotherapy in Israel in 2008 and is one of the first graduates of Mind Medicine Australia’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies.

Dr Traill Dowie is a polymath philosopher, academic, psychotherapist, minister of religion and martial artist. He holds dual PhDs in Philosophy and Psychiatry. Traill is a co-founder of the Mind Medicine Institute, the head of school at Ikon Institute, a research fellow at La Trobe University in Philosophy, sub-editor of the Philosophy International Journal (Medwin Press) and has also trained with the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and completed their clinician qualification.

Traill is a lifelong martial artist, holding black belts in multiple disciplines. He has worked professionally as both an athletic and performance coach for high level athletes, including world champions, at a national and international level.

Growing up in the Northern Territory, Traill spent a lot of time on country where he developed an interest in ethnomedicine and traditional healing practices. This interest led Traill to Dr Raphael Locke, an anthropologist, psychoanalyst, consciousness researcher and initiated Iroquois shaman. Traill apprenticed with Dr Locke in shamanic practice for 20 years and has explored ethno-medicine and traditional practices across Australia, Asia, Central America and North America. This interest in healing and state-based technologies has been coupled with his interest in psychotherapy and psychology.

Traill has 25 years of experience working as a clinician in a variety of settings including in private practice and organisations. He began his career working in eco-psychotherapy and wilderness therapy working with complex presentations. Traill has worked in both in-patient and outpatient settings focusing on the treatment of complex trauma. Traill was the co-founder of Integrative Psychology where he co-authored a paper with his colleagues Nigel Denning and Linda Tilgner, which was tabled at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He worked with Nigel Denning to develop a protocol for individual and group psychotherapy for victims of cult abuse. Traill also chaired the Australian Counselling Association’s Trauma Standards Panel.

Michael Raymond served over 16 years in the Airforce as an Electrical Engineer and Avionics Technician, working on the F/A18F Super Hornet and F-111 Fighter Aircraft. He is now a Motorcycle Coach and Transformational Coach trained in the modalities of Matrix Re-imprinting Therapy, Time-Line Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Coaching. Michael received significant healing from psychedelic medicines such as Psilocybin, Ayahuasca (DMT), San Pedro and MDMA for his PTSD, anxiety and depression. He recently contributed to Mind Medicines Healing stories, sharing his journey to South America and the profound healing experiences within a traditional shamanic framework.

Michael now advocates for therapeutic use of plant medicines to the Veteran and wider community. He hopes to help reduce the stigma around these modalities and promote safe access.

As an investment banker Peter Hunt AM advised local and multi-national companies and governments in Australia for nearly 35 years.  He co-founded one of Australia’s leading investment banking advisory firms, Caliburn Partnership and was Executive Chairman of Greenhill Australia. Peter was a member of the Advisory Panel of ASIC and chaired the Vincent Fairfax Family Office.

Peter is an active philanthropist involved in funding, developing and scaling social sector organisations which seek to create a better and fairer world.  He is Chairman of Mind Medicine Australia which he established with his wife, Tania de Jong, in 2018. He regularly presents to Governments, regulators, clinicians, philanthropists and the general public on psychedelic-assisted therapies and the legal and ethical frameworks needed to ensure these treatments can be made accessible and affordable.

He founded Women’s Community Shelters in 2011. Peter is a Director of The Umbrella Foundation. Peter also acts as a pro bono adviser to Creativity Australia.  He was formerly Chairman of So They Can, Grameen Australia and Grameen Australia Philippines.

Peter was made a member of the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2010 for services to the philanthropic sector.