Send us a textWhat happens when traditional medicine fails to heal the invisible wounds of war? In this gripping episode of The Anthony Amen Show (formerly Health & Fitness Redefined), former Army Ranger Mike Leal shares his journey from the battlefields of Afghanistan to a groundbreaking treatment that restored his brain, his emotions, and his purpose after years of devastation.Mike’s story opens with an unexpected confession: before becoming an elite special operations s...
Send us a text
What happens when traditional medicine fails to heal the invisible wounds of war? In this gripping episode of The Anthony Amen Show (formerly Health & Fitness Redefined), former Army Ranger Mike Leal shares his journey from the battlefields of Afghanistan to a groundbreaking treatment that restored his brain, his emotions, and his purpose after years of devastation.
Mike’s story opens with an unexpected confession: before becoming an elite special operations soldier, he was a college dropout addicted to heroin. Seeking escape, he joined the military… and soon found himself drawn into the U.S. Army Rangers — one of the most demanding assault forces on the planet. After six deployments and countless firefights, the weight of what he witnessed finally caught up with him. “I would get out of work and just start crying in my truck,” he recalls, describing the crushing PTSD and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that medication couldn’t touch.
The VA’s answer? More pills. More labels. More emotional numbness. After surviving a suicide attempt and realizing that the system designed to help veterans was fundamentally broken, Mike found a radically different path — one that would change everything. His experience undergoing Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment in Mexico is nothing short of astonishing. “I could feel the clicking start in both parts of my brain… like someone was plugging pieces of my brain back in and turning them on,” he says. The transformation was immediate — mental clarity, emotional connection, and a sense of purpose returned almost overnight.
The most powerful part of this episode is Mike’s new mission: launching a nonprofit to help other veterans access the therapy that saved his life. With approximately 40 veterans dying by suicide every single day, his urgency is unmistakable. “I don’t want them to struggle like I did for 10 years,” he says — a statement that lands with the force of someone who’s truly been to the edge and made it back.
Whether you’re a veteran searching for healing, someone navigating trauma, or simply curious about cutting-edge approaches to PTSD and TBI, this conversation offers real hope where traditional methods have failed. At Redefine Fitness in Stony Brook and Mount Sinai, we believe deeply in the principle that fitness is medicine — and stories like Mike’s remind us that healing must address both the body and the mind.
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