Former Top Gun Pilot on Hallucinogens, PTSD & the Abyss

About this episode

Brian "Ponch" Rivera shares his experiences as a Top Gun pilot and discusses the impact of PTSD and hallucinogens on his life.

Brian "Ponch" Rivera's 28-year U.S. Navy career as a F-14 Top Gun aviator is one marked by exceptional leadership and operational expertise. But it wasn't without tremendous sacrifice. He opens in the cockpit on a 2001 training mission over the Bay of Bengal, with the roommate he swapped seats with, who never came back. Through his emotional retelling, Rivera explains how, in a complex adaptive system, you can make all the right decisions, have all the right hedges on, and still end up ...

People in this episode

Guest: Brian "Ponch" Rivera

Topics covered

• military
• mental health
• leadership
• aviation
• PTSD
• hallucinogens

Keywords

• Top Gun
• F-14
• aviator
• PTSD
• hallucinogens
• military service
• leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Navy

Places: Bay of Bengal

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