As part of a series of reports on the mental health of police officers, The newspaper spoke with dozens of experts and agents in addition to reviewing several dozen documents, including around forty requests for access to information. An observation emerges: it has never been so difficult to be a police officer.
Heavily affected by post-traumatic shock after being at the heart of two shootings, a retired police officer recently became the first Quebecer to participate in innovative therapy with MDMA, a powerful stimulant.
This “mystical experience” finally allowed him to feel a little compassion for himself, says Bradley Gagnon, 51.
The latter was a police officer for six years in Toronto, then nine years in Ottawa. In the Queen City, he worked at neighborhood station 12, nicknamed the “murder capital,” in reference to the omnipresence of violence in this area.
Bradley Gagnon when he was a patrolman in Toronto.
Courtesy Bradley Gagnon
Twice, in 2003 and 2007, he found himself in the middle of shootings where he could well have been involved.
Surviving a third shooting
Despite therapies, the Gatineau resident was unable to lead a normal life. He suffered and experienced a lot of anxiety when he went to work.
“I always told myself that it was impossible for me to survive a third shooting, that my time would come soon,” he says.
Bradley Gagnon (far right) and his partner, Benjamin Beard, pose with their then police chief, Bill Blair, the current Minister of National Defence, at the awards ceremony police excellence of 2008 where they were decorated.
Courtesy Bradley Gagnon
He also felt a lot of pressure from taboos around mental health, which he explains in particular by a culture of “extreme macho”.
“It’s like you’re not allowed to be afraid or nervous,” he explains. The police don’t have 911, it ends with us.”
It was because of this “irrational uncertainty” that he requested a transfer to Ottawa. But the demons never left him.
After more than 15 years of therapy and consultations with a dozen professionals, Bradley Gagnon found the Dr Houman Farzin on the internet and became interested in his work on MDMA. This drug, normally illegal in Canada, is usually called ecstasy on the street.
Last November, at the end of a very long preparatory period with Dr Farzin, based in Montreal, and a psychologist, the retired police officer experienced his first therapy under the effect of this stimulant. A pure and safe version had previously been designed for him in the laboratory.
“Mystical experience”
“It’s very, very intense,” explains Dr.r Farzin. All defenses are removed from a person, all protective mechanisms fall away. You have to be very delicate and it’s not a therapy that’s for everyone.”
Bradley Gagnon says he felt “total comfort” during the three sessions where he consumed MDMA under the supervision of Dr. Farzin and a psychologist. In the photo, Mr. Gagnon is reclining on a couch during a fall 2023 session.
Courtesy (add source)
On three occasions, for periods of eight consecutive hours, Bradley Gagnon immersed himself in what he calls a “mystical experience.”
“It was like a journey into my being,” he said, adding that he still had difficulty finding the words to describe the extraordinary moment. I was very critical of myself and had no compassion for what I was going through, but in that moment, I felt like I became my own. cheerleader. I understood so much.”
Patient comfort is one of the priorities of the doctors who set up this experience. To do this, they rented a bright room full of plants and even prepared a list of songs to accompany Bradley Gagnon during his “trip”.
“In ordinary therapy, I would never have discussed these things,” admits Mr. Gagnon. Human beings always want to protect themselves. With MDMA, all barriers fall.”
Aware that we can never really recover from post-traumatic shock, the retired police officer now knows “what is his problem” and now has the tools to move forward.
“I am a new man,” he said. It gives me a lot of hope and it completely changes my attitude.”
MDMA in brief
- On the street it is normally referred to as ecstasy
- The pure form of MDMA manufactured in the laboratory has been permitted since 2022 under Health Canada’s Special Access Program
- To use it, a doctor must prove that traditional therapy does not work on his patient.
- This would be the case for more than a third of people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
- 86% of patients treated with MDMA in the United States say they notice a reduction in the severity of their symptoms
- Without special medical permission, this drug is prohibited in Canada and its possession can result in up to seven years in prison.
Source: Health Canada and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), 2023
