From Trauma to Transformation: Kevin Colley’s Journey with Psilocybin After Traumatic Brain Injury

The Hidden Toll of Professional Sports

When we watch professional hockey, the last thing on our minds is the long-term impact of injuries. We see the speed, power, and thrill of the NHL, but few contemplate the silent consequences—like traumatic brain injuries (TBI)—that can upend a player’s life forever. For Kevin Colley, a former NHL player, one split-second accident led to a years-long struggle with both physical and emotional pain. In a moving episode of the Webdelics Podcast, Colley recounted his journey from the depths of despair to finding a renewed sense of hope through psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound.
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Injury and Isolation: The Untold Story

Kevin Colley’s promising career took a dramatic turn during a 2006 game, when a freak accident left him with a broken neck and TBI. “I went to go hit a player from Washington and... I Superman did it into the boards head first. And then, you know, that was it,” he shared. The aftermath was even more shocking: Colley was left to walk unsupported around the stadium to get X-rays, despite being numb and feeling like he was “on fire” from head to toe. Later, the medical staff drilled a stabilization halo into his skull—a traumatic physical and emotional ordeal.
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But the injury was only the beginning. Colley lost his NHL future and, with it, his sense of identity. “It was such a life-changing moment that, you know, I had no time to prepare for,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. Dealing with unrelenting pain, he spiraled into dependence on painkillers and antidepressants, struggling to be present for his family or himself. “It is a war within yourself,” Colley admitted, describing years spent drifting through life in a medicated fog.
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The Edge of Hope: Mental Health, TBI, and Missing Support

Colley’s story is a stark reminder that traumatic brain injuries are often invisible to others. “You can’t touch it and feel it,” he explained, highlighting the alienation many TBI survivors feel. Unlike a broken arm, TBIs don’t garner the same outward concern, even though the internal struggle is equally real—if not more so.
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The pain wasn’t just physical. The sense of loss, coupled with emotional volatility and medication side effects, pushed Colley to the brink. “When you lose hope... you just, you don’t feel like you have worth to yourself or to others. So why continue?” His account gives raw, honest voice to the mental toll faced by athletes whose bodies and brains are forever changed.
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The Turning Point: A Call for Help and a Leap of Faith

When hope was nearly extinguished, a call from a fellow former player changed Colley’s life. This peer had also battled traumatic brain injuries and found solace in psilocybin—a psychedelic derived from mushrooms, long used by indigenous cultures for healing. Inspired by others who had made the journey, Colley decided to attend a retreat in Jamaica led by Wake Wellness.
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There, after careful preparation and support from medical professionals, he undertook two intensive psilocybin sessions. The experience, he recalled, was nothing less than transformative. “It was the purest, most beautiful experience of my life,” Colley said, describing tears of joy and laughter that emerged after years without genuine happiness. “I never thought I would ever smile again, let alone laugh out loud the way I did.”
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Integration and Growth: Healing Beyond the Journey

Colley emerged from his retreat with a new perspective and, remarkably, off all antidepressants and anxiety medications. But the story didn’t end there. True healing, Colley insists, came from integrating the insights of his journey into daily life—practicing self-care, meditation, exercise, and conscious living. “The psilocybin itself, it didn’t come back on the plane with me,” he reflected, “but all the integrations and the meetings... were just as important as the psilocybin.”
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He now focuses on helping others, emphasizing that anyone struggling with despair or brain injury shouldn’t give up. “Don’t throw in that towel. If you’re waving it, email, call somebody... All you need is a little sliver of hope and your whole life can change.”
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Final Thoughts: The Power of Vulnerability and Support

Kevin Colley’s candid recounting of his pain and renewal reminds us of the urgent need for empathy, innovation, and community in the world of healing. For him, psilocybin was not a magic bullet, but a powerful catalyst that—paired with support and personal effort—helped him find peace after unimaginable loss. His journey is living proof that transformation is possible, even from the darkest places, when we reach out and remain open to hope.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with traumatic brain injury or mental health challenges, consider reaching out. As Kevin’s story shows, sometimes a conversation can be the first step toward profound healing.

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