Meditation and Mountaineering: Surprising Life Lessons From a Navy SEAL

Former Navy SEAL Nick Norris experienced intense combat during three deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq between 2006 and 2010.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Class 247, he spent more than a decade with SEAL teams, followed by three years in the reserves.

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Norris, 41, is now CEO and Co-founder of Protekt, a supplement company, and sits on the board of directors at the nonprofit VETS where he works on helping veterans recover from traumatic brain injury and mental health conditions. He’s a husband to his high school sweetheart and father to two kids, ages 10 and 6. 

He wants to share with veterans the lessons he learned transitioning from military to civilian life, and the internal work that has to happen for a full and healthy transition.

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Facing loss head on

When his fellow SEAL Brendan Looney was killed in a 2010 helicopter crash, dealt with the loss by separating his feelings from his missions. He didn’t realize until later how this compartmentalization affected him.

Then, Norris lost his brother Chris in an avalanche in Colorado in 2012. His own wife was pregnant and Chris’ second child was just four weeks old. Norris decided he needed to retire from the Navy to support his own and his brother’s families.

Norris has realized that his own mental health journey wasn’t unique. He found senior leaders from his time as a SEAL were trying psychedelics to improve their mental health.

So, after much research, he learned that he could access the “root problems” by using psychedelics paired with therapy. It was an “eye opening” experience.

He found he could enjoy the present moment once again. Now, he’s on a mission to teach other veterans about the healing aspects of this type of mental health treatment—while advising that people should not take psychedelics without first consulting their medical provider.

Reconnecting with emotions, and people

“As a former special operations guy, I was very good at my job because I compartmentalized emotion very well,” he told AARP Veteran Report. In high-stress situations, he said, he was about to avoid “muddying the water,” maintaining his focus by excluding extraneous matters.

 “That’s a universal quality for successful military personnel. It’s a wonderful resource and asset when you are in the service, and the biggest thing from transitioning from active duty is finding ways to de-compartmentalize and be more connected with myself and others emotionally.”