For Veterans, By Veterans

Our Mission

Our Story

Our Team

Our mission is to empower combat veterans to live more fulfilled lives by treating the root causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries(TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Depression. We Strive to give back hope.

Our Goal

To collect the treatment data and demonstrate that these treatment protocols not only create greater long-term patient outcomes but are also more cost effective than the current standard of care.

We created this organization because we were patients first and have seen the impact that these treatments have on the lives those who had lost all hope of recovery.

The Invictus Project is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of veterans and first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and depression.

The Invictus Project takes a diagnostics first approach to treating mental health disorders. Any patient that is treated by us or our partner organization’s first receives a QSPECT brain scan, from our partner Cerescan, as well as a full blood panel to evaluate the metabolic processes of both the body and the brain. Following these diagnostic tests patients are assigned a personalized treatment protocol that is designed to address the underlying causes of their symptoms. After treatment is completed each patient then receives a second battery of testing to evaluate the effectiveness treatment has had on both their body and their brain.

Our Programs

In late 2014 and after multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the founders of the Invictus Project of Colorado, Sam Peterson and Jeffrey Haugland were both mentally and physically spent. Once they returned to the places and the people they loved they found themselves struggling to complete simple everyday tasks. When they sought help from the established medical system they were both prescribed a multitude of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication and antipsychotics and told to “soldier on.” They would soon be case studies for the ineffectiveness of prescription medication to treat post-traumatic stress, anxiety and suicidal ideations.

We understand what it is like to be the hopeless patient. We have had first-hand experience with how our current system creates lifelong patients, rather than addressing the root causes of symptoms. After experiencing this first hand and watching the people around suffer and then succumb to suicide we decided to do something about it.

The Invictus Project of Colorado isn’t just an organization for treating combat veterans it was created to be a beacon of hope to anyone suffering from mental health disorders.

Right now, there are a countless number of combat veterans struggling not to take the loaded gun sitting on their nightstand and put it into their mouth.

I know this because on Christmas Day 2014, after returning from my second tour in Afghanistan, I was that guy. If it weren’t for the people closest to me who wouldn’t allow me to quit on myself I wouldn’t be here.

- Sam Peterson
Co-Founder & CEO

After tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, I was exposed to blasts that ultimately lead to multiple traumatic brain injuries, spinal fusion and severely limited my cognitive and normal daily function. Easy, everyday tasks became a challenge through the migraines, and I found myself not being able to recall what I was doing or where I was going while driving.

Things that once were easy became very hard, and depression set in. I was told this was the quality of life I should get used to. I asked my doctors to figure out a way to treat me because the life I was left with was not the type of man or father I was willing to be.

I was prescribed medication after medication with no improvement. After months of not being able to pick up my 15-pound son and being told that this diminished, damaged version of my former self is what I need to get used to, I came to the conclusion that I was the problem. And like so many before me, the quickest way to remove the threat was to put a gun in my mouth and make all the pain go away. I credit my son with saving my life, because had he not cried at that very moment, I may not be here to share my story and serve others like us.

– Jeffrey Haugland
COO

We have assembled a fantastic team of clinicians who share our passion for creating positive change in this industry. We believe that with our treatment protocols we can give our patients a fighting chance at a higher quality of life.

Team Members Board Members

Sam Peterson

Co-Founder & CEO

Jeffrey Haugland

Co-Founder & COO

Ronald Minter M.D.

Medical Director

Mary Poffenbarger

RN

Dr. John Hughes

Chief Medical Officer

Advisors

John Kelly

CEO CereScan

Eric Siler

Former Executive Director – Think Like Genius Foundation

Crystal Evans, Ph.D.

Masters of Non-Profit Management Program Director – Regis University

Ruben Martinez

CEO – Glamping Hub

Patricia Alexander PH.D.

Executive Director – The Brain Health Initiative

We have assembled a fantastic team of clinicians who share our passion for creating positive change in this industry. We believe that with our treatment protocols we can give our patients a fighting chance at a higher quality of life.

Sam Peterson

Co-Founder & CEO

Sam is a former US Army Bomb Technician who has served multiple tours in Afghanistan. He and Jeffrey Haugland founded the Invictus Project in order to bring access to more effective care to patients suffering from mental illness.

Back to the Team

We have assembled a fantastic team of clinicians who share our passion for creating positive change in this industry. We believe that with our treatment protocols we can give our patients a fighting chance at a higher quality of life.

Jeffrey Haugland

Co-Founder & COO

Jeffrey is a former US Army Bomb Technician who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and sustained multiple injuries in the line of duty. Jeff’s drive to help others suffering from traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress comes from his experiences as a patient.

Back to the Team

We have assembled a fantastic team of clinicians who share our passion for creating positive change in this industry. We believe that with our treatment protocols we can give our patients a fighting chance at a higher quality of life.

Ronald Minter M.D.

Medical Director

Dr. Minter is a board-certified anesthesiologist and Army National Guard Veteran who has a passion for serving people that has been developed over his more than 20 years of anaesthesia experience. Dr. Minter attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin and completed his residency at SUNY Stonybrook.

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We have assembled a fantastic team of clinicians who share our passion for creating positive change in this industry. We believe that with our treatment protocols we can give our patients a fighting chance at a higher quality of life.

Mary Poffenbarger

RN

Mary has over seven years of experience in the medical field as a registered nurse and has extensive patient care coordination operating room experience.

Back to the Team

We have assembled a fantastic team of clinicians who share our passion for creating positive change in this industry. We believe that with our treatment protocols we can give our patients a fighting chance at a higher quality of life.

Dr. John Hughes

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. John Hughes, D.O. practices osteopathic, integrative, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Hughes graduated from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2007 and trained in family practice at the University of Arizona. In 2016, Dr. Hughes received a patent for his TBI Therapy Protocol and intranasal cocktail formulation. His TBI rehabilitation work has been recognized by the U.S. military, the regenerative medical community, brain injury specialists, and patients.

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