How do we heal our deepest wounds? Two combat veterans, suffering from severe trauma, abandon pharmaceuticals in order to seek healing through psychedelic medicines. Recent scientific research has shown that these substances can help people to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Beyond the personal stories, From Shock to Awe raises fundamental questions about war, the pharmaceutical industry, and the US legal system.

The Tactical Neutralization Team, or T.N.T., is a squad of elite soldiers sent on top-secret, near-suicidal missions around the world. After one of their missions ends in failure, team member Alex decides he's had enough of the special-op life and calls it quits. His commanding officer, however, doesn't want the security risk of a former member walking around, so he assigns another member of the team to hunt down Alex and retire him permanently.

20 years after going MIA in Desert Storm, Aaron returns home under mysterious conditions, not having aged since his disappearance, and must reestablish relationships with loved ones before an imminent return to an ambiguous other-worldly existence.

After years of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, six US veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan travel to Peru on a quest for healing. With the help and guidance of three brothers who are traditional healers, they take ayahuasca and other plant medicines during a 10-day retreat in the Amazon rainforest.

A Gulf War veteran returns to find his wife and daughter dead due to AIDS and his father murdered, and he hunts down those responsible.

Many veterans of both Gulf Wars have returned from service in Iraq with a variety of symptoms that have become collectively known as Gulf War Syndrome.