Episode 26

Written By Michaela Carlin
 
 
 
 

Today's guest, Dr. Ben Malcolm, a seasoned pharmacologist, shares about his personal and professional experiences with an array of psychoactive drugs, including psilocybin, cannabis, ketamine, Ibogaine, DMT and MDMA. He characterizes 'good drugs' as those that foster enhanced well-being and circumvent addiction. 

Malcolm delves into the subject of psychedelics during the critical periods of pregnancy and breastfeeding, suggesting a favorable risk profile, while also highlighting that from the standpoint of peer reviewed scientific study, safety remains unconfirmed. He also candidly shares his own spiritual shift following a DMT experience and his subsequent founding of Spirit Pharmacist, his online membership which provides psychedelic education. 

Dr. Ben Malcolm earned his bachelor’s degree (BS) in Pharmacology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, prior to his Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) at Touro University California. He then completed post-graduate residencies in Acute Care at Scripps Mercy Hospital and Psychiatric Pharmacy at the University of California at San Diego Health.

After residency he passed his exam to become Board Certified in Psychiatric Pharmacy (BCPP). He began his career as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS), College of Pharmacy before transitioning to his current entrepreneurial role as a Psychopharmacology Consultant, Psychedelic Educator, and Founder of Psychedelic Psychopharmacology Consulting and Education.

Ben envisions a society in which access to psychedelic drugs in a variety of safe and supported settings is available for purposes of psychospiritual well-being, personal development, ceremonial sacraments, and treatment of mental illness. His focus is on the intersection between psychiatric medications and psychedelic therapies. He has given several Continuing Education presentations to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals as well as published over a dozen articles in peer-reviewed literature relating to psychedelics or psychiatric medications.

His vision guides his clinical and education service-related professional activity.

Episode Highlights

  • Ben Malcolm discusses a range of psychoactive drugs, including psilocybin, cannabis, ketamine, ibogaine, DMT and MDMA

  • Malcolm champions ketamine for its profound healing effects on both body and mind

  • He emphasizes the importance of rules and boundaries around the use of substances like ketamine to prevent potential addiction

  • He defines 'good drugs' as those that enhance well-being without leading to addiction

  • Malcolm highlights MDMA's ability to reduce fear and anxiety, which can foster emotional healing

  • Malcolm works with people transitioning from pharmaceuticals to psychedelics, acknowledging the scarcity of data on what a return to pharmaceutical use post-psychedelics might look like

  • He discusses the risks of using psychedelics during pregnancy and breastfeeding, suggesting a lower risk during breastfeeding

  • Malcolm recommends a disciplined approach to microdosing: limiting it to one to two months with a break period half as long, with one macro-dose session midway at maximum

  • He shares about a pivotal spiritual shift he had following a DMT experience at age 25, leading him to establish Spirit Pharmacist, an online membership providing psychedelic education

  • Malcolm cautions against short-term antidepressant tapering prior to using MDMA, citing potentially greater risks than benefits

  • He discusses the promising potential of psychedelics like MDMA and ibogaine in addiction treatment, while noting the need for further randomized, controlled studies

Ben Malcolm’s Links

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

* * * * *

Special thanks to Jeremy Colbert (Taragápe) for the original podcast theme music.

You can find out more about Jeremey’s work here:
taragape.com and @taragape

Michaela Carlin
Previous

Episode 27
Next

Episode 25