Ep15 Benjamin Malcolm - The Pharmacology of Healing: How Psychedelics Are Transforming Mental Health Treatment

Most people think psychedelics are about tripping, but what if our "safe" approach is actually hurting people?

In this episode of Psychedelic Source, Dr. Sandra Dreisbach sits down with Ben Malcolm, a psychiatric pharmacist and consultant at spiritpharmacist.com, to discuss the complex world of psychedelic use, harm reduction, and the surprising gaps in our understanding.

Ben shares his personal story of how a fascination with psychoactive substances as a teenager led him down a path of intellectual curiosity and eventually to specialize in psychiatric pharmacy. He explains how his early experiences made him question established public health policies and drug regulation.

Sandra brings her expertise as well, questioning Ben on his professional ethics, and how he navigates helping people in a grounded way, within the means of his profession and maybe outside.

Sandra and Ben then talk about:

- Why the "one-size-fits-all" approach to psychedelics is failing people.

- How current drug policies create more harm than good.

- The surprising dangers of mixing psychedelics with certain medications.

- Practical harm reduction strategies for people with bipolar disorder.

- Why the psychedelic space needs to be more informed and less puritanical.

Ben also shares some advice to people considering working with psychedelics in the environment we find ourselves in right now.

Ben challenges the common belief that all prescription medications are bad and all "natural" substances are good, pointing out the hypocrisy in the psychedelic community's approach to harm reduction.

Tune in to hear Dr. Sandra Dreisbach and Ben Malcolm challenge conventional wisdom and provide a fresh perspective on how we can approach psychedelics in a more informed and responsible way.

Ready to expand your mind and challenge your assumptions? Subscribe to Psychedelic Source now and join the conversation! Visit spiritpharmacist.com for more resources from Ben Malcolm.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.psychedelicsourcepodcast.com/15

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