Unjourneying: Nondual Psychedelic Integration with Mira Funk, LCSW

What can psychedelics teach us about chronic pain, trauma, and the body? And what happens when a career built around the mind demands a deeper connection with the living world? In this episode of Unjourneying, I talk with Dr. Ben Malcolm, founder of Spirit Pharmacist, about his path to Costa Rica, personal transformation, and our relationship with nature.

We explore Ben’s chronic back pain and experiences with ketamine and other psychedelics. He shares a striking encounter with a bodyworker that opened up questions about the psoas, fascia, muscle tension, and trauma. Does the body keep the score? We discuss Bessel van der Kolk’s influential framework, predictive processing, and how psychedelics may shift habitual patterns of perception.

Along the way, we explore divorce, professional identity, ecological stewardship, Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael, and Ben’s vision for Casa de Espíritu, his retreat project in Costa Rica. This is a conversation about embodiment, healing, and the possibility of a personal renaissance.

Dr. Ben Malcolm, PharmD, MPH, is a clinical psychiatric pharmacist, educator, and entrepreneur who helped pioneer psychedelic pharmacy. Through his website, Spirit Pharmacist, he provides psychopharmacology consulting, courses, and training focused on the interactions between medications, medical conditions, and psychedelics. He has published more than a dozen medical journal articles, delivered hundreds of professional presentations, serves on the board of the Psychedelic Medicine Association, and teaches in psychedelic therapy training programs. Originally from Tasmania, Australia, Ben is also a former All-American competitive swimmer and accomplished didgeridoo player. He now lives in Costa Rica, where he is developing Casa de Espíritu, a homestay retreat project.

Dr. Ben Malcom | Spirit Pharmacist

🌐 Website: https://www.spiritpharmacist.com

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

🌐 Website: https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 Patreon: https://www.unjourneying.com/patreon

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(Quinn_novel)

0:00 Intro

6:04 How Dr. Malcolm Landed in Costa Rica

6:47 Building Spirit Pharmacist on Lunch Breaks

9:22 Hawaii Was a No, Costa Rica Was Not

12:21 Divorce, and Landing in the Right Place

13:06 Why Costa Rica? Forests, Currency, Blue Zones, and No Army

16:27 Relationships as Teachers

19:15 The Stigma of Divorce

20:24 The Spirit Pharmacist Is a Hat, Not an Identity

22:49 Personal Stories and the Audience You Opted Into

24:05 Casa de Espíritu: Building an Ecological Retreat

26:43 A Mind Career Needs a Body Counterweight

29:26 Takers and Givers: Rethinking Our Relationship with Nature

32:34 Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael and the Problem of Extraction

33:40 Chronic Back Pain, and Why Ketamine?

36:15 No Pain, No Gain? Rethinking Chronic Pain

41:55 MDMA, LSD, and Ayahuasca for Pain

42:22 The Story of the Psoas and the Bodyworker

43:26 Why Ketamine Opened What Other Medicines Only Showed

45:38 Fascia, Muscle Tension, and Trauma

47:45 Psychedelics and the Body’s Innate Responses

50:03 Does the Body Keep the Score?

52:01 The Mind Keeps the Score, The Body Shows It

56:20 How Psychedelics Loosen Prediction

59:19 Letting Go of Control During a Psychedelic Experience

1:01:02 A Personal Renaissance

1:03:28 How to Connect with Mira & the Unjourneying Community 

Unjourneying is also available on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneyingFor educational purposes only.

Pragmatic Dharma legend Dr. Daniel Ingram joins me for a lively conversation about cessation, the Three Characteristics, salvia divinorum, 5-MeO-DMT, the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC), and the new field of phenomeniatry that he is helping to establish. He demonstrates the utility of phenomeniatry by walking us through some complex differential diagnosis scenarios.

Dr. Daniel M. Ingram, MD, MSPH, is the CEO, Founder, and Board Chair of Emergence Benefactors 501(c)(3) charity, a retired Emergency Medicine Physician, an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, Author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha and co-author of The Fire Kasina, main organizer of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium, does neurophenomenology research on advanced meditation with Dr. Matthew Sacchet’s team at Harvard and other top universities, co-founded the Dharma Overground, and promotes various public health and philanthropic projects worldwide. He works to help found the new medical specialty of Phenomeniatry to help physicians better understand and support the deep end of human experience and potential.

Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC)

🌐 Website: https://theeprc.org

🌟 Donations: https://ebenefactors.org

Dr. Daniel M. Ingram, MD MSPH

➡️ Links & Socials: https://linktr.ee/danielmingram

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

🌐 Website: https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 Patreon: https://www.unjourneying.com/patreon

Mentioned in this Episode:

Daniel & Michael Taft's 2020 SFDC Q&A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgYjLxM4VMc&t=4021s

Kathryn Devaney

https://www.kathryndevaney.com/

Crazy Like Us by Ethan Watters

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Crazy-Like-Us/Ethan-Watters/9781416587095

Baksbat (broken courage): a trauma-based cultural syndrome in Cambodia. Sotheara Chhim.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23406066/

A cross-sectional survey on depersonalization/derealization and meditation-induced alterations of the self. Erola Pons et al.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13156312/

0:00 Introduction

4:20 Cessation, Awakening & the Question of What Counts

9:05 The Arising & Passing Away vs. Cessation

11:25 What Actually Happens During Fruition?

13:23 Stream Entry and the 16 Stages of Insight

19:09 5-MeO-DMT, Salvia & Psychedelic Awakening

22:10 The Hard Reboot of Salvia Cessation

29:54 The Three Characteristics: Experiential or Ontological?

39:12 Noting vs. Noticing in Mahasi Practice

42:13 Why We Need the EPRC

46:38 Why Call It Emergent Phenomenology?

50:56 What Is Phenomeniatry?

54:47 Culture, Language & Diagnostic Colonialism

1:00:08 Spiritual Experiences vs. Mania & Psychosis

1:07:47 Equanimity vs. Depersonalization & Derealization

1:15:27 Spiritual Bypassing and “Everything Is Fine”

1:18:37 EPRC, Emergence Benefactors & Closing

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

In this first guest episode of Unjourneying, I sit down with meditation teacher Wystan Bryant-Scott for a wide-ranging conversation on jhanas, nonduality, renunciation, tantra, and psychedelics. Wystan announces his upcoming jhana retreat at Nameless Mountain, and why he still finds deep concentration valuable even after awakening. We dig into the difference between sutta and Visuddhimagga jhanas, the real meaning of renunciation in modern life, and how to work with sexual energy without fixation. We also explore nondual awareness during ordinary pleasure and the role of psychedelics, especially 5-MeO-DMT, as powerful supports on the contemplative path.

Wystan Bryant-Scott is a highly respected and accomplished meditation teacher who has trained eclectically in multiple lineages including the Zen traditions of Thich Nhat Han's Plum Village, Blue Cliff Monastery, and Zen Mountain Monastery as well as the Thai forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. He has also completed Shinzen Young's Unified Mindfulness teacher training and has been authorized to teach the jhanas by Leigh Brasington. Wystan's interests span philosophy of mind, neuroscience, contemplative phenomenology, meditation research, and psychedelics. Through teaching, writing, and hosting conversations, Wystan seeks to make the benefits of dedicated contemplative practice more widely accessible while remaining committed to lifelong training, inquiry, and service.
Wystan Bryant-Scott

🌐 Website: https://www.wystantbs.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wystantbs108

🧘 Upcoming Retreat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4YokHVz09Y

Karmamudra: The Yoga of Bliss by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang

📖 https://skypresspublications.com/product/karmamudra

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

🌐 Website: https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 Patreon: https://www.unjourneying.com/patreon

0:00 Introduction to Unjourneying & Guest Bio

2:55 Welcome & Why Wystan as First Guest

3:30 Recent Activities: Nameless Mountain & Backpacking with Gabe Broussard (Vivid Void)

6:36 Upcoming Jhana Retreat at Nameless Mountain

7:53 Sutta Jhana vs. Visuddhimagga Jhana

11:03 The Role of Jhana on the Path to Awakening

16:18 Cessation of Perception & Feeling

19:39 Is Jhana Still Useful After Awakening?

24:27 Identifying as a Religious Buddhist

28:58 Renunciation, Commitment & Modern Practice

37:00 Sexual Energy, Tantra & Sensual Practice

43:50 Karma Mudra & Traditional Sexual Yogas

46:48 Nonduality, Orgasm & Everyday Bliss

54:29 Psychedelics on the Contemplative Path

59:55 Recommending Psychedelics as a Teacher

1:03:32 Integrating Psychedelics with Traditional Practice

1:06:17 Closing Advice & Where to Find Wystan

1:08:43 Outro & How to Connect

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

If Capital-E Enlightenment is defined as a supreme state of perfect and imperturbable bliss in this lifetime, was that the actual focus of the Buddha's spiritual path? Inspired by Kenneth Folk's interpretation of early Buddhism's ultimate goal as escaping the wheel of rebirth, I unpack 11 myths of Enlightenment (including claims from contemporary teachers) and discuss their implications for the awakening process. I encourage seekers to embrace the full spectrum of their authentic emotional experience in the here and now.

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Related Resources:

Deconstructing Yourself: "Masters of Oblivion with Kenneth Folk"

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zrs7fq18ZBCuaCmv0RDiX?si=a8SaWpYmRKyxDDD9fdGmhQ

Mu: Roger "Thisdell on Centerlessness, Cessations, Defabrication, Valence, and Insight"

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0laAlYPz2T9Ia44w4YiblS?si=VhGKBb9zRZWRsUnN3UHyQw

Harvard's Project Implicit (Implicit Association Tests)

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

0:00 Intro – Why I'm Questioning Buddha's Enlightenment

1:03 My Early Romanticized View of the Buddha

3:02 The Received Western Story of the Buddha

4:57 Kenneth Folk & "Masters of Oblivion" Podcast

5:45 Nirvana = Cessation / Oblivion, Not Cosmic Bliss

9:56 Why This Changes Everything for Western Seekers

12:35 "The Buddha Is Not Your Friend" – A Darker Picture

14:28 How "Enlightenment" Got Mistranslated in the West

16:57 The "Sellvation" Dynamic in Spirituality

20:14 Nobody Has Ever Been Enlightened (Capital E)

25:00 Awakening vs. Enlightenment – My Distinction

26:23 Myth 1: You're Happy All the Time / No Negative Emotions

31:22 Myth 2: No Fear of Death

34:36 Myth 3: No Self Whatsoever

41:45 Myth 4: Seeing Reality As It Actually Is

45:11 Myth 5: No Preferences or Distinctions

49:45 Myth 6: No Thoughts

52:01 Myth 7: Complete Centerlessness

54:03 Myth 8: No Sense of Agency or Doership

57:36 Myth 9: Infinite Personal Freedom

1:03:36 Myth 10: Eternalism – "You Were Never Born and Will Never Die"

1:08:06 Myth 11: "As It Is, Not As You Want It to Be" – Goenka & Daoism

1:11:09 Car Breakdown Example – Realistic Responses to Life

1:15:31 Roger Thisdell: We Are Always Suffering (Baseline Level)

1:18:14 Reframing Awakening – Stop Making It About Ending Suffering

1:23:28 Conclusion: Enlightenment Is a Myth – Be Human Instead

1:26:55 Final Thoughts

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

Sharing from my experience, I outline a possible spiritual awakening trajectory through five different stages:

1. Somatic Mindfulness (Vipassana)

2. Nonduality

3. Metamindfulness

4. Unjourneying

5. ???

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

0:00 Intro & Disclaimer: This Is Just My Map

1:54 Stage 1: Somatic Mindfulness (Vipassana / Body Scan)

5:15 Stage 2: Non-Duality

8:56 The Non-Dual "Hot Tub" Phase & Attachment

11:10 Lyme Flare & the Crashing Halt

12:37 Realizing Attachment to Non-Duality

15:55 Stage 3: Metamindfulness (Noting Frames & Ways of Looking)

19:21 Stage 4: Unjourneying

20:05 Salvia Divinorum – Safety Notes & Protocol

21:15 Deep Deconstruction of Doership & Free Will

22:32 Dropping the Hero’s Journey (Marionette Insight)

25:05 Why “Unjourneying” – Neem Karoli Baba Story & Post-Psychedelic Presence

27:10 Post-Soteriological: Letting Go of Liberation as a Goal

30:26 Post-Ontological: Releasing Attachment to Any Ground of Reality

36:32 The Dance of What Is (No Goal, No Ultimate Truth)

37:53 Stage 5: Open Future – There Are More Stages Ahead

39:02 Closing Thoughts

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

I share what I see as the essence of my work by unpacking my Hot Stove Meditation, which includes three steps:

1. Exposure therapy by intentionally welcoming in emotional distress.

2. Contacting the emotional body sensations of distress using vipassana.

3. Opening up into nonduality.

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

I'm Mira Funk, LCSW, a Harvard-educated, queer/nonbinary psychotherapist and psychedelic guide specialized in the facilitation and integration of 5-MeO-DMT retreats. Here I offer a detailed, behind-the-scenes tour of how my retreats work and what to expect, including:

📋 My Safety Screening Developed in Collaboration with Dr. Ben Malcolm

🧭 My Preparation and Integration Protocol

✨ My Vipassana & Nondual Integration Framework

🪜 Stepwise Vaporized 5-MeO-DMT for Trauma Release and Spiritual Opening

⏳ Live Demonstration of The Hourglass, a Brand New Vapor Delivery System I Invented for Clients with Sensitive Lungs

🌊 Extended-Release Rectal & Subcutaneous 5-MeO-DMT for Deep Psychological & Somatic Processing

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only. The vapor that appears in this episode is VG/PG for demonstration purposes, not 5-MeO-DMT.

I describe the process of working with me from beginning to end. The process begins with a 50-minute initial consultation. The client and I then agree on a retreat date and on an appropriate number of pre- and post-integration sessions.

I recommend at least 5 pre-integration sessions and 1 post-integration session.

Here is a breakdown of the session content:

1. Biopsychosocial Intake

2. Safety & Logistics

3. Hot Stove Vipassana Meditation

4. Floating in Space Nondual Meditation

5. Ocean of Love Nondual Meditation

6. Processing the Retreat

I also discuss the different medicines I serve—5-MeO-DMT, N,N-DMT, and salvia divinorum—and the different retreat formats that are possible with these medicines. Each medicine has a short-acting vaporized route of administration as well as an extended release route. There's rectal 5-MeO-DMT, analog ayahuasca, and buccal salvia divinorum. Btw, apparently buccal is actually pronounced "buckle" not "boo-kle," oops! :-) After completing a retreat with me, you become eligible to join my Unjourneying Circle, an online psychedelic integration group that meets every two weeks over Zoom. You also can participate in my group retreats.

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

I share the top six reasons that clients in my practice seek out psychedelic experiences:

1. Emotional Healing

2. Spiritual Insight

3. Neuroplasticity

4. Exploring Consciousness

5. Connection to Nature and Loved Ones

6. Physical and Neurological Healing

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.

Psychotherapist and psychedelic guide Mira Funk, LCSW, defines terms commonly used in her practice. She offers an experiential definition of nonduality based on a lucid dreaming analogy from Tibetan dream yoga. Then she draws inspiration from Adyashanti for outlining psychedelic integration and nondual integration in particular. Finally, she distinguishes between what it means to journey and unjourney with psychedelics such as 5-MeO-DMT, ayahuasca, and salvia divinorum.

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@unjourneying

For educational purposes only.