Psychedelics Might Be the Cure for Modern Masculinity, with Ben Forest, Psychedelic Speaker, Author and Coach

About this episode

Ben Forest shares his transformative journey from military life to healing through psychedelics and discusses the impact on modern masculinity.

Ben Forest spent 25 years in the Air Force, rose to Lieutenant Colonel, and hit rock bottom. On Veterans Day, he walked into a hospital and told the nurse, “I want to die.” That moment changed everything. He quit his job. He left the military. And in one heroic dose of psilocybin, he found something he never thought he’d feel again…peace. In this conversation, Ben and I dive deep into psychedelics, masculinity, healing, and the emotional constipation that keeps so many men stuck. This isn’t a drug story. It’s a story about awakening, and what happens when men finally face themselves. 00:00 – The day Ben almost ended his life 07:00 – The “American Dream” that became a nightmare 10:45 – Walking into the psych ward: the moment everything changed 14:00 – The first psilocybin ceremony that rewired his life 18:45 – What it feels like to release generations of pain 22:00 – From military commander to spiritual seeker 27:30 – Why psychedelics are so hard to describe 32:15 – DMT, ego death, and seeing “God” for the first time 40:00 – Why psychedelics help men feel again 43:00 – Shame, masculinity, and the epidemic of emotional constipation 46:15 – The courage to say “I’m sad” 49:00 – The…

People in this episode

Host: Jake Hurwitz

Guest: Ben Forest

Topics covered

• psychedelics
• masculinity
• mental health
• healing
• emotional constipation
• veterans

Keywords

• psychedelics
• masculinity
• mental health
• psilocybin
• emotional healing
• veterans
• DMT
• ego death

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Air Force

More episodes of The Optimist

• “I Got Sober, Married A Supermodel, And Built Everything From Nothing” with Michael Chernow · March 18, 2026 · 1h 52m
• Missionless Men Are the Real Epidemic, With Chris Griffin · October 14, 2025 · 1h 14m
• Are You Too Soft? Why Doing Hard Things Might Save Your Life, With Alvaro Nuñez · August 26, 2025 · 1h 8m
• Why Detox Became “Feminine” And Why Men Can’t Afford to Ignore It, With Meghan Swidler · August 19, 2025 · 54 min
• Think You’re a Man? Here’s Why You Might Still Be a Little Boy, with Ryan Moresby-white · August 12, 2025 · 1h 48m
• What Are You So Afraid Of? Ben Sharf on Fear, Failure, and Feeling Like You’re Never Enough · August 5, 2025 · 1h 4m