Episode 708: Nervous System Healing and Psychedelic Integration with Irina Vlada

I’m joined by Irina Vlada for an honest conversation about healing, nervous system regulation, and what real integration actually looks like when working with psychedelics and other therapeutic tools. Irina helps people navigate transformation at the intersection of psychedelics, spirituality, psychology, and wellness. I met her earlier this year at Rythmia, and after spending time with her and diving deeper into her work, I knew I had to bring her on the show.

Irina has over a decade of experience as a coach and facilitator, and from 2020 to 2022, she worked as an Integration Coach with Mindbloom, guiding more than 200 clients through preparation and integration for ketamine-assisted therapy. In our conversation, she’s clear about one thing: psychedelic medicine isn’t the work itself. Real transformation happens afterward, through integration, embodiment, and taking actionable steps that rewire habits, thoughts, and the nervous system. Without that process, insight can fade just as quickly as it arrives.

We also talk about why ancient practices like breathwork and meditation are such powerful tools for healing trauma, regulating the nervous system, and expanding awareness, often without needing altered states at all. And for anyone curious but skeptical about psychedelics, Irina emphasizes the importance of safety, education, preparation, and the willingness to surrender to the process.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Irina bridges psychedelics, spirituality, psychology, and wellness through lived experience and ethical practice (4:05)

• Her personal path to self-awareness and healing, including trauma and the long road of recovery (5:47)

• What ketamine-assisted therapy involves, why integration matters, and how insight without action quickly fades (17:21)

• How meditation, breathwork, yoga, and nervous system regulation create real, lasting change without psychedelics (25:06)

• What Irina emphasizes for people who feel skeptical or unsure about psychedelics from a therapeutic standpoint (44:39)

Resources from this episode: 

Write Your Way Through It

Come see me in Costa Rica at Rythmia Ayahuasca Retreat in January!

Irina on Instagram

Book recommendations: I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!  

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Episode link: http://andreaowen.com/podcast/708

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