What if healing wasn’t about fixing what’s broken, but about returning to who you’ve always been? That sense of coming home to yourself and being guided by both science and soul is at the center of Lindsay Olshan’s work. With close to 20 years of experience, Lindsay is a licensed marriage and family therapist, art therapist, and psychedelic-assisted therapist. She’s also the founder of FADEN, where she blends modern clinical techniques with sensory experiences, creative rituals, and ancient wisdom to help people reconnect with themselves.
Lindsay’s approach doesn’t fit into a neat clinical box. Yes, it’s rooted in research and backed by serious training in psychedelic medicine, but it also leaves room for intuition, community, and the deeply personal nature of healing. She’s worked with people navigating trauma, grief, and disconnection, helping them not just through powerful experiences, but through the quieter, meaningful work of integration and reflection. Her spaces invite people to slow down and listen, not just to experts, but to their own inner wisdom.
During our conversation, Lindsay opened up about her journey, including how the isolation of the pandemic pushed her to fully embrace psychedelic-assisted therapy. We talk about the role of ritual, the influence of art, and how healing often happens when we come together in community, in truth, and in remembrance of who we are beneath all the noise. This episode is really about honoring that deeper intelligence we all carry, and learning how to follow its lead.
Episode Highlights:
[02:55] We learn Lindsay’s gateway to holistic wellness. She had been a therapist for 20 years and during COVID she wanted to integrate non-ordinary states of consciousness into her practice.
[03:25] She had a powerful personal medicine experience that changed everything for her. She then applied for the California Institute of Integral Studies psychedelic assisted therapy program.
[04:45] Her teacher training in yoga may have set her on this path.
[05:52] Once clients have the science and the data, they can go into the more abstract.
[07:36] Having a traditional background is really important when weaving all of these modalities together.
[08:19] Mainstream exploration of the Psychedelic Renaissance. People are wanting a deeper, richer experience.
[09:47] A walk-through of a typical session at FADEN.
[10:36] It’s important to separate out expectations, but having an intention can be helpful.
[12:28] Sometimes people will have a very specific or acute trauma. Sometimes people just want to better know themselves.
[13:18] Common misconceptions about psychedelic therapy include that it’s escapist.
[15:01] There’s a lot of thought that goes into a retreat and it lasts from 5 to 7 days. There’s also several weeks of integration on the backside.
[16:53] Bringing sacredness and discernment shows up in what we get out of the experience.
[17:34] Lindsay shares a story about a woman at one of the Italy retreats.
[18:40] Healing is remembering.
[20:25] Practices and rituals that Lindsay does when she needs grounding.
[22:17] Balancing evidence-based science with the intention and ritual of her practice. There are ebbs and flows.
[23:47] The role of community in the healing process. We don’t heal in isolation. Having a community of women gathering is a potent healer.
[26:43] The communitas scale and the magic of people gathering.
[28:44] We’re all connected. FADEN is German for thread.
[31:13] Myths have been maps for us to locate bigger patterns.
[32:46] Lindsay is hopeful that medicines continue to be legalized especially things like MDMA and psilocybin. She’s hopeful things will move in the right direction.
[34:19] If she could create a shift in mental health it would be that people would realize that symptoms don’t show up for no reason. Mental health issues are a signal that something is going on.
[36:11] Lindsay is hopeful that the future of psychedelic therapy will be more community-based and have less stigma around it.
[38:33] Rapid fire questions. Lindsay loves her morning matcha and a little sauna.
[40:31] It’s surprising that it’s safe to heal in the community.
[43:33] Lindsay has a retreat coming up from September 13th to September 18th. It will be in Italy at Terme di Vulce, which is about an hour outside of Rome.
[44:03] It will be six days of practicing breath work, medicine work, and many practices talked about today.
[45:34] Key takeaway: you’re already in the medicine. It’s already bringing things up for you. Compassionately stay open to that curiosity.
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