Podcast Summary: The Observable Unknown – Episode with Olga Naiman

Host: Dr. Juan Carlos Rey
Guest: Olga Naiman
Date: February 18, 2026

Overview

This episode of The Observable Unknown explores the intersection of science and spirituality through the lens of environmental design and personal transformation. Dr. Juan Carlos Rey interviews Olga Naiman, author of Spatial Alchemy, about how the spaces we live in reflect and shape our inner identities, emotional states, and even our capacity for healing and growth. Together, they discuss how intentional design—rooted in psychology, symbolism, and somatic awareness—can serve as a tool for self-realization, attachment repair, and manifesting one's future self.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Innermost Facility: Design Beyond Decoration

[02:07–05:38]

• Olga details Innermost, a psychedelic psychotherapy center designed to feel home-like and nurturing rather than clinical or trending.
• Spaces and transitions were crafted to support clients’ somatic journey, helping regulate and soothe their nervous systems:
  • Entry wall with blue, water-inspired wallpaper (evoking the emotional and subconscious per Jungian/alchemical symbolism).
  • Use of familiar “home” touches—books, candles, vases, oranges (feng shui symbol for abundance), and gold elements.
  • Dual-purpose design to support both clinical sessions and community events by adjusting lighting schemes.

Olga [03:19]: “I wanted people to come in and feel like they were entering a friend’s home, so that their nervous system relaxed and the space held them.”

2. The Womb Room and Reintegration

[05:49–07:03]

• Special recovery space designed with dark walls, velvet couches, deep reds—meant to cocoon clients in a “womb-like” environment post-therapy.
• Thoughtful lighting promotes gradual exit from altered states.

Olga [06:27]: “It really brings down your wall, your nervous system, and mimics this feeling of being in the womb... to help the patients feel really held in their altered state.”

3. The Psychology of Color, Tone, and Symbolism

[07:03–08:23]

• No single color theory governs Olga’s work; rather, it’s a blend of research (Jung, chakras, etc.), intuition, color vibrations, and tone/saturation.
• The particular tone and depth of a color affects the nervous system more than just the hue itself.

4. Personal Turning Point: Aligning the Physical with the Internal

[08:23–13:02]

• Olga recounts how the pandemic prompted her to re-examine how her external space mirrored internal scarcity/fears.
• Inspired by Joe Dispenza’s future-self work, she physically transformed her living room (reupholstering damaged furniture), resulting in unexpected professional opportunities and personal breakthroughs.

Olga [11:29]: “I realized I want to bring my future self into the present moment... my space was programming my body for scarcity and resignation.”

5. Designing for the Future Self

[13:02–16:17]

• Spatial alchemy draws from Jung’s active imagination and behavioral conditioning.
• Reference to James Clear (Atomic Habits)—how environments cue and support positive habits, e.g., turning vitamin-taking into a sensory ritual.

Olga [15:18]: “Everything is an altar. Not just one with a Buddha on it... you start to program positive habits into the foyer... so it’s not chaotic.”

6. Meditation and Epigenetic Influence

[16:17–19:02]

• Meditation (initially prompted by grief) taught Olga to slow down and be open to guidance beyond her own thinking.
• Addresses her Ashkenazi “nervous energy” by channeling it into organizing home spaces, creating a sense of order and agency.

7. Empowering Agency and Identity Through Design

[19:02–21:44]

• When working with anxious or scattered clients, Olga examines color choices and symbolic art.
• The process includes:
  • Identifying and purging items linked to outdated or limiting identities.
  • Adding items aligned with the client’s aspirational qualities (e.g., stability, agency).

Olga [20:48]: "We start scanning their home for old versions of themselves... When you see it, you can’t unsee it.”

8. Unconscious Sabotage and the Symbolism of Everyday Items

[21:44–26:07]

• Many design their own “lamentations” into home without awareness.
• Example stories: high-powered women using uncomfortable/inappropriate furniture reflecting outdated internal narratives or lack of welcome for desired relationships.
• Most clients are “blind” to the deeper symbolic meaning without guidance.

9. The Four Layers of Design

[26:20–30:58]

• Visible layers: Beauty and Function
• Invisible layers: Psychological and Manifestation
• Every object becomes a conscious or unconscious symbol shaping our internal landscape.
• Suggests reprogramming daily rituals (with items like mugs, salt cellars) through symbolic objects reflecting one’s aspirations.

Olga [28:57]: “You’re building a web thread by thread of deliberate symbol creation that speaks to your unconscious...that’s where the alchemy really starts.”

10. Overdeveloped Layers and the Trap of Mental Identity

[30:58–32:23]

• Most people over-emphasize the mental layer (overthinking, identity attachment), often ignoring deeper emotional or somatic needs.

Olga [31:14]: “This is like a trauma response in leather seats... my mental faculty is overriding the other faculties.”

11. Emotional Regulation, Attachment, and the “Home as Parent”

[32:23–36:03]

• Home as an emotional base or attachment figure.
• Emotional regulation chairs: designated supportive spaces for processing feelings safely.
• Spatial alchemy acts as partial attachment repair, supplementing but not substituting for human relationships.

Olga [34:00]: “You want your home to have your back.”

12. Design for Therapy Spaces

[36:03–38:30]

• Many therapists’ offices are filled with “leftovers” rather than intentionally chosen, symbolically supportive items.
• Olga’s approach: prioritize what clients see/feel during sessions, ensuring the environment supports transformation.

13. Spatial Alchemy vs. Feng Shui

[38:30–40:21]

• Feng shui is rooted in Taoism and qi, focused on directional energy.
• Spatial alchemy is informed by Western/Middle Eastern mysticism (Tree of Life), prioritizing psychological impact and personal symbolism.

14. Energy: Metaphor or Measurable?

[40:21–42:30]

• For Olga, energy is both metaphor and somatic fact—measured by how bodies respond in and to spaces.
• Skeptical clients need not buy mystical theories; everyone recognizes how organized spaces make them feel.

Olga [42:09]: “You don’t need to be convinced. You know how powerful the impact is on you for the rest of the week...”

15. Inviting Discomfort for Growth

[44:14–48:43]

• Gently encourages clients toward “good discomfort” by changing spaces/items tied to old identities and rituals—even if inconvenient or emotional.
• Example: letting go of a career-successful but energetically “scattered” desk for one with “thick legs” symbolizing groundedness.

Olga [48:19]: “The first process in alchemy, you see it across every spiritual tradition... you do a sacrifice... sacrificing part of your identity for the greater thing.”

16. Practical First Step for Listeners

[48:43–49:53]

• Best no-cost step: See your home through a stranger’s eyes to identify and purge objects representing outdated identities or patterns.

Olga [48:56]: “Begin to see and notice your patterns and then purge outdated identities... look at your home through the eyes of symbol.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the subconscious impact of space:

  “Your home is not merely where life happens, but where the self is rehearsed, reshaped, and revealed.” —Dr. Juan Carlos Rey [00:38]

• On designing for healing:

  “Setting influences the set. So it’s set and setting and the setting shapes the healing in a huge way.” —Olga Naiman [38:17]

• On visible vs. invisible design:

  “Most design only addresses the beauty and function layers…but then there’s also the psychological layer and the manifestation layer.” —Olga Naiman [26:26]

• On the agency of change:

  “You can control your home in a way that you can’t control your body, you can’t control other people… but your home, you have more agency in it than you do in many, many other things.” —Olga Naiman [35:29]

• On practical transformation:

  “Begin to see your home through a stranger’s eyes… and then see what outdated identities are living with you.” —Olga Naiman [48:56]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | 02:07–03:43| Introduction to Innermost facility | | 05:49–07:03| The Womb Room, reintegration, color symbolism | | 08:23–13:02| Olga’s personal turning point & physical alignment| | 13:02–16:17| Future self, active imagination, and habits | | 19:02–21:44| Agency and unconscious self-sabotage | | 26:20–30:58| The four layers of design | | 32:23–36:03| Emotional regulation, home as attachment repair| | 38:30–40:21| Spatial alchemy vs. feng shui | | 44:14–48:43| Ritual discomfort and updating identity | | 48:43–49:53| Most impactful, immediate action step |

Final Takeaway

Olga Naiman’s spatial alchemy is a unique, integrative approach that regards the home as an active participant in personal growth, habit formation, and psychological healing. The conversation reveals that small, symbolic shifts in our environment can serve as catalysts for much deeper internal transformations—sometimes starting as simply as getting rid of an old chair, or reupholstering a couch. By seeing our spaces through new, symbolic eyes, we can become architects not just of our surroundings, but of our future selves.