#776 - Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS - Living From The Soul: The Neuroscience of Spiritual Awakening

Interview starts at 27:10   The neuroscience of spiritual awakening, how Kundalini yoga shaped her life, and why she believes listening inward is especially important in a time of cultural confusion. She also explains how her work in geriatric psychiatry connects spirituality, brain health, stress regulation, and prevention strategies for aging populations. Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS, is a Professor In-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA (Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior), a leading geriatric integrative psychiatrist, and a pioneer in mind-body approaches to late-life mental health. https://drhelenlavretsky.com/book/living-from-the-soul/ https://drhelenlavretsky.com/about/   In this episode: Dr. Helen Lavretsky shares her unusual path from the former Soviet Union into psychiatry, neuroscience, and later Kundalini yoga teacher training. She explains how growing up in an atheist Soviet environment still left room for underground spirituality passed through families and oral tradition. She describes a six-month temporary enlightenment experience after Kundalini practice and why it was physically intense, hard to describe, and initially unsustainable. The conversation focuses on her book Living from the Soul and the idea that people are increasingly being pushed to trust their own wisdom instead of outside authorities. She discusses how spirituality shows up in geriatric psychiatry, especially for older adults, dementia caregivers, and long COVID patients dealing with mortality and stress. She argues that meditation, breathing practices, yoga, tai chi, and qigong can improve self-regulation, brain health, and decision-making under pressure. She outlines how brain health should be cultivated across the lifespan, starting in childhood and even in utero, rather than only addressed later in life. She notes that lifestyle factors such as sleep, movement, diet, and stress management matter for dementia prevention and broader cognitive resilience. She emphasizes that meaning, purpose, and connection to soul are central to mental well-being. Key frameworks: Soul-based self-inquiry- asking inwardly what is right for you rather than defaulting to external authority Brain health across the lifespan- prevention beginning in childhood and even before birth Stress self-regulation toolkit- breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qigong as practical nervous-system supports Constitutional approach to diet- different people may need different foo