IRINA LINETSKAYA, MD

CONTEMPLATIVE MIND-BODY MEDICINE AND COUNSELING

I have taken seriously the admonition, “Doctor, heal thyself." My own search for balance and internal coherence after a very traumatic Soviet childhood has opened my eyes to the power of the Mind and Spirit to speak their discontent through the body. This perspective has completely transformed my approach to medicine and healing. 

At my core, I am an internal medicine physician. I spent the first 15 years of my career as a primary care doc with a focus in LGBT and HIV care in New York City. I have taken care of thousands of people living difficult lives complicated by serious illness. Yet no matter how intricate the clinical picture, I have come to see that few of the diseases we deem “chronic” are nearly as entrenched or permanent as we - doctors and patients - are taught to believe. 

In my clinical experience, most physical illnesses are the body’s attempt to communicate - in an increasingly insistent voice - deep-seated imbalances within. At times the body is out of balance because of a lingering injury, infection, poor nutrition, lack of adequate exercise, or emotional self-neglect. At times, a grave illness stops us in our tracks and forces us to learn the difference between pain and suffering. All too often, unprocessed trauma hijacks our bodies into chronic states of overstimulation, anxiety, inflammation, or collapse.

I believe that if you follow your symptoms or illnesses back to their origin, they will lead you to a time when you lost your way or stopped being true to who you inherently are. My challenge and honor as a Contemplative Medicine physician is to guide you back to balance and alignment with all facets of you being - physical, emotional, and spiritual. I combine my Western medicine expertise with Mindfulness meditation and an array of trauma-focused, somatic, and non-ordinary state of consciousness modalities to help you retrace your steps.

Our work will focus on uncovering, exploring, and healing the deep roots of your imbalance and dis-ease. Once the roots are healed, many illnesses either entirely reverse course or significantly reduce their insistence.

CLINICAL OFFERINGS

Integrative Mind-Body Consultation (60 minutes, Zoom)

I offer a novel, multi-disciplinary approach to exploring your current medical or mental health picture through the lens of why: Why is this happening? Why now? And why in this particular way? What aspects of your personal, financial, nutritional, relational, spiritual life might your symptoms be highlighting? What historical trauma imprints might this imbalance be manifesting in your body at this moment in your life? Using a wide array of clinical and therapeutic tools, I will help you cultivate deep awareness and curiosity toward your issue which, in my experience, is the only way to ignite depth-level healing that endures. 

Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (NOSC) - A Tailored Approach (60 minutes, Zoom)

NOSC healing modalities (be it via medicine, breathwork, etc) have taken our culture by storm, and for good reason. They hold tremendous potential to heal us individually and collectively. However, most agents remain illegal and available only through the underground which can be difficult to navigate and trust. More importantly, each one of these agents has a vastly unique signature of benefits, risks, and applications. The when and why really matters when choosing a particular modality, and the person serving it. I can lend my personal and clinical expertise to help you make sense of the dizzying a-la-carte menu of options. Together, we can devise a tailored, well-informed, and conscious path into this remarkable and promising realm, that it may heal your trauma imprints and transform your life for the better. 

COST OF SERVICES

$400 per 60 minute visit

This is a fee-for-service practice and my fee must be paid at the time of every visit. I am not directly enrolled with any insurance companies or Medicare. If your insurance carrier offers out-of-network reimbursement for medical visits (please contact them directly to get specific information), I am happy to provide an invoice (superbill) for you to submit.

MEDICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Residency in Primary Care/Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY (2009)

Harvard Medical School (2006)

Stanford University - BA in Human Biology (2000)

CERTIFICATIONS

Internal Family Systems Therapy - Level 1 certified (2023)

Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy - Step 1 (2023)

Group Intenal Family Systems Therapy (2024)

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Training - Dr. Phil Wolfson and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (2022) 

Certified Core Energetics (Body-Focused Therapy) Practitioner (2018)

American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine - Board Certified (2013)

American Board of Internal Medicine - Board Certified (2009)

Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian

Photography by Jennifer Samuel