A Private Psychedelic Support Program for Veterans
Your body is still at war. There's a way to bring it home.
Operation Within is a private program for the Veteran who got out, kept functioning, and never fully stood down.
Guided by Christine and Brad Zanin, and built around the way Veterans actually process. Christine grew up in a military family; she knows this world from the inside. One Veteran at a time, fully private.
You've been out for years. Your nervous system didn't get the message.
From the outside, you probably look fine. You show up. You handle what needs to be handled. You're the one people rely on. And yet...
You still catch yourself scanning the room without even thinking about it.
You sleep light. That is, when you sleep.
Something small can take you from zero to a hundred. A toy on the stairs, the dog barking, somebody saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Then the guilt hits because you watched yourself react and couldn’t seem to stop it.
Some nights it takes a few drinks, hours in front of a screen, or anything that helps you check out long enough for your shoulders to finally come down.
You can be sitting on the couch with your family and still feel a long way away. You’re there. You love them. But actually being there with them is harder than it should be.
You've been out for years. Your nervous system didn't get the message
From the outside, you probably look fine. You show up. You handle what needs to be handled. You're the one people rely on. And yet...
Sleep light. That is, when you sleep.
Something small can take you from zero to 100. A toy on the stairs, a dog barking, someone saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Then the guilt hits because you watched yourself react and couldn't seem to stop it.
Some nights it takes a few drinks, hours in front of a screen, or anything that helps you check out long enough for your shoulders to finally come down.
You can be sitting on the couch with your family and still feel a long way away. You're there. You love them, but actually being there with them is harder than it should be.
Here's what you may not have been told:
What you’re experiencing doesn’t have to come from one deployment, one event, or one moment you can point to.
For some Veterans, it was combat or deployment. For others, it was the training, the pressure, the things they saw or experienced, or years spent operating in a system that taught them to stay ready. And for some, those patterns started long before the military ever entered the picture.
Whatever built it, your system learned how to survive for a reason.
The question now is whether it still needs to live that way.
That is the work of Operation Within.
Why this reaches what the VA couldn't.
This work goes deeper than talking about what happened.
You may already understand your patterns. You know what sets you off. You may have tried therapy, medication, or spent years telling yourself you should be over it by now.
And still, your body reacts before your mind has a chance to catch up.
Because these patterns aren't just something you think about. They've become part of how your system learned to protect you.
Whether they started before, during, or after your service, your system adapted for a reason.
Now the question is how you help it learn something different.
Psychedelic work offers a different way in.
With the right preparation and support, it can create space to explore what your system has been holding onto, not just intellectually, but experientially. And what surfaces gives you something real to work with.
That’s why the journey is only one part of Operation Within.
Preparation helps you enter the journey with intention. Integration helps you make sense of what comes up and carry it into the way you actually live.
You don’t have to believe any of this going in. You’re allowed to be skeptical.
Your only job at the start is one honest conversation.
Christine guides the work from the first conversation through the final integration session.
Her father is a Vietnam Veteran. Her brother is a Marine. Her sister-in-law served in the Navy. She grew up around the things that often go unsaid, and she understands what it can cost a Veteran to ask for help after years of being expected to handle things.
She’s lived close to this world her entire life.
Brad brings a steady, grounded presence to the work.
He's a straight shooter who will tell you what he sees, say what needs to be said, and meet you exactly where you are.
He's there through the journey with you, bringing the kind of calm, direct support that helps you stay grounded while the work unfolds.
If you’ve spent years being the strong one in the room, this is a place where you can put some of that weight down.
You go at your pace. You talk when you’re ready. And when silence is what you need, that gets just as much respect.
Christine guides the work from the first conversation through the final integration session.
Her father is a Vietnam Veteran. Her brother is a Marine. Her sister-in-law served in the Navy. She grew up around the things that often go unsaid, and she understands what it can cost a Veteran to ask for help after years of being expected to handle things.
She’s lived close to this world her entire life.
Brad brings a steady, grounded presence to the work.
He's a straight shooter who will tell you what he sees, say what needs to be said, and meet you exactly where you are.
He's there through the journey with you, bringing the kind of calm, direct support that helps you stay grounded while the work unfolds.
If you’ve spent years being the strong one in the room, this is a place where you can put some of that weight down.
You go at your pace. You talk when you’re ready. And when silence is what you need, that gets just as much respect.
HOW IT WORKS
Sixteen weeks. Three journeys.
A plan for every step
You’ll know what happens, in what order, and how you’ll be supported throughout the process.
Phase 1: Groundwork
Weeks 1-2
Your work begins with a private intake and intention-setting session with Christine and Brad. From there, you'll move through to preparation sessions designed to help you understand your own terrain, recognize what tends to activate you, and get clear on what you need to feel grounded and supported going into your first journey.
Phase 2: Recover
Weeks 3-8
Your first journey happens in person, with Christine and Brad there to guide and support you through the experience. The first journey gives you a chance to find your footing, become familiar with the process, and begin exploring what you've been carrying. Afterward, you'll move through three integration sessions to process what surfaced and begin bringing those insights into your everyday life.
Phase 3: Reclaim
Weeks 9-14
Your second journey builds on the ground you've already covered. You'll enter the experience with more familiarity, more trust in the process, and a deeper understanding of your own patterns. Three more integration sessions help you work with what surfaced and explore how it can change the way you respond, connect, and move through your life.
Phase 4: Return
Weeks 15 to 16
Your third journey brings the work together and gives you space to explore what's ready to shift next. Your final integration sessions help you make sense of the experience and carry what you've learned forward into your life. Check-ins and message support continue throughout the full 16 weeks so you have a steady point of connection along the way.
Everything inside Operation Within.
Over 16 weeks, you'll have a clear structure of preparation, guided journeys, integration, and ongoing support.
01
A Private Intake and Intention-Setting Session
Meet 1-1 with Christine and Brad to talk through where you are, what you're carrying, and what you want to explore through this work.
02
Two Individual Preparation Sessions
Spend dedicated time preparing for your first journey, understanding your patterns, and getting clear on what helps you feel grounded and supported.
03
Three Guided Psychedelic Journeys
Move through each journey with Christine and Brad, providing study, intentional support throughout the journey.
04
In-person support in Carbondale, Colorado
Your first journey takes place in a private space you arrange in the Carbondale area, with Christine Brad there with you in person.
05
9 Private Integration Sessions
Meet three times after each journey to process what surfaced, explore what it means for you, and integrate the journey into your everyday life.
06
16 Weeks of ongoing support
Receive journal prompts, personal check-ins, and message support throughout the program, including the time between your sessions and journeys.
Operation Within is for you if:
You're ready to sleep through the night and wake up with something left in the tank for the people and things that matter to you.
You want to be fully there with the people you love. At dinner, on the couch, at the game, in the moments you know you're supposed to be enjoying
You miss feeling like yourself, or maybe you're ready to discover who you are now that your service is no longer defining your day-to-day life.
You want to feel lighter. To laugh because something is funny. To relax without working at it. To enjoy your life while you're actually living it.
You're ready to understand what you've been carrying and begin changing the patterns that have kept you in survival mode.
You've gotten really good at functioning. You know how to show up, handle what needs to be handled, and keep moving. Now you're ready for more than just getting through the day.
You've tried other approaches and still feel like there's something underneath it that hasn't been reached yet.
You're curious about psychedelic work, even if part of you is skeptical. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to be open to exploring whether this could be the right next step for you.
Sometimes the first step starts with someone who sees what they're carrying.
Maybe you're their spouse, partner, friend, sibling, or someone who served alongside them.
You see how hard they work to hold everything together. You notice when they're in the room but somewhere else entirely. You know the person underneath all of it, and you want them to experience more of their life than simply getting through it.
You can send them this page, or you can start by having a conversation with Christine and Brad yourself. Ask the questions you know they'll have. Learn what Operation Within looks like. Get a feel for whether this could be the right kind of support for them.
Sometimes helping someone take the first step simply means making that step easier to see.
What clients say about this Work
“
"The most powerful reset for a marriage"
"My husband and I had an incredible connection experience with the guidance and support of Christine and Brad. Although we have had similar experiences before, this was the most powerful reset for our marriage. We are so grateful for the integration questions which we discussed in the following days and that really helped us ground our experience in another way. I highly recommend this for anyone who is struggling in relationship or is looking for a deeper connection."
— Couple, Northern California
“
"I never felt rushed or judged, just fully supported."
"I had an incredible experience working with Brad during a time of significant life changes. He created such a safe, supportive space for me to process what I was going through and come to my own realizations. I never felt rushed or judged, just fully supported as I worked through things at my own pace. Both Christine and Brad are truly amazing at what they do. They show up fully present, grounded, and genuinely committed to supporting others."
— RZ
“
"Truly the most sublime of them all"
"I've traveled to many destinations around the world and had incredible experiences, but this journey was truly the most sublime of them all. It was deeply spiritual, profoundly sacred, and genuinely life-altering. Christine, as a journey practitioner and guide, is exceptionally empathetic and deeply attuned to her clients' emotional states. She brings a genuine warmth and an intuitive understanding of what each person needs."
— Julie, Basalt, CO
Common Questions
Is this legal?
Colorado law permits adults to possess and use natural psychedelics in limited personal use circumstances, and it permits supported use in some settings. Psilocybin remains illegal under federal law.
Operation Within provides preparation, guidance, and integration support only. We do not provide, sell, source, or supply any substance, and anything you choose to use is obtained by you, as your own decision and your own responsibility.
Christine and Brad are not attorneys, nothing here is legal advice, and you are responsible for understanding how the law applies to you. If you have questions about your specific situation, come and raise them on the discovery call or with your own counsel.
What kind of support do Christine and Brad provide?
Operation Within is centered around preparation, guided experiences, and integration. Christine and Brad provide a private space to help you prepare for the work, support you through the experience, and process what comes up afterwards. Christine and Brad are not therapists or medical providers, and the operation within is not therapy, medical treatment, or counseling.
I’m on medication. Is that a problem?
Bring the full list to intake, and nobody judges it. Questions about your medications, dosages, or any changes belong with your prescribing provider, and we may ask you to talk with them before moving forward. If our intake screening suggests this work is not the right fit now or that you should seek medical advice first, we will tell you directly.
I’ve tried things before and nothing worked.
If that's where you are, you're not alone. What's different here is the structure. Preparation helps you enter each journey with intention, and integration gives you dedicated time afterward to process what surfaced and explore what it means for your life.
I don’t want to lose control.
That concern makes sense, especially when staying in control has helped you feel safe. The process is designed to move at your pace, with preparation beforehand and your consent at every step. Your individual needs help shape the environment and the support you receive throughout the experience.
What if what comes up isn’t what I expect?
You don't have to know what will come up before you begin. Your preparation sessions give you space to explore what you are bringing into the experience, and your integration sessions give you dedicated time afterward to process whatever the experience brings forward.
What actually changes?
It's different for every Veteran, and no outcome is promised. The intention of this work is to give you space to explore the patterns you've been carrying, understand yourself differently, and bring what you learn into the way you live, respond, and connect.
Where do the journeys happen?
In person in the Carbondale, Colorado area, at a mutually agreed-upon private location you arrange, chosen with your safety and comfort in mind. Christine and Brad come to you. Everything before and after happens remotely by video from wherever you live.
Will this affect my clearance, my job, or my benefits?
Possibly. Many psychedelic substances remain illegal under federal law, regardless of state law. Participation in psychedelic work may have consequences for employment, security clearances, professional licenses, and eligibility for certain government positions or benefits, including some administered by the VA.
Operation Within is not affiliated with the Department of Veteran Affairs or any government agency. If any of this applies to you, come await carefully and seek appropriate guidance before booking a call.
Is this just for men?
No. Operation Within is for Veterans of any gender.
A lot of the veterans who find their way here are men, but the experiences that stay with you after the service aren't exclusive to men. Women veterans carry their own experiences, patterns, and stories too.
The work is private and built around you, your history, and what you're carrying. You don't need to fit a certain picture of what a veteran looks like to belong here.
Hear from Some of Our Clients
"My husband and I had an incredible connection experience with the guidance and support of Christine and Brad. Although we have had similar experiences before, this was the most powerful reset for our marriage. We are so grateful for the integration questions which we discussed in the following days and that really helped us ground our experience in another way. I highly recommend this for anyone who is struggling in relationship or is looking for a deeper connection."
— Couple, Northern California
"I had an incredible experience working with Brad during a time of significant life changes. He created such a safe, supportive space for me to process what I was going through and come to my own realizations. I never felt rushed or judged, just fully supported as I worked through things at my own pace. Both Christine and Brad are truly amazing at what they do. They show up fully present, grounded, and genuinely committed to supporting others."
— RZ
"I've traveled to many destinations around the world and had incredible experiences, but this journey was truly the most sublime of them all. It was deeply spiritual, profoundly sacred, and genuinely life-altering. Christine, as a journey practitioner and guide, is exceptionally empathetic and deeply attuned to her clients' emotional states. She brings a genuine warmth and an intuitive understanding of what each person needs."
— Julie, Basalt, CO
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Private psychedelic support for couples, Veterans, and individuals.
Carbondale, Colorado.
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