A psychedelic experience is merely an experience without proper integration. If you’re not familiar with psychedelic integration, it’s the process of applying the insights and understanding you had during your medicine journey into your daily life in a meaningful and impactful way for a desired outcome.
The work that is done in integration is an integral part of the process, and the incredible outcomes that people have would not be possible without it. Much of my own story is actually how I missed the integration opportunity and it served to inspire me to bring more of this work to the community as psychedelics approach legalization.
How you integrate your experience is entirely up to you and looks different for everyone. The best way to approach this process is to work with a trained practitioner or therapist to further process your insights and bring it full circle, but there are certainly ways that you can do this work on your own.
Building a Psychedelic Integration Practice
If you worked with trained facilitator or shaman, then you probably were briefed on the importance of the immediate days and weeks that follow your psychedelic journey, you’ll want to continue to sit with what came up and the emotions you experienced. Some people have very large and radical themes that their journey followed, others may be smaller and harder to pinpoint ones.
The important thing is to sit with these lessons and understand how they are trying to guide you. The process is different for everyone, so listen to what you’re being guided towards and remove the attachment to any outcomes.
Write everything you remember down
A great place to start is to write down everything you can recall from the journey without trying to make sense of it. Write down any physical sensations you had, emotions that you felt, visions, thoughts, etc.
In the days following you may remember more details and more insights, just continue to keep a list of these as you go. There’s no need to rush this process, in fact, the more you can sit with it and be present, the more you are likely to recall. The best way to do this is through a meditative, present-minded state. Whether you’re sitting still or doing meditative movement, the key is to access presence and notice what’s coming up.
The Easiest Next Step
How you take action on these insights is going to vary, but more than likely you’ll create a list of actions you’ll want to carry out for yourself. I like to think of this part as coming up with the easiest next step, it can be as big or small as you want but whatever is going to take the least amount of effort for you to accomplish.
For example, if the theme of your experience was that you crave a deeper connection with your friends and/or family, a reasonable next step would be to figure out what’s holding you back from having that connection. This is much easier than beginning to build those connections right out the gate, and likely, this is going to require more attention than just jumping in and starting. Remember that the process is meant to be an integration that should move at a pace that you feel comfortable with.
Create an integration action plan and build your support system
Following an action plan requires that you have the right support throughout the integration process. Whether you work with a coach, therapist, trusted friend, or family member, having someone who you can talk to frequently is a key piece in finding safety in your integration process.
This person should be non-biased and hold space for you to work through your insights and your action plan on your own terms without inserting their opinion. They should also be someone you wholeheartedly trust.
An Integration Maintenance Plan
Once your action plan is in place and your trusted support system is recognized, you’ll follow through your integration process with a maintenance plan. Consider this a way that you can continue to connect back in with yourself and our insights to check-in and stay on track.
The most important part of the maintenance plan is finding something that seamlessly fits into your life that provides you peace and clarity. Since everyone varies this can take on many different shapes and sizes.
Below are a few examples of each type of integration that you can practice depending on what resonates with you and your desired outcome.
Types of Psychedelic Integration Practices
Aforementioned, integration can take many shapes and sizes, and depending on what outcome you’re looking for, might look different than you anticipated. You’ll likely develop a hybrid of some of these types of integration to work into your new practice.
Below are the three most common integration techniques and some examples that you can use to build into your practice. Whichever path you choose, remember that it can always be modified and revisited if it no longer serves you. Think of this practice as fluid as water.
Somatic Integration
Somatic and physical integration demands more body awareness and attention. This can be really helpful for those who are trying to integrate their trauma and lessons thereafter. Releasing through the body is a very therapeutic way to process emotions. This also demands a lot of careful attention so take your time and be sure to practice this type of integration in safe environments.
Physical/somatic integration examples:
- Going for daily walks
- Practicing yoga
- Breathwork exercises
- Cold showers or cold plunges
- Spending more uninterrupted time in nature
Psycho-Spiritual and Inter-Connectedness Integration
It’s extremely common for individuals to return from a psychedelic experience with very confusing and conflicting views about spirituality and their inter-connectedness with the metaphysical world. This can produce very intense existential feelings and bring about bigger questions of purpose, life mission, and conflicting day-to-day thoughts.
This type of integration takes time to process and may not be so black and white, during this process be sure to follow your curiosity and trust your intuition as you explore these ideas further.
Psycho-spiritual and inter-connectedness integration examples:
- Taking on a journaling practice where you routinely tap into these ideas and process
- Mantra meditation
- Devoting yourself to a spiritual practice or ritual that you newly resonate with
- Taking time for rest, recovery, and reflection
- Connecting with the community to dive deeper into what resonates with you
Emotional Integration
For many people, emotions bubble up to the surface during psychedelic exploration as an invitation to uncover what’s been hiding within you. This process requires you to be fully present and allow the feelings to exist without trying to push them away.
You may find that you need more support in this type of integration than the others especially when dealing with big emotions related to trauma and grief. Just know that on the other side is more peace and clarity so though the path may be challenging it’s worth it.
Emotional integration examples:
- Processing (one event at a time) any unhealed traumatic events that you came up during your psychedelic journey. Give yourself space to comfort yourself through this.
- Processing (one event at a time) any unhealed grief such as the passing of a loved one, or any other painful event that you are mourning. Give yourself space to comfort yourself through this.
- Process any harbored resentment you may have towards others or yourself that you haven’t let go of. Give yourself grace throughout this process and only give forgiveness when you’re truly ready (don’t rush this).
- Practice conscious gratitude for the positive parts of your life daily through a gratitude journal or meditation.
Psychedelic Integration is Essential
The psychedelic experience you have is exactly the one you are meant to have. Continuing to remind yourself of this can help you detach from any outcome you might have anticipated and place your energy and effort into understanding and applying your new though processes to your life. Part of the process of teaching others about psychedelics as a mental health tool is practicing what you preach.
The goal of integration is not to interrupt your life, it’s to help you take these new thoughts, ideas, and understandings about yourself in relation to everything around you to evolve and grow as an individual.
When you find an integration practice that suits you, you’ll be on your way to deepening your healing and connection with yourself. This takes time and patience, so be sure to continue to give yourself grace as you navigate the process.
If you want help, reach out to a psychedelic integration specialist or therapist to help guide you through this process. It helps to find someone that you can resonate with and has experience with psychedelics.
Proper integration after a psychedelic experience is essential to using these medicine ceremonies for the greater good of yourself and those around you. If you’re properly integrating, the work never stops.
